Free Willy 3: The Rescue is a 1997 American family adventure/drama film directed by Sam Pillsbury and the second theatrical sequel to "Free Willy", which was released on August 6, 1997 by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Plot[]
Jesse Greenwood (Jason James Richter) is 16 years old and employed aboard a research ship along with his old friend and mentor, Randolph (August Schellenberg).
After Jesse meets Max (Vincent Berry), the disapproving son of a whaler hoping to catch Willy the orca for his meat, the two of them team up with oceanographer Drew (Annie Corley) to stop the whalers before they can get to Willy and the rest of his pod, and convince them to give up their cruel and illegal practice.
Cast[]
- Jason James Richter as Jesse Greenwood
- Keiko as Willy
- August Schellenberg as Randolph Johnson
- Annie Corley as Drew Halbert
- Vincent Berry as Max Wesley
- Patrick Kilpatrick as John Wesley
- Tasha Simms as Mary Wesley
- Peter LaCroix as Sanderson
- Stephen E. Miller as Dineen
- Ian Tracey as Kron
- Matthew Walker as Captain Drake
- Roger R. Cross as 1st Mate Stevens
- Rick Burgess as Smiley
Production[]
Principal photography for "Free Willy 3: The Rescue" took place from July 31, 1996 to October 10, 1996.
Filming took place in British Columbia, Canada (in Britannia Beach, Howe Sound, Squamish and Vancouver).
Francis Capra (who played Jesse's half brother, Elvis) was approached to reprise his role in the film, but he declined it because he felt that the character of Max was too similar to Elvis.
The characters of Wesley, Dineen, Kron & Sanderson are named after hockey players from the Hartford Whalers of the NHL: Glen Wesley, Kevin Dineen, Robert Kron, and Geoff Sanderson.
Box Office[]
"Free Willy 3: The Rescue" grossed $992,651 during its opening weekend. Overall, it grossed $3,446,539.
Critical Reception[]
On Rotten Tomatoes, "Free Willy 3: The Rescue" has an approval rating of 44% based on 16 reviews with an average rating of 5.20\10.
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a rating of 3 stars out of 4, saying that "the series has grown up" and "smart kids will enjoy it".
David Luty from the Film Journal International called it "a film that treats its human audience with as much respect as its less-evolved subjects."
Russell Smith from the Austin Chronicle wrote: "As with most kid/animal movies, the whales' inherent appeal is exaggerated by anthropomorphizing them to an unrealistic degree, showing them frolicking like two-ton toddlers, munching oranges, and breaching exuberantly in postcard-esque backlit scenes. (Scenes of Willy biting heads off seals might add balance and authenticity, but at the expense of box office appeal.) Still, the filmmakers do pass up some easy opportunities to stack the moral deck in favor of the whale-savers."
Variety magazine wrote: "The film is beautifully crafted in all departments, though one can debate the necessity of Cliff Eidelman’s lush, dramatically obvious music score. It’s rarely intrusive but a letdown beside the stunning natural splendor captured by Thomas Schliessler’s camera."