This article was originally posted at my Scientific American blog.

This enthusiastic movie line, lifted from the kids film, “Despicable Me“, about an evil villian whose heart is warmed by a trio of young girls who come into his life, is a very appropriate introduction to a movie that animal lovers simply must take time out to see . If you are along the west coast, the informative and stirring movie “Otter 501″ is debuting in theaters tomorrow! A list of screenings can be seen here.