As odd as it seems that a Halloween kids’ comedy came out in July, it’s even odder that Free Willy hasn’t benefited from the same magical transformation into a cult classic 30 years later. (More on this soon.) Hocus PocusĪt the box office, Free Willy debuted the same week as Hocus Pocus. Although he died off the coast of Norway in 2003, Keiko’s legacy lives on.

With donations pouring in from all over the world, including from countless children, a concentrated effort over the next decade saw Keiko rehabilitated and trained to reenter the wild. Captured in the wild in 1979 and held captive in a variety of inadequate and downright harmful conditions, Keiko became the poster whale for an international movement to free him after the film’s success. In celebration of Free Willy’s 30th anniversary on July 16, here are 10 reasons to revisit the film and its moment in time.Īny discussion of the film needs to begin and end with Keiko, the real-life killer whale who played Willy. In a year when the biggest box office hits boasted world-changing special effects ( Jurassic Park) and megawatt star power ( The Firm and Sleepless in Seattle), Free Willy proved a surprise sleeper, becoming the seventh-highest-grossing film of the year.

A family film with a resonant environmental message, it told the story of a troubled young boy who found family, friends, and a future thanks to his deep connection to the titular imprisoned cetacean. Arguably the world’s most famous whale - sorry, Brendan - a certain orca stole people’s hearts on July 16, 1993, with the release of Free Willy.

Wild hearts can't be broken rescue