Starring:
Year of Release: 1993
Rated: PG
Director: Simon Wincer
Approx. Running Time: 112 minutes
Format(s): VHS
My Rating: 2 stars (Out of 5)
From Back Cover:
"Pure magic. You will cheer!"
-Joel Siegel, "GOOD MORNING AMERICA"/ABC-TV
Willy is a magnificent orca whale confined in a too small tank at Pacific Northwest aquatic park. At night, Willy cries out to his family that frolics in the nearby bay. No one understands his cries and moods - no one except a 12-year-old boy who knows what it's like to be without a family.
Free Willy is a heartwarming and touching story about the friendship that develops between a boy and a whale. When the boy learns of the unfortunate plans in store for his friend, he carries out a plan of his own, racing against time to return Willy to his natural habitat.
Critics have hailed Free Willy as irresistible entertainment and audiences everywhere love the film's biggest star: Keiko, the remarkable 7,000-pound orca who (with some back-up from a full-sized "animatronic" whale) plays Willy.
My Comments:
Moving and heartwarming (but really cheesy), this family film is significant in that it really helped to raise awareness of the plight of captive marine mammals. It also eventually led to the release of Keiko, the orca star of the film. Sadly, his release was short-lived, as he died of pneumonia only a year afterward.
Go Back:
F
Rated PG (MPAA)
2 Stars
1993 (Year Of Release)
Family
Main Index