Jump to content

Free Willy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Free Willy
An orca jumps over a jetty with a young boy giving out its signal to the orca. The film's tagline reads "A Friendship you could never imagine".
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySimon Wincer
Screenplay by
Story byKeith A. Walker
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRobbie Greenberg
Edited byO. Nicholas Brown
Music byBasil Poledouris
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • July 16, 1993(1993-07-16)
Running time
112 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20 million[1]
Box office$153.7 million[2]

Free Willyis a 1993 Americanfamilydrama film,directed bySimon Wincer,produced byLauren Shuler Donnerand Jennie Lew Tugend, written byKeith A. Walkerand Corey Blechman from a story by Walker and distributed byWarner Bros. Picturesunder theirFamily Entertainmentimprint. The film starsJason James Richterin his film debut,Lori Petty,Jayne Atkinson,August Schellenberg,andMichael Madsenwith the eponymous character, Willy, played byKeiko.

The story is about a 12 year old orphaned boy named Jesse who befriends a captiveorca,Willy, at an ailing amusement park. When he discovers that the park owner has been planning to dispose of Willy, he hatches a scheme to break Willy out of captivity.

Released on July 16, 1993, the film received positive attention from critics and was a commercial success, grossing $153.7 million from a $20 million budget. It grew intoa small franchise,including ananimated television series,two sequels, and adirect-to-video rebootin addition to inspiring the rehabilitation and release of Keiko. The film marked Keith A. Walker's only film as screenwriter, and last project before his death in late December 1996.

Plot[edit]

On the Pacific Northwest coastline, a pod of orcas is tracked down by whalers. One of the orcas is separated from his family and sold to the Northwest Adventure Park.

Months later in Portland, Jesse, an orphan abandoned by his mother six years ago, fled from Cooperton with his fellow orphans and spends three days roaming the streets, begging for money and stealing food. To evade police in pursuit later that night, he and Perry break into the adventure park's observation area. While doing graffiti on the walls and its water tank, Jesse comes face to face with the large orca before getting caught by the police. Dwight informs him that his new foster parents Glen and Annie Greenwood would be happy to take him in. Jesse, who hopes to be reunited with his mother, begrudgingly goes to live with them.

To avoid being sent to juvenile hall if he flees again, Jesse is allowed to make up for his vandalism by cleaning and repainting the observation area. He forms a bond with the orca, named Willy, when he takes a liking to Jesse’s harmonica playing. With probation ending, and his job almost up, Jesse sneaks out of the house to visit Willy, and falls in the tank. He nearly drowns but Willy saves the boy and brings him to the surface. Randolph and Rae notice that Jesse is the only human the normally ill-tempered Willy responds to, and eventually, Jesse is offered a summer job. He also starts to warm up to the Greenwoods.

Park owner Dial sees Jesse and Willy's talent in hopes of finally making money from Willy, who has thus far been a costly venture for him. On opening day, however, he refuses to perform due to being antagonized. Jesse, unable to get him to do tricks while dealing with pressure from spectators, tearfully storms off and plans to find his mother. Willy cracks the tank with his stress-induced rage, having had enough of the children's constant banging. Jesse sneaks out to stop by the tank to say goodbye to Willy. Before leaving, something responds to Willy's crying noises again. Jesse follows the responses and realizes Willy is communicating with his family. The discovery is interrupted when park manager Wade and some colleagues sneak into the observation area to deliberately damage the spot where Willy smashed the tank so that the water will leak out.

Randolph explains to Jesse that Dial plans to kill Willy and collect the million-dollar insurance. Jesse hatches a plan to return him to the ocean, with Randolph and Rae joining in. They use a forklift to transport Willy from tank to Glen's pickup Jesse and Randolph stole. Dial launches a search when he is informed by Wade about Willy. When the truck gets stuck in the mud, Jesse uses the truck’s CB radio to call Glen and Annie for help. Both of them arrive and Glen is reluctant to assist but relents when Jesse pleads with him. After a brief stop at a car wash to wet Willy more, Glen drives the truck to Dawson’s Marina, where Dial, Wade, and their men have assembled at the gates to stop them. Glen smashes through the gate and backs Willy into the water.

After a struggle with Dial's men, and Wade, Willy manages to swim away. However, two of Dial's whaling ships seal off the marina. Jesse runs toward the breakwater and encourages Willy to follow him and jump over. On the breakwater, Jesse recites a Haida prayer Randolph had taught him through the story of Natselane, before giving Willy the signal to jump. Willy makes the jump over and lands in the ocean on the other side, free to return to his family, while a dismayed Dial and Wade can only watch. Jesse thanks and hugs Glen and Annie as Willy calls out to him in the distance.

Cast[edit]

  • Jason James Richteras Jesse, a 12-year-old orphan
  • Lori Pettyas Rae Lindley, Northwest Adventure Park trainer, Willy's veterinarian and aspiring marine biologist
  • August Schellenbergas Randolph Johnson, Willy's Haida caretaker
  • Jayne Atkinsonas Annie Greenwood, a teacher, Jesse's foster mom and Glen's wife
  • Michael Madsenas Glen Greenwood, Greenwood Auto Repairs founder and owner, Jesse's foster dad and Annie's husband
  • Michael Ironsideas Dial, the greedy owner of Northwest Adventure Park
  • Richard Riehleas Wade, Northwest Adventure Park general manager
  • Mykelti Williamsonas Dwight Mercer, Jesse's social worker
  • Michael Bacallas Perry, a runaway orphan who also hangs with other street kids and works alongside a criminal
  • Danielle Harrisas Gwenie, a runaway orphan
  • Isaiah Malone as Vector, a runaway orphan
  • Tom Lasswell as Brody, a truck stop employee who reveals to the Greenwoods that he saw Glen's stolen pickup carrying Willy
  • Keikoas Willy, a captive 12-year-old orca whom Jesse befriends

Then-Astoria mayorWillis Van Dusenmade a cameo appearance as a fish vendor.Jim Michaelswas the announcer for the Northwest Adventure Park's aquatic theater. Additionally,Moultrie Pattenand Ed Murphy play two homeless men at the car wash station where the former makes a compliment to Randolph after seeing Willy getting sprayed.Debbie Derryberrywas a stunt double for Jason James Richter in some scenes including Willy saving Jesse.

Production[edit]

Writing[edit]

The project first originated in 1984 whenKeith A. Walkerconceived of the story while working onThe Goonieswith the film's directorRichard Donner,who would eventually serve as one of the executive producers forFree Willy.In the original script, the character of Jesse was amute10-year-old boy living with nuns.[3]Donner and his wife, producerLauren Schuler Donner,hired screenwriter Corey Blechman to update the script and to make it less sentimental, including making Jesse older and into a street tough-type.[3]

Filming[edit]

Filmmakers searched throughout the U.S., Japan, France, Spain, and Argentina for an orca to portray Willy before settling onKeiko,a twelve-year-old orca that had been residing atReino Aventuraamusement park inMexico Citysince 1985.[4]The production team was able to film Keiko in the park while it underwent renovations from May and June 1992.[4]A wooden backdrop was used to make the Reino Aventura aquatic arena appear as if it was located in the Pacific Northwest.[4]Once filming concluded in Mexico City, production moved to Oregon andWashingtonfor location shooting. Oregon locations featured in the film includeEcola State Park,Oregon Convention Center,Pioneer Courthouse Square,Morrison Bridge,14th Street Pier,Tom McCall Waterfront Park,Burnside SkateparkandOaks Amusement Park.The climactic jump scene takes place at the Hammond Marina inWarrentonwhere a rocket launcher was used to shoot the Willy animatronic out of the shoot.[4]The final scene along with the opening and end credits wildlife montages were shot by Bob Talbot.

Most close-up shots involving limited movement by Willy, such as when he is in the trailer and the sequences involving him swimming in the open water, make use of an animatronic stand-in.Walt Conti,who supervised the effects for the orcas, estimated that half of the shots of the orca used animatronic stand-ins. Conti stated that the smaller movements of a real orca actually made things difficult in some ways for him and his crew; they had to concentrate on smaller nuances in order to make the character seem alive.[5]The most extensive use of CGI in the film is the climax where Willy jumps over Jesse and into the wild. All stunts with Keiko were performed by the young orca trainer Justin Sherbert (known additionally by his stage name, Justin Sherman).

Principal photographytook place from May 18 to August 17, 1992.[4]

Release[edit]

Box office performance[edit]

The film was released alongsideHocus PocusandBenefit of the Doubton July 16, 1993, and grossed $7,868,829 domestically in its opening weekend.[2]It went on to make $76 million in its foreign release and $11,181 from the 2021 re-release in some domestic markets, bringing the film's gross to $153,709,806.[2]Upon its initial release,Free Willyranked number 5 behindHocus Pocusplus holdovers fromJurassic Park,In the Line of FireandThe Firmat the box office before moving to number 4 by the following weekend and it stayed there for two more weeks. Afterward, its rank in the box office began to gradually decline, with the exception of a three-day weekend (September 3 to 6), in which gross revenue increased by 33.6%.[2]

Critical response[edit]

The film has received positive reviews from critics. TheRotten Tomatoeswebsite reported that 71% of critics have given the film a fresh rating based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 5.6/10.[6]The site's critics consensus reads: "Free Willytugs at the heartstrings skillfully enough to leap above the rising tide of sentimentality that threatens to drown its formulaic family-friendly story ".[6]The film onMetacritichas a weighted average score of 79 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews" from 14 reviews.[7]Audiences polled byCinemaScoregave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[8]

Accolades[edit]

Award Date Category Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Result Ref.
Youth in Film Awards February 5, 1994 Best Youth Actor Leading Role in a Motion Picture: Drama Jason James Richter Won1 [9]
Outstanding Family Motion Picture: Drama Free Willy Won
Kids' Choice Awards May 7, 1994 Favorite Film Free Willy Nominated [10]
Favorite Movie Actress Lori Petty Nominated
MTV Movie Awards June 4, 1994 Breakthrough Performance Jason James Richter Nominated [11]
Best Kiss Jason James Richter andWilly Nominated
Best Song From a Movie "Will You Be There"byMichael Jackson Won
BMI Film & TV Awards 1994 BMI Film Music Basil Poledouris Won [12]
Environmental Media Awards 1994 Feature Film Free Willy Won [13]
Genesis Awards 1994 Feature Film Free Willy Won [14]
Golden Screen Awards 1994 Golden Screen Free Willy Won
Notes:
  • ^1— Tied withEdward FurlongforA Home of Our Own.

Home media[edit]

Free Willysold almost 9 million units on videocassette following its release in December 11, 1993.[15][16]The original VHS, 10th Anniversary DVD, and Blu-ray releases also had a music video of theMichael Jacksonsong, "Will You Be There".

Soundtrack[edit]

Free Willy: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack albumby
various artists
Released1993(1993)
Length59:26
Label
ProducerJoel Sill
Gary LeMel
Jerry Greenberg
SinglesfromFree Willy: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
  1. "Will You Be There"
    Released: June 28, 1993
  2. "Right Here (Human Nature Remix)"
    Released: July 10, 1993
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[17]

TheFree Willymovie soundtrack was released on July 13, 1993, on CD and audio cassette by MJJ Music andLaFace Recordsin association with theEpic Recordssub-labelEpic Soundtrax.[18]It contained all the songs that were featured in the film.Michael Jacksonwrote, produced and performed "Will You Be There",originally taken from his 1991 albumDangerous,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 theBillboard Hot 100charts and was certified platinum as well as winning the1994 MTV Movie AwardforBest Song from a Movie.A remix ofSWV's 1992 song "Right Here",which contained a sample of Jackson's"Human Nature",became the group's highest charted single to date and the second biggest hit off the soundtrack when it also landed in the Hot 100 chart at No. 2.New Kids on the Blockrecorded their first song since they briefly changed their name to NKOTB.[19]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
1."Will You Be There (Theme from Free Willy)"Michael JacksonMichael Jackson5:53
2."Keep on Smilin'"
NKOTB4:36
3."Didn't Mean to Hurt You"
3T5:47
4."Right Here"(Human Nature Remix)
SWV3:50
5."How Can You Leave Me Now"Paul FrazierFunky Poets5:43
6."Main Title"Basil Poledouris5:07
7."Connection"Basil Poledouris1:44
8."The Gifts"Basil Poledouris5:19
9."Friends Montage"Basil Poledouris3:40
10."Auditon"Basil Poledouris2:04
11."Farewell Suite
  • a. "Jessie Says Goodbye" – 3:37
  • b. "Let's Free Willy!" – 3:35
  • c. "Return to Freedom" – 4:49 "
Basil Poledouris12:01
12."Will You Be There" (Reprise)Michael JacksonMichael Jackson3:42
Total length:59:26

Keiko[edit]

Main article:Keiko (killer whale)

The aquatic star of the film was an orca namedKeiko.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 parkReino Aventurain Mexico City; this movement was called "Free Keiko". Warner Bros. was so grateful for the whale, and so moved by the fans' ambition, they contributed to rehabilitate and (if possible) free Keiko. He was moved toThe Oregon Coast Aquariumin Oregon by flying in a UPSC-130cargo plane. In Oregon, he was returned to health with the hopes of being able to return to the wild.[20]In 1998, Keiko was moved to Iceland via aUS Air Force C-17to 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.[21]

His subsequent return to humans for food and for company, and his inability to integrate with a pod of orcas confirms that the project had failed according to a scientific study published in the journalMarine Mammal Science(July 2009).[22][21]Keiko eventually died of pneumonia exacerbated by a deformed fin in a Norwegian bay on December 12, 2003.

A decade later in 2013, aNew York Timesvideo reviewed Keiko's release into the wild.[23]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.[24]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Free Willy".The Numbers.RetrievedJuly 8,2023.
  2. ^abcd"Free Willy".Box Office Mojo.RetrievedApril 24,2022.
  3. ^abThompson, Anne (July 30, 1993)."Free Willy:Sleeper hit ".EW.com.RetrievedJuly 8,2023.
  4. ^abcde"Free Willy (1993)".AFI Catalog of Feature Films.RetrievedJuly 8,2023.
  5. ^Rickitt, Richard (2006).Designing Movie Creatures and Characters: Behind the Scenes With the Movie Masters.Focal Press. pp. 161–65.ISBN978-0-240-80846-8.
  6. ^ab"Free Willy (1993)".Rotten Tomatoes.RetrievedAugust 4,2021.
  7. ^"Free Willy Reviews".Metacritic.Archivedfrom the original on September 22, 2020.RetrievedAugust 8,2020.
  8. ^"Home".CinemaScore.RetrievedOctober 18,2022.
  9. ^"15th Annual Youth In Film Awards".YoungArtistAwards.org.Archived fromthe originalon April 3, 2011.RetrievedSeptember 21,2020.
  10. ^"It's time for Kids' choice T.V. awards".Associated Press.April 27, 1994.RetrievedJuly 8,2023– viaThe Victoria Advocate.
  11. ^"1994 Movie Awards".MTV.Archived fromthe originalon April 23, 2008.RetrievedJuly 8,2023.
  12. ^"BMI Gives Awards for Television, Music".Billboard.Vol. 106, no. 22. May 28, 1994. p. 72.RetrievedJuly 8,2023.
  13. ^"EMA Awards - Past Recipients and Honorees".Environmental Media Association.RetrievedJuly 8,2023.
  14. ^"Genesis Awards go to 'Free Willy,' TV shows".UPI.March 2, 1994.RetrievedJuly 8,2023.
  15. ^"WB pushes 'Willy 2' vid".Variety.September 4, 1995.RetrievedJuly 2,2021.
  16. ^"Top Video Sales For Week Ending December 11, 1993"(PDF).Billboard.December 11, 1993. p. 121.RetrievedFebruary 5,2024.
  17. ^"Free Willy - Original Soundtrack - Songs, Reviews, Credits".AllMusic.Archivedfrom the original on September 11, 2017.RetrievedSeptember 11,2017.
  18. ^"'Willy' music launches MJJ/Epic ".Variety.June 10, 1993.RetrievedMarch 30,2021.
  19. ^Young, Sage (August 24, 2016)."What The Whale From 'Free Willy' Taught Us About Orcas, Long Before 'Blackfish' Hit Theaters".Bustle.Archivedfrom the original on September 11, 2017.RetrievedSeptember 11,2017.
  20. ^Kurth, Linda Moore (September 11, 2017).Keiko's Story: A Killer Whale Goes Home.Millbrook Press.ISBN9780761315001.Archivedfrom the original on December 19, 2020.RetrievedSeptember 11,2017– via Google Books.
  21. ^ab"Killer whales: What to do with captive orcas?".BBC News.February 25, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on August 16, 2017.RetrievedSeptember 11,2017.
  22. ^Simon, M. (2009)."From captivity to the wild and back: An attempt to release Keiko the killer whale".Marine Mammal Science.25(3): 693–705.doi:10.1111/j.1748-7692.2009.00287.x.S2CID13673341.Archivedfrom the original on September 22, 2017.RetrievedJuly 6,2019.
  23. ^Winerip, Michael (September 16, 2013)."Retro Report: The Whale Who Would Not Be Freed"(video (11:43)).The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on June 11, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 17,2013.
  24. ^"From captivity to the wild and back: An attempt to release Keiko the killer whale"(PDF).Orcanetwork.org.Archived(PDF)from the original on April 4, 2016.RetrievedJanuary 23,2018.

External links[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related toFree Willy.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Free_Willy&oldid=1231236508"