[go: up one dir, main page]

    Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Sauvez Willy

Original title: Free Willy
  • 1993
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 52m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
87K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,277
741
Jason James Richter and Keiko in Sauvez Willy (1993)
Trailer 1
Play trailer1:58
2 Videos
43 Photos
Animal AdventureComing-of-AgeAdventureDramaFamily

When a boy learns that a beloved killer whale is to be killed by the aquarium owners, the boy risks everything to free the whale.When a boy learns that a beloved killer whale is to be killed by the aquarium owners, the boy risks everything to free the whale.When a boy learns that a beloved killer whale is to be killed by the aquarium owners, the boy risks everything to free the whale.

  • Director
    • Simon Wincer
  • Writers
    • Keith Walker
    • Corey Blechman
  • Stars
    • Jason James Richter
    • Lori Petty
    • Michael Madsen
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.1/10
    87K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    4,277
    741
    • Director
      • Simon Wincer
    • Writers
      • Keith Walker
      • Corey Blechman
    • Stars
      • Jason James Richter
      • Lori Petty
      • Michael Madsen
    • 109User reviews
    • 28Critic reviews
    • 79Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 7 wins & 2 nominations total

    Videos2

    Free Willy
    Trailer 1:58
    Free Willy
    Free Willy
    Trailer 0:17
    Free Willy
    Free Willy
    Trailer 0:17
    Free Willy

    Photos42

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 36
    View Poster

    Top cast26

    Edit
    Jason James Richter
    Jason James Richter
    • Jesse
    Lori Petty
    Lori Petty
    • Rae Lindley
    Michael Madsen
    Michael Madsen
    • Glen
    Jayne Atkinson
    Jayne Atkinson
    • Annie Greenwood
    August Schellenberg
    August Schellenberg
    • Randolph Johnson
    Michael Ironside
    Michael Ironside
    • Dial
    Richard Riehle
    Richard Riehle
    • Wade
    Mykelti Williamson
    Mykelti Williamson
    • Dwight Mercer
    Michael Bacall
    Michael Bacall
    • Perry
    Danielle Harris
    Danielle Harris
    • Gwenie
    Isaiah Malone
    Isaiah Malone
    • Vector
    Betsy Toll
    • Passerby #1
    Rob Sample
    • Passerby #2
    Merrilyn Jones
    • Passerby #3
    Mickey Gaines
    • Waiter
    Justin R. Hall
    • Fish Thrower
    Robert M. Duque
    • Fish Thrower
    Sam Samson
    • Fish Thrower
    • Director
      • Simon Wincer
    • Writers
      • Keith Walker
      • Corey Blechman
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews109

    6.187.1K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    7SnoopyStyle

    Reasonable family picture

    Willy is a wild orca that was trapped and separated from his parents. He is sent to an aquarium. Jesse (Jason James Richter) is a street kid who gets caught vandalizing the tank. He still believes his mom will come back. His social worker Dwight gets him off as long as he cleans up his mess. He's placed with Glen (Michael Madsen) and Annie Greenwood. Jesse is guarded and Glen is reluctant also. At the aquarium, he befriends Willy who saves his life one night. Willy won't perform for trainer Rae Lindley (Lori Petty) but he's willing to do it for Jesse. The owner Dial (Michael Ironside) is under pressure from the non-performing whale.

    It's a reasonable family picture. It has a whale and the little kids may find it fascinating. The story is compelling enough that the older kids will also like it. It's very much following a try and true formula. The young lead is acceptable even when he doesn't have the whale. He has some good drama to play off against. It's important to note that Keiko the whale was eventually freed. If that's all the movie achieves, that's plenty.
    7ma-cortes

    A sentimental and enjoyable movie with charming scenes and attractive messages

    This is a good-looking family drama with marvellous scenes, natural ecologism , gorgeous outdoors and high sensibility . When a boy learns that a beloved killer whale is to be killed by the aquarium owners, the boy risks everything to free the whale . Willy is trapped and his family swims mournfully away . Cut to an angelic street-kid , Jesse (Jason James Richer) , caught graffiti-ing Willy's tank , the only way to escape baby jail he discovers is to go to well-meaning but stiff foster parents (Michael Madsen , Jayne Atkinson) and clean up the tank under the tutelage of Haida Indian Randolph (August Schellemberg) . A 12 year old street kid !. A 3 ton orca whale !. A friendship you could never imagine !. An adventure you'll never forget !. Make room in your heart for a six-ton Pet!!!He is the biggest hero in the whole wide world of adventure!. When You're Six Tons -- And They Call You Killer -- It's Hard To Make Friends...

    Agreeable and charming family tale made with sense , sensitivity and wonderful sea images. This is a good-natured family drama with emotion, ecologism, gorgeous outdoors and high sensibility . Many years before , this Orca saga was preceded by a similar film : ¨Namu , the Killer Whale¨ (1966) directed by Laslo Benedek with Robert Lansing . It contains ample and gorgeous sea vistas, being very well photographed the exterior scenes, as well as underwater images with the great Orca whale jumping and diving. This well acted movie has a straight-faced tone which is hard to resist . Including good messages : love for animals , environmentalism , fraternity , fight for survival , need for family coexistence friendship , while boy and whale get on because they are both looking for a family .

    Special mention for excellent musical score by magnificent composer Basil Poledouris , including sweeping strings accompanying the opening sequence of balletic whales cavorting in brilliant blue sea , changing abruptly to cacophony as the bad guys with nets chug up in their tugs . The motion picture was well directed by notorious filmmaker Simon Wincer . He is a Western expert , as he emigrated Hollywood from Australia and subsequently directed to Tom Selleck in ¨Monte Walsh¨ , ¨Crossfire trail¨ and ¨Quigley Down Under¨ to Paul Hogan in ¨Relampago Jack¨ and ¨Cocodrile Dundee in L. A.¨ and usually directs episodes for TV mini-series, such as ¨Into the West¨, ¨The Ponderosa¨ , ¨Lonesome Dove¨ and ¨The adventures of young Indiana Jones¨ , among others . Rating : good for the sensitive direction and proficient film-making ; the result is a sort of pacifist-ecological adventure for kiddies and adults. Worthwhile watching . The pic will appeal to animals enthusiasts .
    7briancham1994

    Simple and sweet

    Free Willy is the quintessential 90s family film along the lines of Home Alone - innocent, schmaltzy and full of cloying sentimentality. It contains everything you've seen before and has passed into cliché - misunderstood kid who just wants to prove himself, heartfelt friendship with a precious animal, plot to thwart secret bad guys and so on - but it does so with such determined idealism that you can't help but feel a sheer, overwhelming joy. Free Willy is the family movie to end all family movies, a condensation of so many feelgood tropes that it collapses under its own gravity to form a singularity of Hollywood magic.
    10Andreas_N

    Underrated movie of a charming childhood adventure

    Oh, this one is underrated here. The story of Jason James Richter's character trying to escape from a life of crime and missing prospects is way beyond the average. The growing affection for Willy is not even stereotyped or clichéd. It's a genuine bond that focuses on two outcast characters who slowly but surely come to experience true friendship and the value of trust. Jason's performance really appealed to me when I saw this movie as a kid. It is a sincere depiction of friendship, of a way out, of fighting for your values against all odds and of never giving up. Right, I'm grown up now, but this is one of the movies of my childhood I'd like to watch again, and I'm sure I'd enjoy it almost as much as back then. Jason James had very few acting appearances, but the Free Willy series assured him his place in movie history. His entire performance in here is sincere and straight, he doesn't laugh nor smile if it wasn't just natural in the specific sequences. His facial expressions and body language fit into the total frame as well. The story has some profoundly human themes to it. I can't help it, I think this one is both entertaining and deep, dealing with emotions and prospects of life, with integrity and courage in the face of danger.
    6nature_whisper

    Should have been valued more

    It was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. I had followed Keiko ever since. I was happy that he was finally free, but I was very sad that he ended up with a tragic story because of people's mistakes. As for the movie, its impressive music and the scenes where Keiko played with Jesse were enjoyable and beautiful. I wish that amazing final scene on the poster looked like that in the movie. Instead, a phenomenon called animatronics was implemented. Yes, such a scene with an orca may have seemed impossible at that time, but it did not look as good as the poster. It could be worth more. It's a production with some messages.

    More like this

    Sauvez Willy 2
    5.1
    Sauvez Willy 2
    Sauvez Willy 3
    4.8
    Sauvez Willy 3
    Beethoven
    5.7
    Beethoven
    Chérie, j'ai rétréci les gosses
    6.4
    Chérie, j'ai rétréci les gosses
    Babe, le cochon devenu berger
    6.9
    Babe, le cochon devenu berger
    Sauvez Willy 4 - Le repère des pirates
    5.0
    Sauvez Willy 4 - Le repère des pirates
    Casper
    6.2
    Casper
    L'Incroyable Voyage
    7.0
    L'Incroyable Voyage
    Les 101 Dalmatiens
    5.8
    Les 101 Dalmatiens
    Le petit dinosaure et la vallée des merveilles
    7.4
    Le petit dinosaure et la vallée des merveilles
    Les petits champions
    6.6
    Les petits champions
    Les chenapans
    6.3
    Les chenapans

    Related interests

    Ben Whishaw in Paddington (2014)
    Animal Adventure
    Elsie Fisher in Dernière Année (2018)
    Coming-of-Age
    Still frame
    Adventure
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Drew Barrymore and Pat Welsh in E.T., l'extra-terrestre (1982)
    Family

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      After the movie was released, it brought the living conditions of the star orca, Keiko (Willy) to the world's attention. His tank was too small, with too-warm chlorinated artificial salt water. Keiko suffered from a weakened immune system and a skin condition around his pectoral fins. There was a monumental effort to release Keiko. A custom tank was built in the Oregon Coast Aquarium and in 1996, the whale was flown from Mexico to Oregon. He recovered well, and was moved to a sea pen in 1998. In July 2002, Keiko was released into the wild after spending 22 years in captivity. Unfortunately he did not fully adapt to the wild and died in December 2003 in Norway. Keiko became the second oldest orca to live in captivity.
    • Goofs
      When Willy is jumping over the stone wall at the end of the movie, the bottom of the actual whale does not match the pattern of the CGI whale that lands the jump.
    • Quotes

      Rae: You like whales?

      Jesse: I like him.

      Rae: Well, he doesn't like anybody. So you be careful around him. You see, Willy's a case. A very special case.

      Jesse: So? Who isn't?

    • Crazy credits
      A disclaimer at the end of the first half of the end credits following A Donner-Shuler Donner Production reads, "No whales were harassed or mistreated during the making of this film and all scenes involving a live animal were supervised by the American Humane Association."
    • Alternate versions
      The first Warner Bros. Family Entertainment variant featuring Bugs Bunny spinning the banner hoop after placing it on the WB shield appears in the fullscreen version of the film. This plaster can only be found in the VHS prints, 1990's HBO airing, and standard side of the 1997 DVD. The latter release used a similar version where the main logo is the first variant but with audio taken from the second variant.
    • Connections
      Edited into Sauvez Willy 2 (1995)
    • Soundtracks
      Will You Be There
      (Theme from "Free Willy")

      Written and Produced by Michael Jackson

      Co-Produced by Bruce Swedien

      Performed by Michael Jackson

      Courtesy of Epic Records

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ20

    • How long is Free Willy?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 9, 1994 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Liberen a Willy
    • Filming locations
      • Astoria, Oregon, USA
    • Production companies
      • Warner Bros.
      • Regency Enterprises
      • StudioCanal
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $20,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $77,709,806
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $7,868,829
      • Jul 18, 1993
    • Gross worldwide
      • $153,709,806
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 52m(112 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.