Free Willy (1993)

When a boy learns that a beloved killer whale is to be killed by the aquarium owners, the boy risks everything to free the whale.

Director:

Simon Wincer

Writers:

Keith Walker (story), Keith Walker (screenplay),

Stars:

Jason James Richter, Lori Petty, Jayne Atkinson

7 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason James Richter	...	Jesse
Lori Petty	...	Rae Lindley
Jayne Atkinson	...	Annie Greenwood
August Schellenberg	...	Randolph Johnson
Michael Madsen	...	Glen Greenwood
Michael Ironside	...	Dial
Richard Riehle	...	Wade
Mykelti Williamson	...	Dwight Mercer
Michael Bacall	...	Perry
Danielle Harris	...	Gwenie
Isaiah Malone	...	Vector
Betsy Toll	...	Passerby #1
Rob Sample	...	Passerby #2
Merrilyn Jones	...	Passerby #3
Mickey Gaines	...	Waiter

Storyline

Fishermen separate a young orca whale (Willy) from his parents and he ends up in a fish bowl at a marina. Meanwhile, a street kid runs afoul of the law and gets caught vandalising the marina, but his social worker gets him off the hook (so to speak) provided he cleans up his mess at the marina. While there, he befriends the whale and teaches him tricks, something the trainer hasn't been able to do. But when Willy is a dud in front of the audience, the marina owner plans some bad things, and the boy and his friends must try to (*** MAJOR SPOILERS ***) free Willy.

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Plot Keywords:

whale | marina | social worker | aquarium | killer whale | 

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Taglines:

How far would you go for a friend?

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Genres:

Family | Adventure | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild language

Details

Country:

USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 July 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Liberen a Willy

Filming Locations:

Astoria, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£4,030,138 (UK) (4 March 1994)

Gross:

£5,343,231 (UK) (15 April 1994)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Canal+, Regency Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the film was broadcast with a Mexican dub in the United States, it was titled "Libren a Willy," which is grammatically incorrect. The correct Spanish title would have been "Liberen a Willy," or "Liberad a Willy" which is the title used in Spain.

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Goofs

When Jesse first feeds Willy, he throws a headless fish into his tank. When Willy brings it back to him, it has a head.

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Quotes

Jesse: Let's free Willy!

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Connections

Referenced in Married with Children: Live Nude Peg (1997)

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Soundtracks

"How Can You Leave Me Now"
Written by Paul Frazier
Performed by Funky Poets
Courtesy of Epic Records

User Reviews

Sweet, meaningful movie

It might not be the Shawshank Redemption or an equally provocative and important movie. But it's touching. As a child it was my favorite movie and I'd watch it every day for a period of about 3 months. It made me cry, but it meant a lot to me. It might have it's corny moments, but kids like it, and my parents liked it too. Compared to a lot of the movies kids force their parents to watch, this one isn't so bad.

It's really sweet, and it puts out a good message. It allows you to feel and care about things that go on it the world. I dug this out today and watched it again and it was still pretty magical to me, although I'm much older now. I don't see why this is rated a 5.2. I guess I wouldn't tell every adult to go out and watch it, but if you have kids, or just love animals, then give this a shot. It's a good film.