How far would you go for a friend?
When maladjusted orphan Jesse vandalizes a theme park, he is placed with foster parents and must work at the park to make amends. There he meets Willy, a young Orca whale who has been separated from his family. Sensing kinship, they form a bond and, with the help of kindly whale trainer Rae Lindley, develop a routine of tricks. However, greedy park owner Dial soon catches wind of the duo and makes plans to profit from them.
Free Willy (1993) is a family, adventure and drama film directed by Simon Wincer, released on July 16, 1993 with a runtime of 1h 52m. It stars Jason James Richter, Keiko, Lori Petty and August Schellenberg. Viewers rate it 6.2 out of 10 across 2,034 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for Free Willy before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for Free Willy.
Trailer
Trailer
Jason James Richter
as Jesse
Keiko
as Willy
Lori Petty
as Rae Lindley
August Schellenberg
as Randolph Johnson
Michael Madsen
as Glen Greenwood
Jayne Atkinson
as Annie Greenwood
Michael Ironside
as Dial
Richard Riehle
as Wade
Mykelti Williamson
as Dwight Mercer
Michael Bacall
as Perry
Danielle Harris
as Gwenie
Isaiah Malone
as Vector
Directed by Simon Wincer, written by Corey Blechman, Keith Walker and Keith Walker, produced by Lauren Shuler Donner and Jennie Lew Tugend.
Average viewer score of 6.2/10 from 2,034 ratings.
**Despite being predictable and loaded with clichés, it is a film that marked a generation, alerted many consciences to very serious issues, and is still very beautiful thirty years later.** This is certainly one of the films that made an impression on people during the 90's, and that maintained its popularity and sympathy for many years. Today I think it has been forgotten, and in part I feel sorry for it.…
Reviewed on December 25, 2022
I guess Free Willy depends on how old you were in 1993. For the most part, I really like Family Friendly, if they are done right they can be entertaining and uplifting. And, the kid in me can still see how people would love it, and still love it, if they saw it as a little kid. But I was 13 when Free Willy came out, and, honestly, it's not E.T., it's not The Goonies, it's not even Radio Flyer let alone Sandlot.…
Reviewed on January 11, 2023
The song by Michael Jackson was epic and I saw clips from this movie in there and it motivated me to watch this movie. But I must say I wasn't impressed. It was a feel good movie for sure, but I must say I enjoyed Dolphin Tale more. The story was slow and action sequences seemed a little far fetched like seriously breaking a 3,000kg animal out of jail!
Reviewed on February 23, 2026
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Free Willy (1993) is currently available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home and Spectrum On Demand. No subscription streaming option is listed right now, so availability may change.
The main cast of Free Willy (1993) includes Jason James Richter, Keiko, Lori Petty, August Schellenberg and Michael Madsen. The film was directed by Simon Wincer. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Free Willy was released on July 16, 1993 and runs for 1h 52m.
Free Willy (1993) holds an average rating of 6.2 out of 10 from 2,034 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy family, adventure and drama films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official Free Willy trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
