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Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home
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Wikipedia article
'Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home' is a 1995 American family adventure drama film and the sequel to the 1993 film 'Free Willy' as well as the second installment in the 'Free Willy' film series distributed by Warner Bros. under their Warner Bros. Family Entertainment label. It is directed by Dwight Little from a screenplay by Karen Janszen, Corey Blechman and John Mattson. Jason James Richter, Jayne Atkinson, August Schellenberg, Mykelti Williamson and Michael Madsen reprise their roles from the first film. New cast members include Jon Tenney and Elizabeth Pea. 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 from poor health.
Filming commenced in Astoria, Oregon and the San Juan Islands between April and August 1994 with additional filming taking place in California.
The film opened to mixed reviews from critics. Despite underperforming at the box office, a third film 'Free Willy 3: The Rescue' was subsequently released in 1997.
Plot
It's been two years since Jesse saved and freed his orca friend, Willy. Jesse, now 14, has since been adopted by Glen and Annie Greenwood. They are preparing to go to the San Juan Islands for a camping trip and visit Randolph at his new job. Glen has been trying to teach Jesse to drive the motorboat named Little Dipper, but Jesse is more interested in girls. However, before they leave town, Dwight informs Glen and Annie that Jesse's biological mother was found dead in New York City and left behind another son. Jesse is devastated after many attempts to find her, but comes to terms after talking his feelings out with Glen. When Jesse's half-brother 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 so that the boys get to know each other.
At the environmental institute, Jesse reunites with Randolph and quickly becomes smitten with his attractive and kindly goddaughter, Nadine. Jesse also tracks down and reunites with Willy later that night. Jesse cautiously begins to show his interest in Nadine, and as the awkward teenagers grow closer, he helped her befriend Willy and his 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 about Jesse kissing Nadine. Glen talks to Jesse who denies this, leading to Elvis getting grounded.
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 swum through the oil when the tanker ran aground, Benbrook Oil CEO John Milner arrives and announces a plan to move the whales into captivity where they can recover from their injuries. Jesse challenges this, making Milner promise to do whatever he can, to get them 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 Kate Haley, Randolph and Jesse eventually use an old Indian remedy that they administer to Luna, who recovers the next morning. Elvis, who ran away believing that Jesse is more important and after Annie breaks her promise to allow him to help, overhears Milner and whaler Bill Wilcox discussing their real plan to sell the whales to a marine mammal park rushes back to camp instead of catching a ferry. 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 him and his assistant 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 the 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 Dakar, due to fuel vapors igniting after engineers tried to start the 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, the kids 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 and Annie, who were looking for Elvis until they spot him on the Little Dipper, hop aboard Randolph's boat, Natselane, to follow the kids' path as he sends a distress signal that summons the Coastal Marine Patrol to their 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. 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, Glen and Annie say goodbye to Willy before he departs back to his family.
Shortly after, the Coastal Marine Patrol dropped off Nadine and Elvis. Elvis gives Jesse an old picture of him and their mother that was taped back together for him. He also tells Jesse that she always talked about him and felt bad about abandoning him. Jesse thanks him for the picture and hugs him, finally accepting him as his brother and putting 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 Pea 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' grossed $30 million in the United States and Canada and $68 million worldwide 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.
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 most of the songs from the film plus two additional tracks from Brownstone, whose song "Sometimes Dancin'" first appeared on their debut album 'From the Bottom Up', and 3T. The only song not included is "My Spirit Calls Out" that Randolph performed when he treated 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 when "Childhood", a double A-side single for "Scream" from 'HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I', served as the main theme around Elvis while the instrumental version is played when he looks at a photo of the Greenwoods with Jesse and how happy they are without him.
An instrumental version of Nathan Cavaleri's song "Lou's Blues" was used to dub Jesse's offscreen guitar playing.
Two renditions of Bob Dylan's "Forever Young" are featured in the movie. While a version from Michael Jackson's sister Rebbie was heard during the scene where Elvis and Wilcox attend a donut shop, the end credits used The Pretenders' version 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
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