Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home

Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home (also known as Free Willy 2) is a 1995 American family adventure drama film directed by Dwight Little from a screenplay by Karen Janszen, Corey Blechman and John Mattson. It is the sequel to the 1993 film Free Willy and second installment in the Free Willy film series distributed by Warner Bros. under their Warner Bros. Family Entertainment label. Jason James Richter, Jayne Atkinson, August Schellenberg, Michael Madsen and Mykelti Williamson reprise their roles from the first film. New cast members include Jon Tenney and Elizabeth Peña. 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. However, Keiko did make an uncredited appearance, reprising his role as Willy through an archival clip shown in the movie.

Set two years after Jesse freed his orca friend Willy whose now reunited with his family which includes sister Luna, brother Littlespot and mother Catspaw, the plot follows Jesse in a race against time after an oil spill separated Willy and his siblings from their mother and it's up to him to get them back home before the oil traps them in the cove for good.

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 on July 19, 1995 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 is been two years that Jesse freed Willy and got him back home. Jesse is now fourteen years old and lives happily with the Greenwoods. The Greenwoods are planning a trip to the San Juan Islands to visit Randolph, who now works for the Orcas Institute, while camping at Camp Nor'Wester. Before they leave, Dwight arrives with news that Jesse's mother was found dead in New York City and left behind another son. This devastates Jesse after many attempts at finding her, but comes to terms after talking his feelings out with Glen. Jesse's half-brother Elvis is morose, overly talkative and mischievous. He is also prone to telling lies and easily gets on Jesse's nerves. To make matters even worse for Jesse, Elvis is invited along on their trip, so that they can get to know each other. At the environmental institute, Jesse reunites with Randolph, becomes smitten with his goddaughter, Nadine, and is introduced to Willy's family during a day of whale watching. He tracks and reunites with Willy that night.

As the Greenwoods continue to enjoy their camping trip, Liberian oil tanker the Dakar runs aground on Lawson Reef and spills oil due to an engine malfunction, trapping Willy and his siblings Luna and Littlespot at the campsite. Luna gets oil in her lungs and beaches herself. Jesse and the adults get her back in the water but need further assistance. Benbrook Oil CEO John Milner announces a plan to move the whales into captivity until further notice. Jesse challenges this, making him promise to do whatever he can to get them safely back to their mother Catspaw or else he'll be blamed for Luna's death. Luna's condition worsens the day after Kate Haley treats her. Jesse and Randolph use an old Indian remedy that helps her recover.

At a donut shop, Elvis, who ran away yesterday after Jesse, Glen and Annie denied his help which in-turn caused Annie to accidentally break her promise in allowing him to contribute more, overhears John and Wilcox's real plan to sell the whales. 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. Elvis rushes back to camp to warn Jesse and Nadine. They confront John, and he and his assistant are knocked into the water for breaking his promise. Willy rescues Littlespot from the extraction. Jesse hijacks the Little Dipper to lead the whales to safety. On Jesse's signal, Willy breaks the boom and leads his siblings away. The Dakar explodes due to fuel vapors igniting after engineers try to start the generator, resulting in the crude oil catching fire.

Randolph picks up Glen and Annie, who returned from their unsuccessful search for Elvis until they spotted him on the Little Dipper, and the three follow the kids' path as Randolph sends a distress call. The whales swim under the flaming oil to safety, but the kids fall into danger when they head into another cove. The fogginess from the smoke causes Jesse to hit a rock, and the Little Dipper begins to sink while the flames seal off the cove. A search and rescue helicopter locates them, pulling Elvis and Nadine to safety. However, Jesse slips out of the harness, only inches away from the helicopter, and due to smoke choking the engine, it is forced to leave him behind. Jesse nearly drowns, but Willy returns for his friend and carries him safely under the fire in time for the adults to retrieve Jesse. Though Jesse is curious as to why Willy hasn't left, Randolph reveals the signal must be performed. Jesse does it and he, Glen, and Annie say goodbye to Willy.

Shortly after the Coastal Marine Patrol deliver Elvis and Nadine, Elvis gives Jesse a picture of him and their mother that was taped back together and also tells Jesse that she talked about him and felt bad about everything. Glen approves Annie's proposal of adopting Elvis. When asked by Elvis about his knowledge of the whales' whereabouts, Jesse replies that he knows.

Sometime later, Willy, Luna and Littlespot reunite with Catspaw and their pod.

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
 * Jayne Atkinson as Annie Greenwood
 * Mykelti Williamson as Dwight Mercer
 * Elizabeth Peña 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

Production
In November 1993, producer Lauren Shuler Donner and her husband and co-executive producer Richard Donner were pursuing active development of a sequel to Free Willy following the breakout success of the first film, but unlike the first film the whale was fully animatronic. Jason James Richter returned to reprise his role as Jesse after renegotiating the original sequel option from the first film from $150,000 to $1.5 million with an option for a third sequel.

Reception
Free Willy 2 grossed $30 million in the United States and Canada and $68 million worldwide on a $31 million budget.

The film 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. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.

Accolades
Free Willy 2 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" from his greatest hits/ninth album 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 while spending the night alone.

An instrumental version of Nathan Cavaleri's song "Lou's Blues" was used to dub Jesse's offscreen guitar playing.

Additionally, two renditions of Bob Dylan's "Forever Young" are also featured in the film. One from Michael Jackson's sister Rebbie can be heard inside the donut shop Elvis and Wilcox attended while the end credits used the previously recorded version by The Pretenders that originally appeared in the film With Honors and the band's album Last of the Independents.

Title
On early UK home video promotions, the film was titled simply "Willy 2: The Adventure Home", presumably because the film's premise, unlike its predecessor's, does not involve Willy being freed.