Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2657 in DVD
• Released on: 1999-09-27
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Arabic, Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Romanian, Swedish
• Dubbed in: French, Italian
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 107 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Some of us will never understand why this boy-and-his-whale tale became the hit family film of 1993 and one of the bestselling videos of all time. But it is easy to see how clever marketing and a tear-jerking story could touch the hearts of kids and parents the world over, especially because the endangered Orca whale named Willy is such a majestic creature. The story of Free Willy couldn't be more conventional--it's like Old Yeller and The Black Stallion with a big sea mammal--but as the boy who comes to Willy's aid against the whale's exploitative owner, young Jason James Richter gives an appealing performance with which children can readily identify. After two sequels and an animated television series, this popular film also had a happy real-life ending: Keiko the whale (who plays Willy) recovered from failing health and was gradually trained to survive outside of captivity. --Jeff Shannon

Amazon.co.uk Review
Some of us will never understand why Free Willy, a boy-and-his-whale tale, became the hit family film of 1993 and one of the bestselling videos of all time. But it is easy to see how clever marketing and a tear-jerking story could touch the hearts of children and parents the world over, especially because the endangered Orca whale named Willy is such a majestic creature. The story couldn't be more conventional but as the boy who comes to Willy's aid against the whale's exploitative owner, young Jason James Richter gives an appealing performance with which children can readily identify. After two sequels and an animated television series, this popular film also had a happy real-life ending: Keiko the whale (who plays Willy) recovered from failing health and was gradually trained to survive outside of captivity. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com.

Special Features
2.35 Wide Screen
French\Italian
English\Italian
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English\Surround French Italian
Dolby Digital 5.1
Surround
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Arabic\Bulgarian\Danish\Dutch\English\Finnish\German\Icelandic\Italian\Norwegian\Romanian\Swedish

Customer Reviews

A Tale For People of All Ages
Free Willy is a story about people who are lost, eventually finding themselves. There are three characters that seem to do this in the film, Willy the whale, Jesse and Jesse’s adoptive father, Glen. The film opens with a spectacular display of whale cinematography accompanied by a theme tune that does not do the footage justice. The opening of the film also lets the audience see a younger whale being trapped by whale hunters. This scene angered me because of the atrocity I was witnessing, knowing that this type of thing does happen and it may do the same with some other viewers. We, as an audience, are then introduced to Jesse, a boy who has lost his parents and lives on the streets. It is not long before the police catch up with him and he is placed in the care of an initially willing couple. The relationship does not start stunningly, with Jesse being extremely reluctant to engage anyone in any type of communication.

Having put graffiti all round Willy’s tank, Jesse is sent to clean it up. Through his constant attention to Willy and love of the harmonica, he finally develops a relationship with the whale. He is then employed to teach Willy a show to perform to the public. The relationship with his adoptive parents hits the rocks again when, at the top of his voice, Glen admits to his wife that he was happier without Jesse. Jesse reacts as you would expect and throws a baseball out of the window, but it is not long before the problem is resolved.

Eventually, Jesse pulls of a successful performance to the money-hungry businessmen, which lands him a public performance. However, a dramatic turn of events leaves Willy feeling scared and reluctant to perform. This scene is very powerful and has viewers of all ages biting their nails with anticipation. Having decided that the whale will make no money, these businessmen try to cash in on the one million dollar insurance by killing Willy. It just happens that Jesse is down visiting Willy on the same evening that they put this plan into action. Before any serious harm happens to the whale Jesse is already thinking up a plan of his own.

This film has a very powerful ending and the credits are accompanied by more excellent cinematography of whales. The character of Jesse has grown from being a poor role model for any child, into a less selfish person who now appreciates the things that he has. The relationship between he and Glen improves and Glen realises that Jesse may turn into the child that he would like in his life. And finally, Willy goes from a life in captivity, back to his family where he belongs.

This film is perfect for both children and parents and from beginning to end it will spark emotions in people of all ages. The supporting cast including August Schellenberg as Randolph, Michael Madsen as Glen and Lori Petty as Rae, all do a brilliant job in their roles. Specifically in conveying how their opinions of Jesse change and how they all build lasting relationships with him.

The tenth anniversary DVD Special Features are quite disappointing. There is “A conversation with Bob Talbot wildlife cinematographer” which is a little informative, but the real brilliance of this is the spectacular whale footage. There is another segment entitled “Whale Ballet” which features a montage of clips of whales from the film. What makes these features particularly disappointing is that most of the footage is comprised of whale clips from the film. I am positive that I have seen other ‘making of’ style footage including an explanation of animatronics used in the film. It is a shame that the DVD is not equipped with a ‘making of documentary’, but then again Warner Brothers Special Edition DVD’s often seem to lack features in comparison to those released by other studios. Other features include a game for very young children, a Michael Jackson music video and a few trailers, some of which promote the sequels as well.

A Great Film For All Ages!
When i watched this film recently for the first time i saw straight away why this film has become such a huge success over the years, and was the biggest film of 1993. I think that one reason that it was so successful, especially with family audiences, is because of Willy. You can immediately warm to him and understand his feelings of solitude and isolation.

When Jesse an boy abandoned by his parents at birth becomes in trouble with the police, he is send to live with a pair of willing foster parents. While there he is made to clean up the graffiti that he sprayed all over a huge whale tank at the local fairground and befriends the creature inside it, Willy. He eventually lands himself a job in training the whale for public shows as Will will not take any notice of anyone else. He convinces the bosses of the fairground and as the public flood in to watch the show, Will becomes frightened and refuses to perform.

When the bosses realise that the whale they brought is absolutely worthless, they decide to cash in on the insurance money for Willy, which happenes to one million dollars. Luckily Jesse is there visiting Willy when they come to release the water from the tank and calls on the help of Randolph and his side kick who are in charge of training Willy. They plan to take Willy to the coast, and release him back into the ocean to be with his family, however when the bosses realise, they are determined to stop them and claim back their whale.

I see this film to be about change, people being lost and finding out who they really are. This happens maily to Jesse as he goes from being a rather selfish boy to somone who you might like to take home with you. It also happens to Glen, Jesse's foster father, as he realises that he does in fact like Jesse afterall and in the end helps him release Willy back into the sea.

Overall, 'Free Willy' is a really great film and after you have watched it, it really isn't hard to see why it was such a big hit with family audiences back in 1993, and has stood the test of time. The mark of a truly great film. Highly recommended to watch as a family.

Way better than just 2 stars. 25th january 2004
I have seen all three, and i thought the first one was the best. You either do like it or you don't, i think its great for anyone, and even a kid would like it too. Its exciting to watch, but not as good when the boy gets older. SEE IT ITS GREAT!