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Parents' Guide to

Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home

By Charles Cassady Jr., Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Predictable sequel will thrill Willy fans; some peril.

Movie PG 2001 96 minutes
Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home Poster Image

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Kids say (8 ):

You'd think there wouldn't be much to add to the Free Willy saga after Willy was freed, and you'd be right. (Unless you count the real-life movement to release Keiko, the captive orca used in these movies.). FREE WILLY 2: THE ADVENTURE HOME treads some pretty familiar waters; it's not unlike a "Flipper" episode on steroids, especially in the action-filled climax, when whales and boys confront an ocean that's turned into sheets of flame.

But the first movie wasn't so much about stunts as the surprisingly touching relationship between Jesse and the troubled sea creature (Flipper never had such a bad attitude). There's an attempted substitute here in the emotional subplot of Jesse's jealousy, rivalry, and reconciliation with Elvis, his obnoxious sibling. Much of their dramatics takes place in the midst of an environmental inferno. The producers correctly intuited that this brotherly spat alone would leave much of the audience cold.

Movie Details

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