Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure

Did You Know?

• The film's working titles were Franklin and the Secret Talisman and Franklin and Granny's Secret.
• It was Patricia Gage's final performance before her death in 2010.
• The film was released in Canadian and French theaters in 2006.

Plot

Franklin's grandmother's house is the gathering spot for the Turtle family as they welcome his aunt Lucy, an archaeologist, and her goddaughter Samantha, called Sam. Sam is a year older than Franklin and tends to be boastful and mischievous, which makes it hard for the two to get along. While looking through Lucy's old things, Franklin discovers a hand-drawn map of Turtle Lake and realizes it was his grandmother who made it. Urged by both Franklin and Sam, Granny shares a painful story: as a child, she lived at Turtle Lake with her parents. She once found a hidden spot, buried her treasures in a painted tin box, and drew a map to it, but never opened it again. Shortly after, while she was camping at the lake, a forest fire destroyed her home and killed her parents. She then moved in with her aunt's family and never returned to Turtle Lake. The memories overwhelm her, and she falls ill; the Turtles check on her. When Granny mentions the buried box, Franklin believes finding it might be the only way to help her recover. Guided by Lucy, Franklin, Sam, and his friends Bear, Beaver, and Snail head to Turtle Lake. They search the ruins of Granny's old house but come up empty. There, they meet a local turtle woman who shows them a turtle talisman similar to the one Granny had in her box. She explains that these talismans possess strong psychic power, and Franklin guesses that this is the real reason Granny wanted the box found. The next day, they encounter Little Crow, an orphan bird, who points out the box's location, but someone has already dug it up. Later, Little Crow kidnaps Snail and brings her to his falcon chick friends for play. Franklin and Sam volunteer to rescue Snail, but their personalities clash again. After realizing their differences have caused problems, they learn to cooperate and admit their mistakes. They climb to the mountain top where the falcon nest sits. The Falcon Mama discovers what her chicks have done, releases Snail to Franklin and Sam, and decides to adopt Little Crow into her family once she sees his good intentions. This event renews the group's hope in their mission, and they continue their search for the box.