Accidental Innuendo: Since Willy is a euphemism for penis, the title can send a lot of people giggling.
Contested Sequel: Some fans consider the third film to be weaker than the previous two movies due to it not giving as much depth and focus to Jesse and Willy's relationship. Others feel that it's better than the second movie and maybe even better than the original film, due to having some good performances and a more compelling and realistic, but still family-friendly, plot.
Fridge Brilliance: As iconic as the jumping over the rock-wall scene is, you do have to wonder why Willy couldn't just do the same jump over the boat nets. Considering nets is what caught him in the first place, Willy is likely afraid to go near them. And going over the rock-wall was a desperate move.
Trainer Rae asked if Jesse has a girlfriend. Not yet.note Ironically, Rae's actress was unavailable during the sequel's production.
Free Willy is funny enough on its own but it's not helped when you consider that whale watchers have observed male orcas (and other cetacean species) literally doing just that when breaching or socializing at the surface.
Heartwarming Moments: Jesse's relationship with his foster parents. He starts off as a cynical kid who doesn't trust anyone after having been abandoned by his mother (and presumably, his father walked out on them before that). Over the course of the film, Glen and Annie slowly manage to convey to him that they really do care about him. In the final sequence, Jesse decides to trust Glen and ask for his help in saving Willy, which is a huge moment of Character Development for him.
Jerkass Woobie: Jesse starts out as this, deeply troubled by his feelings of abandonment by his mother and yet constantly rejecting the help of those who are trying to provide a better life for him. He gets better though.
Moral Event Horizon: Dial and Wade cross it when they decide to cut their losses and sabotage Willy's tank so they can collect the one million dollar insurance policy on him.
Jesse first meeting Willy in the aquarium at night, spray painting graffiti when lightning flashes in his tank and he sees Willy with his mouth open, scaring Jesse away, might be this to some.
The moment where Willy slams into the observation deck, having been agitated by the constant banging on his tank by everybody inside; it quickly becomes a scene of complete panic as everybody flees in fear of the glass breaking.
Signature Scene: Willy jumping over the rock wall to freedom is deeply ingrained in pop culture, thanks to numerous parodies, being featured in virtually every TV commercial, and even providing the DVD cover art, despite the scene itself taking place at the very end of the film
Special Effects Failure: Willy breaching the water for his iconic jump is an obvious CGI effect that has aged very poorly.
Right off the bat, the scene where Willy is captured by whalers as his family looks on helplessly.
In one scene, Jesse sees Willy crying to the ocean at night, wondering what's wrong with him. Later on, before Jesse tries to leave to search for his mom, he saw other whales (his family), and decides to set him free.
Jesse was abandoned by his mom at six years old and still stubbornly hopes that one day he can find her. After the orca show disaster, he tells Dwight he's sick of this place and he's going to leave to go find her, and Dwight tells him the harsh truth.
Dwight: Where are you going to get it, Jesse? Your mom isn't coming back! You forget the day she dropped you on our doorstep? Forgot about that? Well, I remember. She turned around and drove off, Jesse. Didn't slow down, didn't turn around, didn't even look in the rear-view mirror. Does that sound like somebody's mama to you?
Values Resonance: The film's condemning of orca shows has aged extremely well, especially after the release of Blackfish. Especially the scene where Willy's collapsed fin is explained as being a result of captivity, which Sea World continued to deny for over a decade after the film's release.
Visual Effects of Awesome: The whales in the sequels were portrayed by very detailed full-sized animatronics. Some were even fitted with propellers so that they could "swim" underwater.
, who is watching all. The ultimate Mood Whiplash.