“Free Willy” introduces us to Jesse (Jason James Richter) a boy who was abandoned by his mother six years ago and has been in the care of the state ever since. He hates living in group homes and foster care, running away to live on the street with a group of other kids in the same situation. One night he and a friend go a little too far and vandalize the observation area at an aquatic park, and Jesse gets caught. His punishment is to go back and clean up the mess, all the while under the care of a new foster family, the Greenwoods.
Jesse doesn’t want to work at the park, but when he goes to start his first day, he discovers something amazing – Willy, a killer whale, more technically known as an Orca, lives in the tank he spray-painted. As he scrubs away the markings, he watches the whale, becoming more and more fascinated with this creature from the deep. They form a friendship and soon the whale is responding to Jesse like he never has to anyone.
Willy was captured by some greedy poachers out in the ocean and sold to this water park some years before, but the tank they built for him is far too small for his needs. He’s wasting away in the park and takes it out on his trainers and the other people around him, but in Jesse he finds an ally. Both separated from their families, both inclined to lash out when their emotions get too high, they are bonded.
One night Jesse discovers a plot to kill Willy by breaking his tank so the owner can collect the million dollar insurance policy. The water is draining out of the tank at an astonishing rate and something must be done. Jesse quickly hatches a plan to take Willy down to the marina and set him free. Enlisting the help of the other workers at the park, he manages to load the whale onto the back of a trailer and they begin their journey to the water.
This movie is rated PG for some infrequent language on the part of the park owner. I really enjoyed the film; it shows the importance of family bonds, and how you can create new ones if you’ve been forced to release the bonds you once had. Friendship, forgiveness, and starting over are the prevailing themes, and we cheer not only for Willy as he seeks out his freedom, but for Jesse as he realizes that it’s okay to love again.
Related Blogs:
Baby Neptune: Discovering Water