FEED WHALEY

FREE WILLY (1993)
dir: Simon Wincer

FEED WHALEY
Cracked #286, July 1993
w:Vic Bianco (Lou Silverstone)
a: Jeff Wong

Before the story begins, they show the killer whale captured by boaters for a marine amusement park. An orphaned boy Jesse (Jason James Richter), from a group of what this movie thinks juvenile delinquents are like, is caught defacing this park and put in the custody of Glen (Michael Madsen) and Annie (Jayne Atkinson).

Jesse is given community service cleaning up the graffiti at the park where the owners are angry that the killer whale Willy won't co-operate. His trainer Rae (Lori Petty) can't get him to either. Jesse slips and falls in the pool while working there, Willy brings him back to the surface, and they form a bond with Jesse teaching Willy tricks. The owners of the park see this as an opportunity to have Willy a main performing attraction for them.

When Willy won't perform for a show, the owners decide to destroy the tank to make it look like an accident and collect the insurance. Jesse sees this being done and tells Rae and another co-worker Randolph (August Schellenberg), a Native American. Knowing this would kill Willy, the three of them steal Glen's truck in the middle of the night to bring him back to the ocean.

On the way to the ocean they stop by a car wash to rehydrate Willy. I believe the car wash worker here is supposed to be Goober Pyle. Glen and Annie join them in helping maneuver the truck and helping set Willy free. When they get to the harbor, the park owners are there waiting to recapture Willy but Jesse gets him to use his tricks to jump over the nets and get back into the ocea with his family.