Free Willy
“How far would you go for a friend?”
When maladjusted orphan Jesse vandalizes a theme park, he is placed with foster parents and must work at the park to make amends. There he meets Willy, a young Orca whale who has been separated from his family. Sensing kinship, they form a bond and, with the help of kindly whale trainer Rae Lindley, develop a routine of tricks. However, greedy park owner Dial soon catches wind of the duo and makes plans to profit from them.
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Part of Free Willy Collection
3 films
Cast
24 people
Jason James Richter
Jesse
Known for
The NeverEnding Story III
The Little Things
Keiko
Willy
Lori Petty
Rae Lindley
Known for
Orange Is the New Black
Point Break
August Schellenberg
Randolph Johnson
Known for
The New World
Eight Below
Michael Madsen
Glen Greenwood
Known for
Reservoir Dogs
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Jayne Atkinson
Annie Greenwood
Known for
House of Cards
Clarice
Michael Ironside
Dial
Known for
Total Recall
Nobody
Richard Riehle
Wade
Known for
The Legend of Korra
Office Space
Mykelti Williamson
Dwight Mercer
Known for
Forrest Gump
The Purge: Election Year
Michael Bacall
Perry
Known for
Death Proof
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
Danielle Harris
Gwenie
Known for
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
The Wild Thornberrys
Isaiah Malone
Vector
No other roles listed
Simon Wincer Director · Corey Blechman Screenplay Keith Walker Screenplay
Worldwide gross $154M · Budget $20M · United States release July 16, 1993
Box office
Budget
$20,000,000
Worldwide gross
$153,698,625
Gross vs. budget
7.7×
Production
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production · Studio
Le Studio Canal+
Production
Regency Enterprises
Production
Alcor Films
Production
Donner/Shuler-Donner Productions
Production
New Regency Productions
Production
United States · France
Produced in
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
English
Release dates
Canada · July 16, 1993
Theatrical
United States · July 16, 1993
Theatrical
Australia
December 26, 1993 · Theatrical
Brazil
September 24, 1993 · Theatrical
Czechia
February 24, 1994 · Theatrical
Denmark
February 4, 1994 · Theatrical
France
February 9, 1994 · Theatrical
September 5, 1995 · Physical · VHS
October 6, 1999 · Physical · DVD
November 30, 2011 · Digital · VOD
December 1, 2021 · Digital · Netflix
Germany
February 10, 1994 · Theatrical
Greece
October 19, 1999 · Theatrical
Ireland
March 25, 1994 · Theatrical
Netherlands
February 17, 1994 · Theatrical
December 31, 2002 · TV · Net 5
April 18, 2007 · Physical · DVD
Portugal
June 17, 1994 · Theatrical
Slovakia
February 24, 1994 · Theatrical
January 1, 2000 · TV · LUNA
December 21, 2002 · TV · JOJ
January 9, 2010 · TV · Markíza
South Korea
August 6, 1994 · Theatrical
Sweden
February 11, 1994 · Theatrical
United Kingdom
February 11, 1994 · Theatrical
September 27, 1999 · Physical · DVD
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Some details come from TheTVDB.