Free Willy | |
---|---|
Created by | Keith A. Walker |
Original work | Free Willy |
Owner | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Years | 1993–2010 |
Films and television | |
Film(s) |
|
Animated series | Free Willy (1994–95) |
Direct-to-video | Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove (2010) |
Audio | |
Soundtrack(s) |
|
Free Willy is a media franchise from Warner Bros. that started with the 1993 film Free Willy that went on to become a sleeper hit at the box office. The original series primarily follows a street kid named Jesse who befriends an orca named Willy and eventually develops a strong connection. While trying to juggle his newly found life, he and Willy are challenged with overcoming or defeating various hazards to the ocean or Willy himself including corporate greed, hunters, poachers, and oil disasters.
Following the success of Free Willy, it was followed by an animated series, two sequels, and a direct-to-video reboot.
Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producer(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Free Willy | June 11, 1993 | Simon Wincer | Keith A. Walker & Corey Blechman | Keith A. Walker | Lauren Shuler Donner and Jennie Lew Tugend |
Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home | July 19, 1995 | Dwight Little | Karen Janszen, Corey Blechman and John Mattson | ||
Free Willy 3: The Rescue | August 7, 1997 | Sam Pillsbury | John Mattson | Jennie Lew Tugend | |
Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove | March 23, 2010 | Will Geiger | Cindy McCreery | David Wicht, John Stainton, Laura Lodin |
A delinquent orphan named Jesse is forced to clean up graffiti at the Northwest Adventure Park as part of his probation while staying with new foster parents. There, he becomes attached to a captive killer whale, the film's eponymous "Willy", until he discovers a secret from the park's greedy owner that threatens their friendship.
Two years after setting him free, Jesse reunites with Willy during a camping trip in the San Juan Islands with the Greenwoods and newly-discovered half-brother named Elvis as the teenager tries to help Willy and his siblings Luna and Littlespot return to their mother Catspaw after an oil spill separated them in addition to endangering Luna.
Jesse now works with his old friend Randolph at an orca institute where he tracks down Willy and his mate Nicky, and also teams up with Max to stop the latter's father from hunting the whales.
Kirra discovers a baby killer whale washed ashore in the lagoon near her grandfather's rundown seaside amusement park during her stay in South Africa. She names the orca Willy and embarks on a quest to lead him back to his pod before he's sold.
This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.
Characters | Original series | Animated series | Reboot | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Free Willy | Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home | Free Willy 3: The Rescue | Free Willy | Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove | ||
Season 1 | Season 2 | |||||
Jesse | Jason James Richter | Zachary Bennett V | ||||
Willy | Keiko | Keiko U | Paul Haddad V | CGI Orca | ||
Randolph Johnson | August Schellenberg | Michael Fletcher V | ||||
Annie Greenwood | Jayne Atkinson | Sheila McCarthy V | ||||
Glen Greenwood | Michael Madsen | Ron Len V | ||||
Rae Lindley | Lori Petty | |||||
Dial | Michael Ironside | |||||
Wade | Richard Riehle | |||||
Dwight Mercer | Mykelti Williamson | |||||
Perry | Michael Bacall | |||||
Gwenie | Danielle Harris | |||||
Elvis | Francis Capra | |||||
Nadine | Mary Kate Schellhardt | |||||
John Milner | Jon Tenney | |||||
Kate Haley | Elizabeth Peña | |||||
Wilcox | M. Emmet Walsh | |||||
Captain Nilson | Steve Kahan | |||||
Commander Blake | John Considine | |||||
Drew Halbert | Annie Corley | |||||
Max Wesley | Vincent Berry | |||||
John Wesley | Patrick Kilpatrick | |||||
Kron | Ian Tracey | |||||
1st Mate Sanderson | Peter LaCroix | |||||
Captain Drake | Matthew Walker | |||||
Dineen | Stephen E. Miller | |||||
Mary Wesley | Tasha Simms | |||||
Rockland Stone The Machine | Gary Krawford V | |||||
Marlene | Rachel Crawford V | |||||
P.R. Frickley | Andrew Sabiston V | |||||
Mr. Naugle | Neil Crone V | |||||
Lucille | Alyson Court V | |||||
Amphonoids | James Kidnie V | |||||
Kirra Cooper | Bindi Irwin | |||||
Gus Grisby | Beau Bridges | |||||
Mansa | Bongolethu Mbutuma | |||||
Sifiso | Siyabuela Ramba | |||||
Rolf V.D. Woods | Stephen Jennings | |||||
Blikkie | Matthew Roberts | |||||
Jayce | Heima Jaffa | |||||
Dr. Sam Cooper | Kevin Otto | |||||
Diff | Louw Venter |
Film | Crew/Detail | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Composer(s) | Cinematographer | Editor(s) | Production companies | Distributing companies | ||
Free Willy | Basil Poledouris | Robbie Greenberg | O. Nicholas Brown | Le Studio Canal+ Regency Enterprises Alcor Films Donner/Shuler-Donner | Warner Bros. | |
Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home | László Kovács | Robert Brown Dallas Puett | Le Studio Canal+ Regency Enterprises Alcor Films Shuler-Donner/Donner | |||
Free Willy 3: The Rescue | Cliff Eidelman | Tobias A. Schliessler | Margaret Goodspeed | Regency Enterprises Shuler Donner/Donner | ||
Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove | Enis Rotthoff | Robert Malpage | Sabrina Plisco | ApolloMovie Beteiligungs Film Africa Worldwide | Warner Premiere |
Film | Release date | Box office revenue | Budget | Ref. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
North America | Other territories | Worldwide | ||||
Free Willy | July 16, 1993 | $77,709,806 | $76,000,000 | $153,709,806 | $20,000,000 | [1] |
Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home | July 19, 1995 | $30,077,111 | — | $30,077,111 | $31,000,000 | [2] |
Free Willy 3: The Rescue | August 8, 1997 | $3,446,539 | — | $3,446,539 | — | [3] |
Total | $111,222,275 | $76,000,000 | $187,222,275 | $51,000,000 |
Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore [4] |
---|---|---|---|
Free Willy | 71% (31 reviews) [5] | 79 (14 reviews) [6] | A |
Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home | 50% (26 reviews) [7] | — | A- |
Free Willy 3: The Rescue | 44% (16 reviews) [8] | — | B+ |
Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove | — | — | — |
Keiko was a male orca captured in the Atlantic Ocean near Iceland in 1979. He was best known for his portrayal of Willy in the 1993 film Free Willy. In 1996, Warner Bros. and the International Marine Mammal Project collaborated to return Keiko to the wild. After years of preparing Keiko for reintegration, Keiko was flown to Iceland in 1998 and in 2002, became the first captive orca to be fully released back into the ocean. On 12 December 2003, he died of pneumonia in a bay in Norway at the age of 27.
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. Pictures under their Family Entertainment imprint. The film stars Jason James Richter in his film debut, Lori Petty, Jayne Atkinson, August Schellenberg, and Michael Madsen with the eponymous character, Willy, played by Keiko.
Jason James Richter is an American actor and musician. He is best known for his role in the Free Willy film series as Jesse, the boy who befriends Willy the orca.
Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home is a 1995 American family adventure drama film directed by Dwight Little from a screenplay by Karen Janszen, Corey Blechman and John Mattson. It is the sequel to the 1993 film Free Willy and second installment in the Free Willy film series distributed by Warner Bros. under their Warner Bros. Family Entertainment label. Jason James Richter, Jayne Atkinson, August Schellenberg, Michael Madsen and Mykelti Williamson reprise their roles from the first film. New cast members include Jon Tenney and Elizabeth Peña. Unlike the previous film where Keiko played Willy, a robotic double created by Edge Innovations was used to play the eponymous whale while the Free Willy Keiko Foundation devised a plan to bring Keiko to the Oregon Coast Aquarium where he would be rehabilitated from poor health. However, Keiko did make an uncredited appearance, reprising his role as Willy through an archival clip shown in the movie.
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