Directed by Simon Wincer, the movie starred Jason James Richter in his breakthrough role as the protagonist with a big heart, Jesse Greenwood. Also in the cast were Michael Madsen, Jayne Atkinson, and ...

I don’t know precisely when I first watched Free Willy. But I do remember that the film was central to a childhood obsession with whales – orcas, specifically – that followed me well into adulthood.

Free Willy is a classic film even today and features an orphan trying to reunite a killer whale, Willy, with its pod and save ...