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Free Willy

1993

Simon Wincer

Jason James Richter, Lori Petty, Michael Madsen, Jayne Atkinson ...

4.8

17,286

Adventure. Drama When a boy learns that a beloved killer whale is to be killed by the aquarium owners, the boy risks everything to free the whale.

	Media	Author	Review
		Vincent Canby The New York Times	"[The creators] do their work with efficient simplicity"
		Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"'Free Willy' works its way around the physical reality of its animal lead, and somehow becomes one of the summer's best family pictures (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"
		Michael Wilmington Los Angeles Times	"[It] is for children and families, first and foremost. For them, it should be one of the treats of the year. There’s a muscular sincerity to this movie"
		Leonard Klady Variety	"An exhilarating drama of boy and nature that unabashedly pulls at the heart strings. Thankfully, its creators know just what to do emotionally and technically to pull off this old-fashioned sentimental yarn"
		David Parkinson Radio Times	"This entertaining children's picture about a boy and his whale knows exactly what strings to pull and when (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		James Berardinelli ReelViews	"[It] is not a great film -- it relies on too many cliches and formulas (...) Despite that, 'Free Willy' is solid family entertainment (…) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"
		Hal Hinson The Washington Post	"The kids' movie of the season (...) The film has its own beguiling giant (...) and its share of thrills, close calls and just enough uplift to meet the requirements of the genre. But it's more than that."
		Marjorie Baumgarten Austin Chronicle	"It's all pretty involving and sweetly ingratiating (...) The performances are all effective (…) Rating: ★★½ (out of 5)"

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