Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home

PG

Released Jul 19, 1995

1 hr. 36 min.

Kids & Family

Drama

List

50%

26 Reviews

Tomatometer

42%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In this sequel to the popular first installment, Jesse (Jason James Richter) is now a teenager living with his adoptive parents (Michael Madsen, Jayne Atkinson) when his half-brother, Elvis (Francis Capra), shows up on the heels of their birth mother's death. When Jesse learns that an oil spill is threatening his old friend Willy the orca, he enlists his crush, Nadine (Mary Kate Schellhardt), and Elvis in an attempt to save the friendly whales from the spill and greedy businessmen.

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Critics Consensus

Good-natured yet utterly unsurprising, Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home will strike all but the youngest of viewers as a poorly orca-strated sequel.

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Lanfranco C

Meh, it passed the time!

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/27/24

Full Review

Red T

It's a Guilty Pleasure for me with quite a bit of nostalgia. There's actually a lot of action at the end so I wondered why I didn't remember lots of it. Well there's a couple reasons. The acting once again is just ok with most of the cast returning and the same result. Randolph once again is the best thing though Jesse is not bad here and a bit better. Elvis is just ok and doesn't really serve any purpose in this besides I guess being a comedic sidekick but if you took him out nothing is really lost and the same for the love interest. The "Villains" if you can call them that are barely in this and are so generic its ridiculous and forgettable. I have to say the cinematography is solid in this with amazing ocean shots, underwater shots, and the fire effects/tanker are actually really good. The problem that holds this back is the scenes with the characters interacting aren't that interesting especially anything with the personal side of Jesse. Jesse with the whale are just as good as the first. The best part is the phenomenal soundtrack. It's amazing and the best part and carries this film and they know how good it is because they use it all the time. The real weak points are the editing and pacing which is just ok overall. Again, anything involving Jesse's personal life: His Mom's death and backstory, Elvis, the girl, his parents, becoming a teenager all never feel like they relate to anything. It feels like at first its about his development and coming of age and than turns into a saving the whales from the oil tanker out of nowhere and completely loses focus. The plot in the second half feels dragged out because there isn't much depth as the first half and it feels like 10 minutes maybe 15 could've been cut. That being said it's still nice to look at, amazing to listen too, and it does tug at the heart strings throughout even with the Michael Jackson song despite those flaws. If your a big whale fan or grew up watching this than go for it. Otherwise skip it.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/10/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Now this one I hated. Where is the heart?

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

andy h

Fans of the original and lovers of orcas will find plenty to love in This nostalgia quest.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This Free Willy Sequel just as good as the first one. Jason James Richter, August Schellenberg, Mary Kate Schellhardt, Francis Capra, Michael Madsen, Jayne Atkinson, and the rest of the cast did a great job in this movie. The plot to the movie was adventurous and dramatic. I would recommend this movie. People probably would enjoy it.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Free Willy 2 was rushed into production but wasn't even called for to being a franchise film. But with what they had, I think they've done a good job with it. Most of it, it becomes too tongue in cheek with dialogue. Some was well written, others it was drab. Jesse is trying his best to be natural but he's at an awkward age to where your talking down to the audience. Whether that was the director's fault or the actor's, I don't know which. It borderlines it. Mostly everyone does have good performances, but I didn't like how (spoiler alert) he has a foster brother now. He didn't add up into the story at all. If they had eliminated that, or had went another way, I would've allowed it. But it was natural in the environment they were in, with being allowed to camp and also be near water. I think it was good that they allowed that. They gave enough credit to the story, but just barely. For the time, it was too on the nose with it's environmental philosophy of oil tankers by saying that they are cruel and to turn them into the bad guys of the piece. Where that went, it was a by-the-numbers leak that lead into a ho-hum piece of antagonists. But in all honestly, they did a good job with it. It works fine as it is, but if your over eight to twelve years old, that's your target. Anything else, it won't matter. It's a pretty good film. Just not up to standard with the previous entry.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

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Dwight H. Little

Director

Jason James Richter

Jesse

August Schellenberg

Randolph Johnson

Michael Madsen

Glen Greenwood

Jayne Atkinson

Annie Greenwood

Mary Kate Schellhardt

Nadine

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Desmond Ryan

Philadelphia Inquirer

"Free Willy 2" is not the kind of film that can teach children about coping with loss or reach them on anything but the most superficial level.

Aug 3, 2020

Full Review

Philip Thomas

Empire Magazine

Goes for the heartstrings and, to an extent, hit them hard.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 3, 2020

Full Review

Gene Siskel

Chicago Tribune

A dreary retread of what wasn't a very good picture in the first place.

Rated: 1/4

Aug 16, 2017

Full Review

David Parkinson

Radio Times

This is so full of sentiment, it makes Lassie movies look positively heartless...

Rated: 2/5

Aug 3, 2020

Full Review

Mal Vincent

The Virginian-Pilot

Whenever Willy is on screen, things are OK. Otherwise, there are a lot of talking humans with problems. Phooey! Humans we can see any time.

Rated: 2.5/4

Aug 3, 2020

Full Review

People Staff

People Magazine

Prepare for another hour and a half's worth of warm fuzzies. Willy the whale and his human pal, 14-year-old Jesse, are back together, and Moby Dick they aren't.

Aug 3, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

In this sequel to the popular first installment, Jesse (Jason James Richter) is now a teenager living with his adoptive parents (Michael Madsen, Jayne Atkinson) when his half-brother, Elvis (Francis Capra), shows up on the heels of their birth mother's death. When Jesse learns that an oil spill is threatening his old friend Willy the orca, he enlists his crush, Nadine (Mary Kate Schellhardt), and Elvis in an attempt to save the friendly whales from the spill and greedy businessmen.

Director: Dwight H. Little
Executive Producer: Richard Donner, Arnon Milchan, Jim Van Wyck
Screenwriter: Keith Walker, Karen Janszen, Corey Blechman, John Mattson
Distributor: Warner Bros., Warner Home Vídeo
Production Co: Warner Brothers, Regency Enterprises
Rating: PG
Genre: Kids & Family, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 19, 1995, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 24, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $28.0M
Sound Mix: Surround

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