Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home

Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Dwight Little
Written by	Karen Janszen Corey Blechman John Mattson
Based on	Characters by Keith A. Walker
Produced by	Lauren Shuler Donner Jennie Lew Tugend
Starring	Jason James Richter August Schellenberg Jayne Atkinson Jon Tenney Elizabeth Peña Michael Madsen
Cinematography	László Kovács
Edited by	Robert Brown Dallas Puett
Music by	Basil Poledouris
Production companies	Le Studio Canal+ Regency Enterprises Alcor Films Shuler-Donner/Donner
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	July 19, 1995 (1995-07-19)
Running time	98 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$31 million[1]
Box office	$30 million[2]

Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home is a 1995 American family film and the sequel to the 1993 film Free Willy. It is directed by Dwight Little, and distributed by Warner Bros. under their Warner Bros. Family Entertainment label. Jason James Richter, August Schellenberg, Jayne Atkinson, Mykelti Williamson and Michael Madsen reprised their respective roles. New cast members include Jon Tenney, Elizabeth Peña, Francis Capra, Mary Kate Schellhardt and M. Emmet Walsh. 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 where he would be rehabilitated for poor health.

Filming commenced in Astoria, Oregon and the San Juan Islands between April and August 1994 with additional filming taking place in California.

Free Willy 3: The Rescue, was subsequently released in 1997, making a trilogy.

Plot[]

It's been two years since Jesse (Jason James Richter) saved and freed his orca friend, Willy. Jesse, now 14 years old, has since been adopted by his foster parents, Glen and Annie Greenwood (Michael Madsen and Jayne Atkinson). Jesse and his adoptive parents are preparing to go on a family camping trip to the Pacific Northwest. Glen has been trying to teach Jesse to drive their motorboat named Little Dipper, but Jesse is more interested in girls. However, before they leave town, Dwight (Mykelti Williamson), Jesse's former social worker, shows up to inform them that they have found Jesse's biological mother, who abandoned him 8 years ago in New York City. Jesse's mother has died and left behind another son, Jesse's younger half-brother named Elvis (Francis Capra). Jesse is devastated about this news, but comes to terms, after talking his feelings out with Glen. When Elvis arrives, he is morose, overly talkative and mischievous, and he is also prone to telling lies and easily gets on Jesse's nerves. He is invited on their trip to San Juan Island so that he and Jesse might get to know each other.

At the environmental institute, Jesse reunites with his old Native American friend, Randolph Johnson (August Schellenberg) whom Jesse met at the Northwest Adventura Park when he met Willy years back. Jesse quickly becomes smitten with Randolph's attractive and kindly goddaughter, Nadine (Mary Kate Schellhardt). Jesse also tracks down and reunites with Willy one night. Jesse cautiously begins to show his interest in Nadine, and as the awkward teenagers grow closer, Jesse helps Nadine befriend Willy, and his two younger siblings, Luna and Littlespot. Elvis spies on the two, forming his own bond with the young, playful Littlespot, and lies to Glen and Annie telling them that Jesse kissed Nadine. Glen talked to Jesse who says that he didn't kiss Nadine, and Glen locks Elvis in his tent.

As the Greenwoods continue to enjoy their camping trip, the Dakar runs aground on lawson reef and spills oil into the ocean due to an engine malfunction, trapping Willy, Luna and Littlespot in a small cove. When word gets out that the orcas are trapped and Luna is dying from the oil in her lungs having swam through the oil when the oil tanker ran aground, Benbrook Oil CEO John Milner (Jon Tenney) arrives and announces a plan to move the orcas into captivity where they can recover from their injuries. Jesse challenges this, making Milner promise to do whatever he can, to get the whales safely back to their mom or else he'll be blamed for Luna's death, to which Milner seemingly agrees.

With Luna's condition worsening despite receiving treatment from marine biologist Kate Haley (Elizabeth Peña), Randolph and Jesse eventually use an old Indian remedy that they administer to Luna, who recovers the next morning. Elvis, who runs away believing that Jesse is more important and after Annie breaks her promise to allow him to help the whales, overhears Milner and whaler Bill Wilcox (M. Emmet Walsh) discussing their real plan to sell the orcas to marine mammal parks and rushes back to camp. Shortly afterwards, 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. As the extraction of Littlespot commences, Elvis returns in time to warn Jesse and the brothers expose Milner's plot which lead to them knocking Milner and his assistant (Paul Tuerpe) into the water for breaking their promise, while Haley and the others laugh at them struggling to swim to the dock. With the help of a distraction by Jesse and Elvis, Willy manages to rescue his little brother by tipping Wilcox's boat.

With time running out before the oil reaches the cove, Jesse, Elvis and Nadine hijack Little Dipper to lead the whales to safety. On Jesse's signal, Willy is able to break the boom and leads his siblings out of the cove. However, an explosion on the tanker, due to fuel vapors igniting after trying to start the tanker's generator, results in the crude oil in the water catching fire. Despite the danger, the three whales are able to swim under the flaming oil to safety. Having followed the whales to ensure they got safely past the oil, Jesse, Nadine and Elvis fall into danger when they take Little Dipper into another cove to avoid the flaming oil, but the fogginess from the smoke causes Jesse to hit a rock and the boat begins to sink while the flames seal off the cove.

At the same time, Glen, Annie and Randolph search for the three in the latter's boat, Natselane, with him sending a distress signal that summons the Coastal Marine Patrol to the trio's aid. A search and rescue helicopter locates them, and Elvis and Nadine are retracted to safety. However, the Little Dipper then submerges completely, leaving Jesse struggling in the oily water, and unable to secure himself sufficiently in the harness. He ultimately slips out and falls back into the ocean, just inches away from the helicopter and, due to smoke choking the helicopter's engine, it is forced to leave Jesse behind even though a backup ship is called in. Jesse nearly drowns but is rescued by Willy who returns for his friend. Willy is able to carry him safely under the fire to the Natselane, where Glen and Annie pull Jesse to safety. Though Jesse was curious as to why Willy won't leave, it was revealed through Randolph that the signal must be performed. An emotional Jesse does it, and he and the Greenwoods say goodbye to Willy before he departs back to his family.

Shortly after, the Coastal Marine Patrol drop off Nadine and Elvis to the Nastelane. Elvis gives Jesse an old picture of him and their mother, and explains that he once ripped it up out of anger, but taped it back together for him. He also tells Jesse that their mother always talked about him and that she felt bad about abandoning him. Jesse thanks him for the picture and hugs him, finally able to put his past at rest. Glen and Annie decide to keep the brothers together. When asked by Elvis about Littlespot's whereabouts, Jesse tells him that Willy and his siblings are back with their mom. He then says the same Haida prayer to himself after knowing that they are all free.

Sometime later with the oil spill cleaned up, Willy, Luna and Littlespot reunite with Catspaw.

Cast[]

• Jason James Richter as Jesse
• Francis Capra as Elvis
• Mary Kate Schellhardt as Nadine
• August Schellenberg as Randolph Johnson
• Michael Madsen as Glen Greenwood (credited as "Glenn")
• Jayne Atkinson as Annie Greenwood
• Mykelti Williamson as Dwight Mercer
• Elizabeth Peña as Dr. Kate Haley
• Jon Tenney as John Milner
• Paul Tuerpe as Milner's assistant
• M. Emmet Walsh as Wilcox
• John Considine as Commander Blake
• Steve Kahan as Captain Nilson
• Neal Matarazzo as Helmsman Kelly
• Al Sapienza as Engineer
• Basil Wallace as Reporter
• Marguerite Moreau as Julie
• Scott Stuber as Policeman
• Joan Lunden as herself

Reception[]

Free Willy 2 collected $30 million on a $31 million budget. It 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.^{[3][4][5][6][7]} The film currently holds a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 26 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads "Good-natured yet utterly unsurprising, Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home will strike all but the youngest of viewers as a poorly orca-strated sequel.”

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.

Soundtrack[]

Released through MJJ Music in association with 550 Music and Epic Soundtrax in 1995, the soundtrack contained almost all the songs from the film plus two additional tracks from Brownstone and 3T. The only song not included is the Haida song and chant called "My Spirit Calls Out" that Randolph performs when he treats Luna.

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

Michael Jackson continued his affiliation with the Free Willy franchise with producing and performing the song "Childhood" that first appeared in HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I as a double A-side single for lead single "Scream".

Two renditions of Bob Dylan's "Forever Young" played throughout the movie. While a version from Michael's sister Rebbie was heard during the scene where Elvis and Wilcox attend a donut shop, the end credits used The Pretenders' rendition the band previously recorded for the film With Honors and was also included on their album Last of the Independents.

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[]

• Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home at IMDb
• Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home at Rotten Tomatoes