Free Willy (franchise)
American children's film media franchise
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 with whom he develops a strong friendship. 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.
| Free Willy | |
|---|---|
Logo to the first film | |
| Created by | Keith Walker |
| Original work | Free Willy |
| Owner | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Years | 1993–present |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) | |
| Animated series | Free Willy |
| Direct-to-video | Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove |
| Audio | |
| Soundtrack(s) |
|
Following the success of Free Willy, it was followed by an animated series, two sequels, and a direct-to-video first reboot film, and an upcoming theatrical second reboot film.
Films
| Film | U.S. release date | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Willy | June 11, 1993 | Simon Wincer | Corey Blechman & Keith A. Walker | Keith A. Walker | Jennie Lew Tugend and Lauren Shuler Donner |
| Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home | July 19, 1995 | Dwight H. Little | John Mattson, Karen Janszen & Corey Blackman | ||
| 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, Laura Lodin and John Stainton | |
| Untitled reboot | TBA | TBA | Mary-Margaret Kunze & Jade Halley Bartlett | Angela Russo-Otstot, Michael Disco and Kassee Whiting | |
| Free Willy story chronology | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
Free Willy (1993)
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.
Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home (1995)
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.
Free Willy 3: The Rescue (1997)
Jesse 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.
Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove (2010)
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 is sold. This film served as a reboot in the series.
Future
In July 2026, a reboot of the franchise was announced to be in development. Kassee Whiting with Mary-Margaret Kunze and Jade Halley Bartlett will serve as co-screenwriters, while Angela Russo-Otstot, Michael Disco, Kassee Whiting, Lauren Shuler Donner, and Courtney Baker will produce. Anthony and Joe Russo will serve in executive producing roles. The project is intended to be a joint-venture production between Warner Bros. and AGBO.[1]
Television
| Series | Season | Episodes | Originally released | Showrunner | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | Network | |||||
| Free Willy | 1 | 13 | September 24, 1994 | December 24, 1994 | ABC / Canal+ / Global Television Network | Patrick Loubert | |
| 2 | 8 | September 9, 1995 | December 16, 1995 | ||||
Free Willy (1994–1995)
The show continues the adventures of the orca Willy and Jesse, the boy who freed him from captivity as shown in the film.[2]
Main cast and characters
This section includes characters who have appeared in major or notable roles in the franchise.
- An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film.
- V indicates a voice-only role.
| Characters | Film | Television | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Willy | Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home |
Free Willy 3: The Rescue |
Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove |
Free Willy (The Animated Series) | |
| Jesse | Jason James Richter | Zachary BennettV | |||
| Willy | Keiko | Appeared[a] | Appeared | Paul HaddadV | |
| Randolph Johnson | August Schellenberg | Michael FletcherV | |||
| Annie Greenwood | Jayne Atkinson | Sheila McCarthyV | |||
| Glen Greenwood | Michael Madsen | Ron LenV | |||
| 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 | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| Rockland Stone The Machine |
Gary KrawfordV | ||||
| Marlene | Rachel CrawfordV | ||||
| P.R. Frickley | Andrew SabistonV | ||||
| Mr. Naugle | Neil CroneV | ||||
| Einstein | Kevin ZegersV | ||||
| Lucille | Alyson CourtV | ||||
| Amphonoids | James KidnieV | ||||
Crew and additional production details
| Film | Crew/Detail | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composer(s) | Cinematographer | Editor(s) | Production companies | Distributing companies | Running time | |
| Free Willy | Basil Poledouris | Robbie Greenberg | O. Nicholas Brown | Alcor Films Le Studio Canal+ Regency Enterprises Donner/Shuler-Donner |
Warner Bros. | 1 hr 52 mins |
| Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home |
László Kovács | Dallas Puett Robert Brown |
Alcor Films Le Studio Canal+ Regency Enterprises Shuler-Donner/Donner |
1 hr 38 mins | ||
| Free Willy 3: The Rescue |
Cliff Eidelman | Tobias A. Schliessler | Margaret Goodspeed | Regency Enterprises Shuler Donner/Donner |
1 hr 26 mins | |
| Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove |
Enis Rotthoff | Robert Malpage | Sabrina Plisco | Film Africa Worldwide ApolloMovie Beteiligungs |
Warner Premiere | 1 hr 41 mins |
Reception
Box office performance
| 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 | [3] |
| Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home | July 19, 1995 | $30,077,111 | $38,000,000 | $68,000,000 | $31,000,000 | [4] |
| Free Willy 3: The Rescue | August 8, 1997 | $3,446,539 | N/a | $3,446,539 | N/a | [5] |
| Total | $111,222,275 | $76,000,000 | $187,222,275 | $51,000,000 | ||
Critical and public response
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore[6] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Willy | 71% (31 reviews)[7] | 79 (14 reviews)[8] | A |
| Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home | 50% (26 reviews)[9] | N/a | A- |
| Free Willy 3: The Rescue | 44% (16 reviews)[10] | N/a | B+ |
| Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove | N/a | N/a | N/a |