Amazon.com video review:
Some of us will never understand why this boy-and-his-whale
tale became the hit family film of 1993 and one of the bestselling
videos of all time. But it is easy to see how clever marketing and a
tear-jerking story could touch the hearts of kids and parents the
world over, especially because the endangered Orca whale named Willy
is such a majestic creature. The story couldn't be more
conventional--it's like Old Yeller and The Black Stallion
with a big sea mammal--but as the boy who comes to Willy's aid against
the whale's exploitative owner, young Jason James Richter gives an
appealing performance with which children can readily identify. After
two sequels and an animated television series, this popular film also
had a happy real-life ending: Keiko the whale (who plays Willy)
recovered from failing health and was gradually trained to survive
outside of captivity. --Jeff Shannon
Amazon.com video review:
Some of us will never understand why this boy-and-his-whale
tale became the hit family film of 1993 and one of the bestselling
videos of all time. But it is easy to see how clever marketing and a
tear- jerking story could touch the hearts of kids and parents the
world over, especially because the endangered Orca whale named Willy
is such a majestic creature. The story couldn't be more
conventional--it's like Old Yeller and The Black Stallion
with a big sea mammal--but as the boy who comes to Willy's aid against
the whale's exploitative owner, young Jason James Richter gives an
appealing performance with which children can readily identify. After
two sequels and an animated television series, this popular film also
had a happy real-life ending: Keiko the whale (who plays Willy)
recovered from failing health and was gradually trained to survive
outside of captivity. --Jeff Shannon
