Free Willy 3: The Rescue (1997)

My Review

“Free Willy 3: The Rescue” tells the story of Jesse, now 16 and employed on a research vessel with his old friend Randolph. They find out that a group of professional whalers are out to get Willy and his pod and they swing into action to rescue them. The drama proceeds from there, well directed by Sam Pillsbury (“Knight Rider 2010” 1994) from a good script by John Mattson. The film features good production values, especially for a second sequel.

The cast is headed by Jason James Richter as Jesse and August Schellenberg as Randolph. They starred in the first two “Willy” pictures of 1993 and 1995. Co-stars include Annie Corley, Patrick Kilpatrick, Ian Tracey, Matthew Walker, Roger R. Cross, Rick Burgess, and Roman Danylo as the Pizza Kid. The watchable “Free Willy 3: The Rescue” was a modest hit at the box office for Regency Enterprises, Shuler-Donner/Donner, and Warner Bros. Pictures. The next in the “Willy” franchise would be “Free Willy: Escape from Pirate’s Cove” in 2010, which is actually a reboot rather than a sequel.