Free Willy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Free Willy
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Simon Wincer
Produced by	Lauren Shuler Donner Jennie Lew Tugend
Screenplay by	Keith A. Walker Corey Blechman
Story by	Keith A. Walker
Starring	Jason James Richter Lori Petty Jayne Atkinson August Schellenberg Michael Madsen
Music by	Basil Poledouris
Cinematography	Robbie Greenberg
Editing by	O. Nicholas Brown
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	July 16, 1993 (1993-07-16)
Running time	112 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$20 million
Money made	$153.6 million

Free Willy is a 1993 American family drama film, directed by Simon Wincer, produced by Lauren Shuler Donner and Jennie Lew Tugend, written by Keith A. Walker and Corey Blechman from a story by Walker and distributed by Warner Bros. under their Family Entertainment imprint. The film stars Jason James Richter, in his film debut, as Jesse, a foster boy who befriends a captive orca named Willy.

Shot between May and August 1992 and released on July 16, 1993, the film received positive attention from critics and was a commercial success, grossing $153.6 million from a $20 million budget. It grew into a small franchise, including a television series, two sequels and a direct-to-video reboot.

Plot

Near the coastline of the Pacific Northwest, a pod of orcas are peacefully swimming. The pod is tracked down by a group of whalers, and one of them, Willy, is trapped and sent to the Northwest Adventure Park while his family is unable to help.

Sometime later in Portland, Oregon, Jesse, a troubled orphaned 12-year-old boy abandoned by his estranged mother six years before, is caught by the police for vandalizing the theme park. On the night of his arrest, he encounters Willy. Jesse's social worker Dwight earns him a reprieve by finding him a foster home and having him clean up the graffiti as part of his probation. His foster parents are the supportive and kind Annie and Glen Greenwood, but Jesse is initially unruly and hostile to them.

While working at the park, Jesse sees Willy again. Willy is regarded as surly and uncooperative by the park staff, including his trainer Rae Lindley, but Willy takes a liking to Jesse's harmonica playing, and later saves Jesse from drowning one night, and the two start a bond, and Jesse also becomes friendly with Willy's keeper, Randolph Johnson, who witnessed Jesse's arrest and teaches him about his connection with Willy. Jesse is offered a permanent job at the theme park after probation, and also warms into his new home.

The owner of the Northwest Adventure Park, Dial, sees the talent Jesse and Willy have together and makes plans to host "The Willy Show" in hopes of finally making money from Willy, who has thus far been a costly venture for him. On the day of the first performance, Willy is antagonized by children banging constantly on his underwater observation area and refuses to perform. Jesse, unable to get Willy to do tricks while dealing with pressure from the crowd, storms off in tears and plans to run away to find his mom. In a stress-induced rage, Willy smashes against the tank, damaging it. Later, while at the tank, Jesse says his last farewell. But notices Willy's family calling to him from the ocean and realizes how miserable he is in captivity after discovering their voices responding to Willy's cry. Shortly after, Jesse spots Dial's assistant, Wade, and several colleagues sneaking into the underwater observation area. They deliberately damage the tank enough that the water will gradually leak out and kill Willy, allowing them to cash in on his $1,000,000 insurance policy.

Jesse and Randolph hatch a plan to release Willy back into the ocean, and also brought Rae into the mix. They use equipment at the park to load Willy onto a trailer, and Jesse and Randolph use Glen's truck to tow Willy to a marina. Wade meanwhile calls Dial to inform him that Willy is missing, thinking that Rae and Randolph did it. Dial tells Wade to call Wilson as he launches a search to find the fugitives. Jesse, Randolph and Rae try to stay on the back roads to avoid being spotted, but eventually get stuck in the mud.

With Randolph and Rae unable to move the trailer, Jesse calls Glen and Annie using a CB radio in the truck. Annie and Glen show up and help free the truck, and continue on to the marina to release Willy. There, Dial, Wade, and his associates are blocking the gate. Glen smashes through the gate, turns the truck around and backs Willy into the water, flooding his truck in the process.

Willy is finally released into the water but does not immediately move, seemingly having been on dry land for too long. Wade and the confederates attempt to stop them, but Jesse and his friends fight back, trying to hold them off long enough for Willy to swim away. With Jesse's encouragement, Willy finally begins to swim, slipping away from the battle and heading for the marina entrance. Before he can make it into the ocean, however, two of Dial's whaling ships suddenly appear, sealing off the marina with their nets. Jesse runs towards the breakwater, calling for Willy to follow him, drawing him away from the boats. Jesse goes to the edge and tells Willy that if he makes the jump, it will be his highest, and he'll be free. Jesse says a tearful goodbye, but pulls himself together and goes back to the top. He recites a Haida prayer Randolph had taught him, before giving Willy a signal. Willy makes the jump over the breakwater and lands in the ocean on the other side, finally free to return to his family. Jesse goes back to Glen and Annie who hug him as Willy calls out to Jesse in the distance.

Cast

• Jason James Richter as Jesse
• Lori Petty as Rae Lindley
• Jayne Atkinson as Annie Greenwood
• August Schellenberg as Randolph Johnson
• Michael Madsen as Glen Greenwood
• Michael Ironside as Dial
• Richard Riehle as Wade
• Mykelti Williamson as Dwight Mercer
• Michael Bacall as Perry
• Danielle Harris as Gwenie
• Willis Van Dusen as Fish Vendor
• Jim Michaels as Announcer
• Keiko as Willy

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was released in July 13, 1993 by Epic Records and MJJ Music. It contained all the songs that were featured in the movie. Michael Jackson produced and performed "Will You Be There", taken from his 1991 album Dangerous, which can be heard during the end credits. The single version, under the title "Will You Be There (Reprise)", is also included. The song went on to become a top 10 hit in the Billboard Hot 100 charts and was certified platinum as well as winning the 1994 MTV Movie Award for Best Song from a Movie. The second single, a remix SWV's 1992 song "Right Here", which contained a sample of Jackson's song "Human Nature", also became a No. 2 hit for the group. New Kids on the Block recorded their first song since they briefly changed their name to NKOTB.

Track listing

Keiko

The aquatic star of the film was an orca named Keiko. The huge national and international success of this film inspired a letter writing campaign to get Keiko released from his captivity as an attraction in the amusement park Reino Aventura in Mexico City; this movement was called "Free Keiko". Warner Bros. was so grateful for the whale, and so moved by the fan's ambition, they contributed to rehabilitate and (if possible) free Keiko. He was moved to The Oregon Coast Aquarium in Oregon by flying in a UPS C-130 cargo plane. In Oregon, he was returned to health with the hopes of being able to return to the wild. In 1998, Keiko was moved to Iceland via a US Air Force C-17 to learn to live in the wild. After working with handlers, he was released from a sea pen in the summer of 2002 and swam to Norway following a pod of wild orcas.

His subsequent return to humans for food and for company, and his inability to integrate with a pod of orcas, however, confirms that the project had failed according to a scientific study published in the journal Marine Mammal Science (July 2009). Keiko eventually died of pneumonia in a Norwegian bay on December 12, 2003.

A decade later in 2013, a New York Times video reviewed Keiko's release into the wild. Reasons cited for Keiko's failure to adapt include his early age at capture, the long history of captivity, prolonged lack of contact with other orcas, and strong bonds with humans.

See also

In Spanish: Free Willy para niños