Free Willy

FACT FILE

HISTORY

The first of the four films was made in July 1993 and the final film was released in cinemas in 2010. Despite a large majority of the film taking place in Oregon, USA, many of the dangerous physical stunts and special effects were produced by a computer. Keiko, the whale’s real name, had been trained to perform several tricks and took part in many of the real-life shots himself. This was one of the first major films that raised public understanding and awareness about the conditions of animals in captivity.

STORYLINE

A young boy makes friends with a killer whale in an animal reserve and eventually plans to set him free and return him to his family.

FACTS

The story is based on a true story about Keiko, who was captured off the coast of Iceland in 1979, when he was only three years old. His name means ‘Lucky one’ in Japanese, but it appears he wasn’t so lucky. He lived in many marine parks and was the main star of the film, but tragically in December 2003, he died only one year after being released back into the wild. Many people had tried to help Keiko adapt to his natural environment, but the whale found it too difficult. During his 11 years in captivity, he was kept in a tiny tank that was only 12 feet deep, even though he was 35ft long himself. After the success of the films, the public started a campaign to prepare him to return to the wild. In July 2002, he was released, but sadly, he died in December 2003 at the age of 27. In the wild, killer whales usually live until they are 35.