Line #64 Film/FreeWilly


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/free_willy_poster.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:''[[{{Tagline}} How far would you go for a friend?]]'']]
3
4	->'''Homer:''' Jump, Free Willy! Jump! Jump with all your might!
5	->'''Woman on TV:''' Oh, no! Willy didn't make it! And he crushed our boy!
6	->'''Man on TV:''' Eugh. What a mess.
7	->'''Homer:''' Ohhhh. I don't like this new director's cut.
8	-->-- ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', "The Boy Who Knew Too Much"
9
10	''Free Willy'' is a 1993 family drama, directed by Simon Wincer, about [[ABoyAndHisX a boy and his orca whale.]]
11
12	Jesse (Jason James Richter) is a young homeless boy caught vandalizing a marine theme park. His social worker, Dwight, manages to find a way that he can escape punishment by helping out at the underwater attraction. Over time he befriends Willy, an orca whale kept in the park after being captured and taken away from his family.
13
14	[[BigBad Dial]] (Creator/MichaelIronside), [[CorruptCorporateExecutive the owner of the park]], sees the bond between Jesse and Willy and plans on making a show of those two together. It turns out that Dial is greedy and has evil ulterior motives for the orca. Jesse and his friends are determined to find some way to save Willy from his impending death (you can kinda guess how from the title).
15
16	At the time, the movie was subject to frequent parody (especially its climax). A movement to "Free Keiko", the animal actor of the movie also was brought about by it.
17
18	Even so, the film managed to spawn three sequels: ''Film/FreeWilly2TheAdventureHome'' (1995), ''Free Willy 3: The Rescue'' (1997) and a non-canon reboot, ''Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove'' (2010) with Bindi Irwin in the leading role. There was also an animated adaptation of the series produced by Creator/{{Nelvana}} that ran on Creator/{{ABC}} in the 1995-96 season.
19
20	----
21	!!The first film contains examples of:
22
23	* ABoyAndHisX: A Boy and His Whale
24	* AdultsAreUseless: Just where were the adults supervising those noisy children in the underwater observation area, when they were screaming and banging on the glass, causing Willy to freak out?
25	** On the other hand, both Randolph and the trainer Rae prove to be more than competent, so much so that when Jesse sees that [[spoiler: Willy's tank has been sabotaged]], he immediately runs to them for help, knowing he can't deal with this alone and that they'll do the right thing.
26	** Jesse initially sees his foster parents and caseworker as this, but they're actually an aversion, as they care about him and want what's best for him; Jesse is just an angry kid and (somewhat understandably) has trouble trusting adult authority figures. In fact, a major moment of CharacterDevelopment comes for Jesse in the climax when he decides to trust his foster parents and confide in them, and his trust is subsequently justified as they agree to help.
27	** Played straight with the few adults who were chaperoning the kids in Willy's underwater viewing area and doing absolutely nothing to stop them from beating on the glass. TruthInTelevision, as many parents who bring their children to zoos or marine parks don't stop them from mistreating the animals.
28	* ArtisticLicenseMarineBiology: A minor case. Rae explains to Jesse that Willy and his kind eat a variety of prey including dolphins, seals, sharks, and fish with salmon particularly being Willy's favorite or "chocolate". While she's right about the species in general, this dietary trait would mark Willy as a resident orca, a geographic ecotype of orca who mainly if not only, prey on salmon in the wild and won't touch anything else.
29	* AwardBaitSong: Variant, as Music/MichaelJackson's "Will You Be There" had been released on ''Music/{{Dangerous\|Album}}'' two years before, but otherwise checks all the usual boxes of such songs (and even got the MTV Movie Award for Best Song From a Movie).
30	* BigBad: Dial, owner of the park that imprisoned the titular orca Willy who plots to kill him [[InsuranceFraud to collect the insurance money for himself]].
31	* BigBrotherMentor: Perry, the oldest of the street kids in Jesse's gang.
32	* BittersweetEnding: Willy is finally free to be with his family, having outwitted Dial and the whalers. However it quickly dawns on Jesse that it could be ages before he ever sees his best friend again. It is indeed a very sad goodbye for the two of them. Thankfully, the two of them now both have a place they can finally call home.
33	* BrutalHonesty: Jesse desperately clings to the belief that his mother will one day return to him. When the Willy Show is a disaster and he threatens to run away yet again out of anger, Dwight lays it hard into him that his mother is never coming back, and to walk out on the couple who have been the first true parents he's ever had in his troubled life would be a mistake he can't afford to make. Jesse tells him to "[[BigShutUp shut up]]" and leave him alone.
34	* BullyingADragon: [[SarcasmMode Smart idea to bang on Willy's tank, kids]]! It's not like he'll do anything to scare you off.
35	* CaptivityHarmonica: Jesse plays harmonica. Played with in that as a youth he's obviously not in jail (or if he would be it would be in juvie), but is placed with a foster family that he initially rejects and forced to work at a water park to make up for earlier vandalism. The sounds attract the killer whale he ends up befriending.
36	* CluelessAesop: The whole notion of freeing an animal who was forcefully taken out of his environment and separated from his family to live a life in captivity doesn't exactly work out too well when one remembers that this film was made possible by using an animal who actually ''was'' forcefully taken out of his environment and forced to live a life in captivity (although animatronics were used for scenes where Willy was actually in danger). Producers likely realised this as animatronic whales were used for the sequels. Also, releasing a captive animal to the wild is potentially dangerous because they haven't learned the necessary survival skills, and indeed, Willy's actor Keiko died several years after being released, never fully being free of human contact and assistance. While he could feed himself he always sought out humans and didn't join any nearby pods. The film does handwave this a bit early in the film when Rae says Willy was captured at "too old" of an age to be trained, implying he knows how to survive in the wild.
37	* CommonalityConnection: Willy misses his orca family in the wild, just like Jesse misses his mom.
38	* CoolCar: Glen's Chevy pickup truck from the first film; Dial also drives a corvette.
39	* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Dial in the first movie.
40	* DeathGlare: Dial's default expression; after all, this IS Michael Ironside we're talking about.
41	* DefrostingIceQueen: Jesse, who suffers from abandonment issues, is initially cold and indifferent towards both his foster parents and his employers at the water park. He eventually comes around though, especially with Willy's help and starts adapting more comfortably into his new life.
42	* DidntThinkThisThrough: A justified example. Jesse, Randolph and Rae ''can't'' stop to properly form a plan to free Willy as his tank is too badly damaged (and actually breaks completely as they are removing him). As a result, they run into many obstacles, such as not having a proper vehicle to tow Willy (resulting in them stealing Glen's truck and having to detour to a self-serve car wash when Willy's skin starts to dry out) and blocked roads. Due to the above, they also aren't afforded the luxury of stealth, resulting in Dial being alerted of their actions with enough time to have his men ready and waiting for them at the marina and very nearly recapturing Willy.
43	* DramaticShattering: Jessie throws a baseball (Glen and Annie's present for him) at his bedroom window because they were arguing over him. Especially when Glen said [[ThatCameOutWrong he was happy when it was just the two of them]].
44	* EarnYourHappyEnding: Both Willy and Jesse, who have both lost their families under especially tragic circumstances. Willy endures the constant abuse and neglect of Dial after being forced into captivity by a group of whalers, and because he's not drawing in the crowds is left to fend for himself in a tank that was not designed to support a mammal of his size. Meanwhile Jesse is having constant run-ins with the law and suffers from a crippling case of ParentalAbandonment, and struggles to trust others after a lifetime on the run. It's only after the two of them cross paths that they find some solace in their difficult situation, and when Willy's life is threatened Jesse spares no expense to make sure his friend lives to find freedom again.
45	* EurekaMoment: While saying his final goodbyes to Willy before running away again, Jesse spots Willy's family in the distance from atop the water park, and it's this revelation that prompts him to abandon his grudge against Willy and to set him free, which happens at just the right time since he realizes Dial intends to have Willy killed immediately after this.
46	* ForWantOfANail: The only reason Dial bothers with trying to recapture Willy in the final act is that he "doesn't have theft insurance on the whale."
47	* FriendToAllLivingThings: Jesse, as it's shown with his kindness towards animals, fish and marine life, ''especially'' Willy.
48	* HappilyAdopted: It's not quite official, since Jesse is technically still a foster kid rather than legally adopted, but by the end of the first movie, he's come to accept Glen and Annie as parental figures and Glen, who had previously suggested he regretted becoming a foster parent, calls him "my boy"; in the second movie, it's shown that Glen keeps a family photo in his wallet that includes Jesse. The end of the second film also suggests that Glen and Annie are prepared to take in Elvis long-term as well so that he and Jesse can stay together, but the third film (in which Glen and Annie don't appear) doesn't give any indication of what happened with that -- in fact, Elvis is never mentioned.
49	* HaveAGayOldTime: Free ''Willy''. Um... ([[DontExplainTheJoke It is funny because Willy]] [[WebVideo/YugiohTheAbridgedSeries means 'penis.']])
50	* HopeSpot: Jesse finally gets Willy to perform effectively for the park owners; they're impressed enough to give Willy his own show to help rake in new business for the park, which Jesse and his friends hope will mean giving Willy a better life in the long run. It sadly doesn't last though when the show goes awry and the tank is damaged in the confusion that follows.
51	* HumansAreBastards: Subverted. The only human who's really a jerk is Dial; the whalers who captured Willy in the first place were acting on Dial's orders. To a lesser degree, the kids who beat on the walls of Willy's tank could count (or the adults who do nothing to correct their behavior), but they're almost certainly not aware that they're potentially harming WIlly by their actions, so they're at worst being negligent.
52	** On the other hand, in RealLife the movie title has often been used as an insult to fat kids everywhere.
53	* HumiliationConga: Of the undeserved variety, and PlayedForDrama. Jesse suffers a huge one when the Willy Show goes awry due to Willy refusing to perform. After having trained relentlessly and assuring Dial that they could make the show a real success (and in turn earn the money to help Willy), the whale is too agitated by the banging on his tank by the kids down below to respond to Jesse's calls. The audience then begins clapping ''not'' to applaud them, but to hurry them up. The claps turn to boos and Jesse rushes off the set in tears, and leaves the park feeling betrayed.
54	* IChooseToStay: Jesse has mixed feelings about his living situation, but he comes to care for his friends and foster family enough to decline fellow {{Delinquent}} Perry's offer to run off to L.A. together. Later, he almost decides to go to California after all, but relents due to the sad sounds Willy makes.
55	* IWasNamedMyName: Averted by TheBookOfTheFilm, in which it's revealed that Willy's "orca name" is Three Spots (referencing the dots under his chin), and the name change is listed among the many ways that life in an aquarium is highly confusing and frightening.
56	* InsuranceFraud: The reason Dial wants to kill Willy is for his million dollar insurance. In fact, Dial would have let Willy be rescued at the end if the insurance covered "theft".
57	* IntergenerationalFriendship: Jesse finds himself under the wing of Randolph, an older man who works as Willy's keeper.
58	* JumpScare: At the start of the film when Jesse vandalizes the observation area, [[LightningReveal a flash of lightning]] greets him face to face with Willy's jaws.
59	* KarmaHoudini: All four movies have the heroes do things that would either get them arrested or sued in order to save Willy and/or other whales from humans that would harm them, but never do they get in trouble with the law.
60	* KidsAreCruel: The kids in the observation area banging on Willy's tank; while most probably did not know the stress they were actually causing him, some did seem to take a little too much pleasure in slamming the glass to get his attention.
61	* LaserGuidedKarma: The crowd of kids in the observation area, whose relentless banging on the glass causes Willy a great deal of stress and ruins the show; it becomes so much that Willy ends up slamming the glass, scaring everybody out.
62	* MagicalNativeAmerican: Largely averted by Randolph, who shares some Native stories about orcas with Jesse, but has much more to do in the story.
63	* MissingMom: Jesse was abandoned by his mother when he was only six, which informs much of his character and why he [[ABoyAndHisX bonds with a six-ton whale]].
64	* NotSoDifferentRemark: During an argument, Annie thinks Glen is having a hard time with Jessie is because of how much he reminded Glen of himself.
65	* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Dial, the aquarium owner, only sees Willy as one of two things: a financial asset when he performs and a financial liability when he doesn't. To this end, he sabotages Willy's tank so he can collect on Willy's $1 million insurance policy. In fact, when Jesse, Randolph, and Rae abscond with Willy in order to reunite him with his family, the only reason Dial even bothers trying to get him back is because the policy doesn't cover theft.
66	* ObviouslyEvil: Willy's corrupt owner Dial, [[Creator/MichaelIronside seeing the actor who plays him.]]
67	* PapaWolf: [[spoiler:Glen, at the end of the first movie.]]
68	* ParentService: Rae's sexuality and attractive appearance aren't emphasized, but she wears a sports bra while working at the Aquarium in a few scenes and the outlines of her nipples are briefly visible through her tank top in another.
69	* PlayingCatchWithTheOldMan: Glen tries. Jesse is having exactly none of it.
70	* PoliceAreUseless: Justified case of this, as Randolph refuses to bother as he knows they can do nothing to help Willy, and would probably only slow down their efforts to save him.
71	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Dwight, the social worker. He is forced to be harsh on Jesse due to his constant run-ins with the law, but he is committed to giving Jesse a sporting chance at a better life in spite of his abrasive and reckless nature. After all, Jesse didn't deserve to be abandoned by both his parents.
72	* SceneryPorn: Most of the film is set in Portland, Oregon; it spares no expense in showcasing the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
73	** The first three minutes of the film focuses on scenes of orca whales swimming gracefully along the coast.
74	* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: All of the adults who pitch in to save Willy. As brilliantly summed up by Randolph:
75	-->'''Randolph''': I never liked this job anyway!
76	* ShownTheirWork: Especially for a movie in the 90's, the depiction of orcas and how they are effected by captivity is pretty accurate. This was also the first bit of media that accurately explained how Willy's collapsed fin is ''not'' normal in the wild, which Sea World and other theme parks denied, but is a result of being kept in a small pool. The way Willy reacts to the kids banging on the glass is also very true with orcas and other cetaceans like dolphins; the soundwaves that result from this, combined with how they're amplified by the water, can cause dangerous degrees of stress in whales.
77	* SpoilerCover: That poster for the 1993 movie pretty much tells you how it's going to turn out.
78	* TitleDrop: "Let's free Willy!"
79	* TooDumbToLive: The kids in the observation deck who keep banging on the glass as Willy swims by, clearly making him distressed as he is unable to perform. The same goes for the adults, who barely make any effort to get the kids to calm down, which leads to Willy slamming the tank as he becomes agitated. He ends up damaging the tank and everybody rushes out in a panic in fear of it imploding.
80	* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: Not to mention the poster, the music video, the damn title...
81	* TruthInTelevision: As it turns out, banging on the tank really does cause serious harm to marine mammals like Willy, as it amplifies the sound waves and can create great stress on their senses.
82	* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Two guys walking by the car wash in the middle of the night barely raise an eyebrow at the sight of a whale on a trailer. All they say is "Nice whale." and continue on their way.
83	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The kids who were with Jesse disappeared without the audience knowing what happened to them. Though Perry briefly meets up with Jesse in the middle of the film.
84
85	!!The third film contains examples of:
86
87	* BabiesEverAfter: Following the climax, Nikki gives birth to her and Willy's calf, which Jesse decides to name after Max.
88	* BewareTheNiceOnes: This movie marks the first-time that heroic and noble orca Willy unambiguously tries to kill a human, a whaler who has made repeated attempts to kill him.
89	* BrokenPedestal: Max has a great relationship with his father in the first few scenes and is excited about his first voyage on the family fishing boat. His sense of respect for his father is badly damaged after the first time he sees him poach a whale.
90	* DarkerAndEdgier: The third movie. Willy actually nearly kills one of the whalers that was hunting his mate.
91	* EvilPoacher: The antagonists are fishermen who are illegally killing protected whales and selling them to Japan as sushi. They get a slightly more sympathetic portrayal than usual, as John is a loving FamilyMan, his crewmen are mostly nice to TagAlongKid Max, they never try to kill any of the human protagonists, and they eventually get a HeelRealization. Nonetheless, they are brutally killing intelligent mammals in violation of the law and John even acknowledges there's no real purpose to it beyond the money, while his ancestors could at least say and believe that they were lighting up the world by harvesting whale oil for lamps. [[note]] It should be noted that even in the old whaling days, orcas, due to their relatively small size compared to more marketable species like right, blue, and sperm whales, weren't typically targeted for this purpose. In fact, whalers were more likely to ''cooperate'' with orcas in their whale hunts since it led to a benefit for both species.[[/note]]
92	* HeelRealization: John and his whaling crew finally realize that the whales are more than unintelligent "fish" and that hunting them is wrong after Willy saves John's life due to pleas from Jesse and Max even though Willy tried to kill John a couple of minutes earlier.
93	* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Captain Drake is in charge of the research vessel Jesse and Randolph are working on and spends most of his time telling them not to do much to stop the whaling because it isn't their job and the research boat is too expensive to risk damaging.
94	* PapaWolf: Willy, who almost kills a whaler in retaliation for their hunting his mate and unborn child.
95	* PutOnABus: Glen, Annie, and Elvis don't appear in this film, although the former two are mentioned, as Jesse is living and working away from home during the movie.
96
97	!!The fourth film contains examples of:
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99	* InNameOnly: The Bindi Irwin movie. It shares ''no'' continuity with any of the films or cartoon that came before it.
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Context Film / FreeWilly