Free Willy 3: The Rescue (1997)

Director:

Sam Pillsbury

Writers (WGA):

Keith Walker (characters)
John Mattson (written by)

Release Date:

8 August 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

A new friend. A new threat. A new adventure that will capture your heart.

Plot:

Willy the whale is back, this time threatened by illegal whalers making money off sushi. Jesse, now 16...

Plot Keywords:

Whaler | Friend | Friendship | Best Friend | Animal Birth

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Jason James Richter	...	Jesse
August Schellenberg	...	Randolph Johnson
Annie Corley	...	Drew Halbert
Vincent Berry	...	Max Wesley
Patrick Kilpatrick	...	John Wesley
Tasha Simms	...	Mary Wesley
Peter LaCroix	...	Sanderson (as Peter Lacroix)
Stephen E. Miller	...	Dineen
Ian Tracey	...	Kron
Matthew Walker	...	Captain Drake
Roger R. Cross	...	1st Mate Stevens
Rick Burgess	...	Smiley
Roman Danylo	...	Pizza Kid

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements involving whale hunting, and for brief mild language.

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

South Korea:All | Philippines:G | Iceland:L | USA:PG (certificate #35154) | Australia:PG | Germany:o.Al. (w) | UK:U | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Howe Sound, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Part of the birth scene at the end of the movie included real footage from the birth of K'yosha, an orca born at Vancouver Aquarium to parents Bjossa and Finna, both of whom are also seen in the birth footage. (Finna also had a bent dorsal fin, allowing him to be used as "Willy".)

Quotes:

Drew: What are you doing?
Jesse: Making a call. Willy likes the sound of my harmonica playing. When he hears it, he knows it's me.
Drew: Oh, so you think your gonna play that sound on the hydrophone
Jesse: Uh huh.
Drew: And he's just gonna come running.
Jesse: Uh huh.
Drew: From miles away.
Jesse: Yeah.
Drew: Okay.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Futurama: Leela's Homeworld (#4.5)" (2002)

A movie that had to be made

Finally, a movie that conveys a fresh, new message: hunting whales to extinction is wrong. Now, I heard there was some movie made a few years ago with these same characters and a duplicate message, but that's all a blur because it was made so many years ago. In 1993, the first Free Willy was in theaters, but in movie years, 1993 is as far away as the Stone Age. Therefore, this movie's theme remains original, enlightening, and inspiring. In 1986, a Star Trek movie may have also revolved around a "save the whales" proclamation; again, that was eons ago, so who remembers?

Well, anyone with enough self-pity to admit that he/she is part of the fan base for these movies either chooses not to remember or does not care how many times this theme has been over-used. Ofcourse, they could also be big, fat idiots who honestly don't remember. That's likely the case.

The ten year-old in this movie is a real role model; he's afraid to stand up to his mom, and he still needs her to dress him, undress him, and tie his shoes. He can't even take his shoes off by himself! Does he have some learning disability that we don't know about?

If you're the type who likes to experience pain, then this movie ought to be on your hot list.