Movie Type: Animal Picture, Family-Oriented Adventure
Themes: Daring Rescues, Race Against Time, First Love
Main Cast: Jason James Richter, August Schellenberg, Michael Madsen, Jayne Atkinson, Mary Kate Schellhardt
Release Year: 1995
Country: US
Run Time: 96 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Two unlikely friends -- a boy and a killer whale -- are reunited under potentially dangerous circumstances in this sequel to the successful family adventure Free Willy. Jesse (Jason James Richter) has finally found stability and contentment with his foster parents Glen and Annie Greenwood (Michael Madsen and Jayne Atkinson), but he is confronted with a new emotional challenge when his birth mother (a drug addict who abandoned him when he was young) dies, and his troubled half brother Elvis (Francis Capra) comes to live with the Greenwoods. Jesse also deals with new feelings when he develops a serious crush on Nadine (Mary Kate Schellhardt), the goddaughter of Randolph (August Schellenberg), an animal trainer at the theme park where Jesse helps out. But a much bigger problem is on the horizon when the safety of Willy, the killer whale he befriended and helped return to the wild, is threatened. An oil spill spoils the ocean environment where Willy and his family now live, and an unscrupulous owner of an oceanarium, Wilcox (M. Emmet Walsh), attempts to capture Willie and put him back into captivity as a performing attraction. While Free Willy featured Keiko, a trained whale who (ironically) was living in captivity when the film was shot, Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home instead utilized mechanical models and digital animation to bring "Willy" to life. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Francis Capra - Elvis; Doug Ballard - Veterinarian; Jeff Brooks - Protester; June Christopher - Veterinarian; John Considine - Commander Blake; John Harms - Protester; Stephen Kahan - Captain Nilson; Joan Lunden - Herself; Marguerite Moreau - Julie; Elizabeth Peña - Dr. Kate Haley; Edward J. Rosen - Environmental Man; Al Sapienza - Engineer; Jon Tenney - John Milner; Paul Tuerpé - Milner's Assistant; Basil Wallace - Reporter; M. Emmet Walsh - Wilcox; Mykelti Williamson - Dwight Mercer; Susan Brooks - Protester; Julie Inouye - Reporter; Wally Dalton - Engineer
Credit
Gregory W.M. Bolton - Art Director, Sherry Fadely - Associate Producer, Doug Merrifield - Associate Producer, Lynda Gordon - Casting, Judy Taylor - Casting, Richard Solomon - Co-producer, Erica Phillips - Costume Designer, Jim Van Wyck - First Assistant Director, Lisa Satriano - First Assistant Director, Dwight H. Little - Director, Michael J. McAlister - Director, Robert Brown - Editor, Dallas Puett - Editor, Arnon Milchan - Executive Producer, Jim Van Wyck - Executive Producer, Basil Poledouris - Composer (Music Score), Rob Janiger - Musical Direction/Supervision, Basil Poledouris - Songwriter, Pamela Westmore - Makeup, Paul Sylbert - Production Designer, Laszlo Kovacs - Cinematographer, Gary Holt - Cinematographer, Lauren Shuler-Donner - Producer, Richard Donner - Producer, Jennie Lew Tugend - Producer, Casey Hallenbeck - Set Designer, Jon G. Belyeu - Special Effects, Conrad Palmisano - Stunts, Walt Conti - Supervisor/Manager, Corey Blechman - Screenwriter, John Mattson - Screenwriter, J.J. George - Music Editor, Kevin Bartnof - Foley Artist
Jesse, the boy who freed Willy the orca two years ago, has been adopted by his foster parents. They have come to the San Juan Island Environmental Institute from which they will embark toward Willy's new habitat. Before they leave town, however, Jesse's counselor informs him that his birth mother, who abandoned him eight years before, has died in New York City. To add to his dismay, Jesse has to contend with the sudden presence of his overly talkative and mischievous younger half-brother, Elvis (Francis Capra), who is a virtual stranger to him. Elvis is prone to telling lies and easily gets on Jesse's nerves. He is invited on their long camping trip so that he and Jesse might get to know one another.
On this trip, Jesse reunites with his old Native American friend Randolph Johnson, a shaman, and quickly becomes smitten by Randolph's goddaughter, Nadine. As the youngsters grow closer, Jesse helps Nadine befriend Willy and his whale siblings, Luna and Little Spot.
As they continue to enjoy their camping trip, an oil tanker runs aground and spills oil into the ocean, trapping the three young whales in a small cove. When word gets out that the whales are trapped and Luna is dying from the oil in her lungs, the president of the oil company arrives with a great plan to move the whales into captivity where they can recover from their injuries. His real plan, however, is to sell the whales to marine mammal parks and have them perform in shows.
Jesse, Nadine and Elvis get the whales away from the cove by stealing the boat belonging to Glen, Jesse's adopted father, and leading them out of the cove to safety, but aren't able to save themselves when the tanker explodes and the oil in the water catches fire. Their boat hit a rock and started to sink while Glen, Annie (Jesse's adopted mother) and Randolph set out to find them in Randolph's boat while calling for help. Nadine and Elvis are lifted into a rescue helicopter summoned by Randolph's distress signals, but young Jesse is unable to hold on and falls back into the water. There is too much smoke in the air and the helicopter is forced to leave. Right as he is about to get engulfed by the flames, Willy arrives and takes Jesse under the flames to the other side. There they come upon Randolph's boat and Glen, Annie and Randolph pull Jesse safely aboard.
In the end, Willy, Luna and Little Spot are reunited with their mother and Jesse learns to accept Elvis, despite his annoying ways. Elvis also starts being more honest and reveals to Jesse that even though his mother abandoned him, she always loved him and regretted that she couldn't care for him. Jesse is then able to let go of the past and move on with his friends and his new family.
Music
Michael Jackson continued his affiliation with the Free Willy franchise, producing and performing the song "Childhood" for this movie.
The Pretenders performed "Forever Young", heard at the end of the movie when the orcas finally are released in the ocean.
