''Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home'' (also known as ''Free Willy 2'') is a 1995 American

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Dwight Little Dwight Hubbard Little (born January 13, 1956) is an American film and television director, known for directing the films ''Marked for Death'', '' Rapid Fire'', '' Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home'', ''Murder at 1600'' and '' Halloween 4: The Retu ...

from a screenplay by Karen Janszen, Corey Blechman and

John Mattson John Mattson is an American screenwriter and author. His screenplay for the film '' Milk Money'' sold to Paramount Pictures for an outright purchase of $1.1 million after Paramount topped a $1 million bid from Dino De Laurentiis Communications. He ...

. It is the sequel to the 1993 film ''

Free Willy ''Free Willy'' is a 1993 American family drama film, directed by Simon Wincer, produced by Lauren Shuler Donner and Jennie Lew Tugend, written by Keith A. Walker and Corey Blechman from a story by Walker and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures ...

'' and second installment in the ''Free Willy'' film series distributed by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...

under their

Warner Bros. Family Entertainment Warner can refer to: People * Warner (writer) * Warner (given name) * Warner (surname) Fictional characters * Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Warner, stars of the animated television series ''Animaniacs'' * Aaron Warner, a character in '' Shatter Me ...

label.

Jason James Richter Jason James Richter (born January 29, 1980) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for his role in the ''Free Willy'' film series as Jesse, the boy who befriends Willy the orca. Early life Richter was born on January 29, 1980, in M ...

Jayne Atkinson Jayne Atkinson (born 18 February 1959) is a British-American actress. She is best known for the role of Karen Hayes on '' 24'', as well as her Tony Award–nominated roles in '' The Rainmaker'' and '' Enchanted April''. She has also appeared in ...

August Schellenberg August Werner Schellenberg (July 25, 1936 – August 15, 2013) was a Canadian actor. He played Randolph in the first three installments of the ''Free Willy'' film series (1993–1997) as well as characters in '' Black Robe'' (1991), ''The New Wor ...

Michael Madsen Michael Søren Madsen (born September 25, 1957) is an American actor. He has starred in many films and television series, frequently collaborating with director Quentin Tarantino, most famously in the latter's debut film ''Reservoir Dogs'' (19 ...

and

Mykelti Williamson Mykelti Williamson (born March 4, 1957) is an American actor best known for his roles in the films ''Forrest Gump'', ''Con Air'' and ''Ali'', and the television shows ''Boomtown'', '' 24'', and '' Justified''. In 2016, he portrayed Gabriel Maxso ...

reprise their roles from the first film. New cast members include

Jon Tenney Jonathan Frederick Tenney (born December 16, 1961) is an American actor. He played Special Agent Fritz Howard in TNT's ''The Closer'' and continued in its spinoff '' Major Crimes''. Early life Tenney was born in Princeton, New Jersey. His mother, ...

and

Elizabeth Peña Elizabeth Maria Peña (September 23, 1959 – October 14, 2014) was an American actress, writer and musician. Her work in films included ''Nothing like the Holidays'', ''Batteries Not Included'', '' La Bamba'', '' Down and Out in Beverly ...

. Unlike the previous film where Keiko played Willy, a robotic double created by Edge Innovations was used to play the eponymous whale while the Free Willy Keiko Foundation devised a plan to bring Keiko to the

Oregon Coast Aquarium __NOTOC__ The Oregon Coast Aquarium is an aquarium in Newport in the U.S. state of Oregon. Opened in 1992, the facility sits on along Yaquina Bay near the Pacific Ocean. The aquarium was home to Keiko, the orca who starred in the movie ''Free ...

where he would be rehabilitated from poor health. However, Keiko did make an uncredited appearance, reprising his role as Willy through an archival clip shown in the movie. The plot, taking place two years after Jesse freed his orca friend Willy whose now reunited with his family which includes sister Luna, brother Littlespot and mother Catspaw, follows Jesse in a race against time after an oil spill separated Willy and his siblings from their mother and it's up to him to get them back home before the oil traps them in the cove for good. Filming commenced in

Astoria, Oregon Astoria is a port city and the seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the northwest corne ...

and the

San Juan Islands The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific Northwest of the United States between the U.S. state of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core of ...

between April and August 1994 with additional filming taking place in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. The film opened on July 19, 1995 to mixed reviews from critics. Despite underperforming at the box office, a third film '' Free Willy 3: The Rescue'' was subsequently released in 1997.

Plot

The Greenwoods are planning a trip to the San Juan Islands to visit Randolph while camping at Camp Nor'Wester. Before they leave, Dwight arrives with news that Jesse's mother was found dead in New York City and left behind another son. This devastates Jesse after many attempts at finding her, but he comes to terms after talking his feelings out with Glen. Jesse's half-brother Elvis is morose, overly talkative and mischievous, and he is also prone to telling lies and easily gets on Jesse's nerves. To make matters even worse for Jesse, Elvis is invited along on their trip, so that they can get to know each other. At the environmental institute, Jesse reunites with Randolph, quickly becomes smitten with his goddaughter, Nadine, and is introduced to Willy's family during a day of whale watching. He tracks and later reunites with Willy that night. As the Greenwoods continue to enjoy their camping trip, Liberian oil tanker the Dakar runs aground on Lawson Reef and spills oil due to an engine malfunction, trapping Willy, Luna and Littlespot at the campsite. Luna gets oil in her lungs having swum through it, and beaches herself. Jesse and the adults are able to get her back in the water, but realize they'll need further assistance to help her. Benbrook Oil CEO John Milner arrives and announces a plan to move the whales into captivity until further notice. Jesse challenges this, making him promise to do whatever he can to get them safely back to their mom Catspaw or else he'll be blamed for Luna's death, to which John seemingly agrees. Luna's condition worsens the day after veterinarian Kate Haley treats her. Jesse and Randolph eventually use an old Indian remedy that helped Luna recover. With the oil spill reaching dangerous proximity to the cove, Benbrook Oil and the whalers boom it off despite Jesse, Randolph and Nadine's objections and begin extracting the whales. Elvis, who ran away after Annie accidentally broke a promise in allowing him to get involved more, was at a donut shop where he overheard John and Wilcox's real plan to sell the whales, and rushes back to camp to warn Jesse and Nadine. They confront John which led to him and his assistant getting knocked into the water for breaking his promise. Willy manages to rescue Littlespot from the extraction. Jesse hijacks the Little Dipper to lead the whales to safety. On Jesse's signal, Willy is able to break the boom and leads his siblings away. The Dakar explodes due to fuel vapors igniting after engineers tried to start the generator, resulting in the crude oil catching fire. Randolph picks up Glen and Annie, who just spotted Elvis after returning from their unsuccessful search for him, and the three follow the kids' path as Randolph sends a distress call. The whales were able to swim under the flaming oil to safety, but the kids fall into danger when they head into another cove to avoid the flames. The fogginess from the smoke causes Jesse to hit a rock and the Little Dipper begins to sink while the flames seal off the cove. A search and rescue helicopter locates the three kids, and Elvis and Nadine are pulled to safety. However, Jesse slips out of the harness, only inches away from the helicopter, and due to smoke choking the engine, it is forced to leave him behind. Jesse nearly drowns, but Willy returns for his friend and is able to carry him safely under the fire in time for the adults to retrieve Jesse. Though Jesse was curious as to why Willy won't leave, Randolph reveals the signal must be performed. Jesse does it, and he, Glen and Annie say goodbye to Willy. Shortly after the Coastal Marine Patrol deliver Elvis and Nadine, Elvis gives Jesse a picture of him and their mother that was taped back together and also tells Jesse that she talked about him, and felt bad about everything. Glen approves Annie's proposal of adopting Elvis. When asked by Elvis about his knowledge of the whales' whereabouts, Jesse replies "I know." Sometime later, Willy, Luna and Littlespot reunite with Catspaw and their pod.

Cast

as Jesse *

Francis Capra Francis Capra (born April 27, 1983) is an American actor. He has played the roles of Max Connor in ''Kazaam'', and Eli "Weevil" Navarro in the TV series ''Veronica Mars''. Personal life Capra attended Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School ...

as Elvis * Mary Kate Schellhardt as Nadine *

as Randolph Johnson *

as Glen Greenwood (credited as "Glenn") *

as Annie Greenwood *

as Dwight Mercer *

as Dr. Kate Haley *

as John Milner * Paul Tuerpe as Milner's assistant *

M. Emmet Walsh Michael Emmet Walsh (born March 22, 1935) is an American actor who has appeared in over 200 films and television series, including small but important supporting roles in dozens of major studio features of the 1970s and 1980s. He starred in ''Bl ...

as Pete Wilcox * John Considine as Commander Blake *

Steve Kahan Steve Kahan (born 1939) is a retired American character actor. Career Kahan has appeared in many films, most prominently those of director Richard Donner, his late cousin. His best-known film role is in the ''Lethal Weapon'' film franchise as ...

as Captain Nilson * Neal Matarazzo as Helmsman Kelly *

Al Sapienza Al Sapienza is an American actor who has had numerous roles in television, stage and film productions. He is best known for his role as Mikey Palmice on the HBO series ''The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television ...

as Engineer *

Basil Wallace Basil Wallace (born January 15, 1951) is a Jamaica-born American actor. He was born in Kingston and immigrated to the United States as a child. His family first settled in Brooklyn, New York City. He, his parents, and his siblings then moved t ...

as Reporter *

Marguerite Moreau Marguerite Moreau (born April 25, 1977) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Jesse Reeves in the fantasy horror film ''Queen of the Damned'', Katie in the comedy ''Wet Hot American Summer'', and her role as Connie in ''The Might ...

as Julie *

Scott Stuber Scott Stuber (born December 13, 1968) is an American film producer and head of original films at Netflix. Career After graduating from University of Arizona with a film degree, Stuber worked at Universal Pictures as a publicity assistant to Lew ...

as Policeman *

Joan Lunden Joan Lunden (born Joan Elise Blunden on September 19, 1950) is an American journalist, an author, and a television host. Lunden was the co-host of ABC's ''Good Morning America'' from 1980 to 1997, and has authored eight books. She has appeared on ...

as herself

Production

In November 1993, it was announced that producer

Lauren Shuler Donner Lauren Diane Shuler Donner (born June 23, 1949) is an American film producer, who specializes in mainstream youth and family-oriented entertainment. She owned The Donners' Company with her late husband, director Richard Donner. Her films have g ...

and her husband and co-executive producer

Richard Donner Richard Donner (born Richard Donald Schwartzberg; April 24, 1930 – July 5, 2021) was an American filmmaker whose notable works included some of the most financially-successful films during the New Hollywood era. According to film historian M ...

were pursuing active development of a sequel to ''

'' following the breakout success of the first film, however unlike the first film the whale would be fully animatronic.

was announced to reprise his role as Jesse after renogtiatiating the original sequel option from the first film from $150,000 to $1.5 million with an option for a third sequel.

Reception

''Free Willy 2'' grossed $30 million in the United States and Canada and $68 million worldwide on a $31 million budget. The film received mixed reviews from critics, though many were impressed with the film's subtle approach to pollution and other environmental issues, while focusing on family values. Audiences polled by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...

gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.

Accolades

The movie was nominated for Worst Sequel and The Sequel Nobody Was Clamoring For at the 1995 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, but lost to '' Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls'' and '' Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers'', respectively. Willy won Favorite Animal Star at the

1996 Kids' Choice Awards The 9th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards was held on May 11, 1996, at Universal Studios Hollywood. Whitney Houston hosted the ceremony with Rosie O'Donnell co-hosting via satellite from a New York Harbor cruise, and Mark Curry served as a ...

Soundtrack

Released through MJJ Music in association with

550 Music 550 Music (originally known as Sony 550 Music) was a unit of Sony Music Entertainment, which operated through Sony Music's Epic Records division while in activity. Launched in 1992, the "550" name was inspired by the address of the Sony building, ...

and

Epic Soundtrax Epic Soundtrax was an American record label. A division of Sony Music's Epic Records, it was established in 1992 as an imprint for soundtrack albums. It was founded by Epic's then executive vice-president, Richard Griffiths, and Glen Brunman, ...

in 1995, the soundtrack contained most of the songs from the film plus two additional tracks from

Brownstone Brownstone is a brown Triassic–Jurassic sandstone that was historically a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States and Canada to refer to a townhouse clad in this or any other aesthetically similar material. Type ...

, whose song "Sometimes Dancin'" first appeared on their debut album ''

From the Bottom Up ''From the Bottom Up'' is the debut studio album by American girl group Brownstone. It was released by Epic Records and Michael Jackson's MJJ Music on January 10, 1995 in the United States. Brownstone worked with a wide range of producers and s ...

'', and 3T. The only song not included is "My Spirit Calls Out" that Randolph performed when he treated Luna.

Basil Poledouris Basil Konstantine Poledouris (; August 21, 1945 – November 8, 2006) was an American composer, conductor, and orchestrator of film and television scores, best known for his long-running collaborations with directors John Milius and Paul Verhoe ...

returned to compose new music and also incorporated several scoring elements from the previous film.

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

continued his affiliation with the ''Free Willy'' franchise when "

Childhood A child (plural, : children) is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers ...

" from his greatest hits/ninth album '' HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I'' served as the main theme around Elvis while the instrumental version is played when he looks at a photo of the Greenwoods with Jesse while spending the night alone. An instrumental version of

Nathan Cavaleri Nathan Cavaleri (born 18 June 1982) is an Australian blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, and a former child actor. He issued two albums as a solo artist, ''Jammin' with the Cats'' (1993) and '' Nathan'' (1994). He has been a member of v ...

's song "Lou's Blues" was used to dub Jesse's offscreen guitar playing. Additionally, two renditions of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

's " Forever Young" are also featured in the movie. One from Michael Jackson's sister Rebbie can be heard inside the donut shop Elvis and Wilcox attended while the end credits wildlife montage used

The Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Fa ...

' version the band previously recorded for the film '' With Honors'' and was later included on their album ''

Last of the Independents ''Last of the Independents'' is the sixth studio album by rock group The Pretenders, released in 1994. For this album, the band is officially credited as being Chrissie Hynde (vocals, guitar), Adam Seymour (guitar), Andy Hobson (bass) and Marti ...

''.

Track listing

Title

On early UK home video promotions, the movie was titled simply "Willy 2: The Adventure Home", presumably because the film's premise, unlike its predecessor's, does not involve Willy being freed.

References

External links

* {{Dwight H. Little 1995 films 1995 children's films 1990s disaster films American children's films American disaster films American sequel films Fictional orcas Films about animals Films about orphans Films about children Films about dolphins Films about whales Films about brothers Films about siblings Films about Native Americans Films about petroleum Films about animal rights Films about friendship Films about families Films about adoption Films about maritime incidents Films about vacationing Films about camping Films directed by Dwight H. Little Films produced by Lauren Shuler Donner Films scored by Basil Poledouris Films set on ships Films set in Oregon Films shot in Oregon Films set in Washington (state) Films shot in Washington (state) Films shot in California Films shot in Los Angeles Films set in Astoria, Oregon Films shot in Astoria, Oregon Films set on islands Films set on beaches Puppet films Environmental films Films set underwater Regency Enterprises films StudioCanal films Warner Bros. films Free Willy (franchise) 1990s English-language films 1990s American films