Free Willy

Free Willy is a 1993 Warner Brothers film about a boy who befriends an orca (aka a "killer whale").

Related Topics:
1993 - Warner Brothers - Orca - Whale

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When fishermen separate a young orca whale (Willy) from his parents, he ends up in a fish bowl at a marina. Meanwhile, a street kid runs afoul of the law and gets caught vandalizing the marina, but his social worker gets him off the hook (so to speak) provided he cleans up his mess at the marina. While there, he befriends the whale and teaches him tricks, something the trainer hasn't been able to do. But when Willy is a dud in front of the audience, the marina owner plans to kill the whale for the insurance money, and the boy and his friends must try to free Willy.

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The aquatic star of this film was in reality an orca named Keiko. The huge national and international success of this movie inspired a letter writing campaign to get Keiko released from his captivity as an amusement park attraction in Mexico City.

Related Topics:
Keiko - Mexico City

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The film managed to improve the image of orcas, which were previously depicted as shark-like maneaters in popular culture. In fact they pose little threat to humans. It also spawned an animated television series, and two film sequels.

Related Topics:
Orca - Television series

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