The beloved 1993 release, Free Willy, follows the story of an unexpected friendship between a man and an orca. The follows a young orphaned boy who comes across a captivated killer whale held at a barely afloat amusement park and how the two lonely beings eventually become the best of friends. The movie was directed by Simon Wincer, and the screenplay was written by Keith A. Walker and Corey Blechman.
The film, when released, very quickly became a family favorite and received mostly positive reviews from both audience and critics. Not only is the film critically acclaimed, but it was also a commercial success enough for the producers to release two more sequels to the original film, turning the standalone movie into a small trilogy franchise.
The movie stars Jason James Richter as the young orphan boy named Jesse, Lori Petty as Rae Lindley, Jayne Atkinson as Annie Greenwood, Keiko as Willy, the orca, August Schellenberg as Randolph Johnson, and a few others as part of the film’s cast. The film has indulged in heavy use of CGI, especially for scenes that require a close-up of the killer whale and the finale scene where both Jesse and Willy get into the water.
While it may look like most of the film must have been shot using CGI or using a fake backdrop, a significant portion of the film has been actually shot in real locations. Fans can continue reading to find below all the locations where the film was shot.
Free Willy’s Filming Locations
The film was shot mostly in the state of Oregon, specifically in three cities named Seaside, Astoria, and Portland. Very few scenes have been shot in the city of Mexico, with the more impactful scenes being the ones shot with the help of CGI.
Oregon, United States
Jesse’s foster home in the film is actually a real house located in Astoria, Oregon. At some point, the house was open to the public, mostly because of the demand of the fans of the film, but presently it remains closed for public viewing. The town of Astoria has actually been featured in another popular movie named The Goonies and Kindergarten Cops.
The foster mentioned earlier is actually located at 3392 Harrison Avenue, Astoria, Oregon. Though the house is more of a private property now, the town continues to remain a beautiful sight for fans and tourists. Another location of importance in the film is the city of Portland which is home to the rundown amusement park where Jesse is placed to work.
What is the North West Adventure Park in the film is actually the Oaks Amusement Park located in Portland. This was the place where, in the film, Jesse and Willy met each other for the first time. Unfortunately for fans, the park does not resemble its condition as it was shown in the film and is actually not even an amusement park anymore.
It has been transformed into a roller skating rink for the town people. The state of Oregon has another location that is featured in the film, which is Oaks Park, which is exactly how it was all those years ago and also remains open to the public.
The film’s last scene, the one that still brings out tears of happiness, where Free Willy jumps over Jesse and the two play in the water, is actually shot at Hammond Marina, Warrenton, Oregon. The location continues to hold importance for many even today and thus is a famous tourist spot too and was even celebrated as an iconic spot in July 2019 by the locals around.
Mexico City, Mexico
A few scenes of both Jesse and Willy together in the water tank were shot in Mexico City, Mexico. The place was featured in the film as the amusement park where Jesse spent a lot of time knowing Willy. At the time, the park was named Reino Amusement Park, but it is now called the Sic Flags Amusement Park. This was the place where the killer whale was originally trapped, though obviously, there is no sight of such an animal in the park now.
The whale was released into the ocean after proper scrutiny of the park was done, and it was decided that it would be best for the animal to go. Funds were raised for the same, and Kieko, the actually trapped orca, was sent back home properly after the release of the movie.
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