Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home

The Greenwoods are heading to the San Juan Islands to visit Randolph while camping at Camp Nor'Wester. Before they leave, Dwight stops by with tragic news regarding Jesse's mother who, sadly, was found dead in New York City and left behind another son. Jesse is devastated and angry after many attempts at finding her, but comes to terms after talking his feelings out with Glen. Jesse's half-brother Elvis is morose, overly talkative and mischievous, and he is also prone to telling lies and easily gets on Jesse's nerves. He is invited, so that the boys can get to know each other. At the environmental institute, Jesse reunites with Randolph, quickly becomes smitten with his goddaughter, Nadine, and is introduced to Willy's family. He tracks and later reunites with Willy that night.

As the Greenwoods continue to enjoy their camping trip, the Dakar runs aground on Lawson Reef and spills oil due to an engine malfunction, trapping Willy, Luna and Littlespot at the campsite. Luna gets oil in her lungs having swum through it, and beaches herself. Jesse and the adults are able to get her back in the water, but realize they'll need further assistance. Benbrook Oil CEO John Milner arrives and announces a plan to move the whales into captivity until further notice. Jesse challenges this, making him promise to do whatever he can to get them safely back to their mom Catspaw or else he'll be blamed for Luna's death, to which John seemingly agrees. Luna's condition worsens the day after Kate Haley treated her. But Jesse and Randolph eventually use an old Indian remedy that helped Luna recover.

With the oil spill reaching dangerous proximity to the cove, Benbrook Oil and the whalers boom it off despite Jesse, Randolph and Nadine's objections and begin extracting the whales. Elvis, who ran away yesterday after Annie broke a promise in allowing him to get involve more, was at a donut shop where he overheard John and Wilcox's real plan to sell the whales, and rushes back to camp to warn Jesse. They and Nadine confront John which led to him and his assistant getting knocked into the water for breaking his promise to Jesse. Willy manages to rescue Littlespot from the extraction. With time running out, Jesse hijacks the Little Dipper to lead the whales to safety. On Jesse's signal, Willy is able to break the boom and leads his siblings away, but the Dakar explodes due to fuel vapors igniting after engineers tried to start the generator, resulting in crude oil to catch fire. Fortunately, the whales were able to swim under the flaming oil to safety.

Randolph picks up Glen and Annie, who just spotted Elvis after spending all night last night searching for him, as he sends a distress call. The kids fall into danger when they head into another cove, but the fogginess from the smoke caused Jesse to hit a rock and the Little Dipper begins to sink while the flames seal off the cove. A search and rescue helicopter locates them, and Elvis and Nadine are pulled to safety. However, the Little Dipper submerges completely, leaving Jesse struggling in the oily water, and unable to secure himself sufficiently into the harness. Jesse slips out of the harness, only inches away from the helicopter, and due to smoke choking the engine, it is forced to leave him behind. Jesse nearly drowns, but Willy returns for his friend and is able to carry him safely under the fire in time for the adults to retrieve Jesse. Though Jesse was curious as to why Willy won't leave, Randolph reveals the signal must be performed. Jesse does it, and he, Glen and Annie say goodbye to Willy.

Shortly after the Coastal Marine Patrol deliver Elvis and Nadine, Elvis gives Jesse a picture of Jesse and their mother that was taped back together and also tells Jesse that she talked about him, and felt bad about everything. Glen approves Annie's proposal of adopting Elvis. When asked by Elvis about his knowledge of the whales' whereabouts, Jesse tells him he knows.

Sometime later, Willy, Luna and Littlespot reunite with Catspaw and their pod.

• Jason James Richter as Jesse
• Francis Capra as Elvis
• Mary Kate Schellhardt as Nadine
• August Schellenberg as Randolph Johnson
• Michael Madsen as Glen Greenwood (credited as "Glenn")
• Jayne Atkinson as Annie Greenwood
• Mykelti Williamson as Dwight Mercer
• Elizabeth Peña as Dr. Kate Haley
• Jon Tenney as John Milner
• Paul Tuerpe as Milner's assistant
• M. Emmet Walsh as Wilcox
• John Considine as Commander Blake
• Steve Kahan as Captain Nilson
• Neal Matarazzo as Helmsman Kelly
• Al Sapienza as Engineer
• Basil Wallace as Reporter
• Marguerite Moreau as Julie
• Scott Stuber as Policeman
• Joan Lunden as herself

In November 1993, it was announced that producer Lauren Shuler Donner and her husband and co-executive producer Richard Donner were pursuing active development of a sequel to Free Willy following the breakout success of the first film, however unlike the first film the whale would be fully animatronic.[3] Jason James Richter was announced to reprise his role as Jesse after renogtiatiating the original sequel option from the first film from $150,000 to $1.5 million with an option for a third sequel.[4]

Free Willy 2 grossed $30 million in the United States and Canada[5] and $68 million worldwide[2] on a $31 million budget.

The film received mixed reviews from critics, though many were impressed with the film's subtle approach to pollution and other environmental issues, while focusing on family values.[6][7][8][9][10] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 50% of 26 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "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."[11] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.[12]

The movie was nominated for Worst Sequel and The Sequel Nobody Was Clamoring For at the 1995 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, but lost to Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls and Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers, respectively. Willy won Favorite Animal Star at the 1996 Kids' Choice Awards.

Released through MJJ Music in association with 550 Music and Epic Soundtrax in 1995, the soundtrack contained most of the songs from the film plus two additional tracks from Brownstone, whose song "Sometimes Dancin'" first appeared on their debut album From the Bottom Up, and 3T. The only song not included is "My Spirit Calls Out" that Randolph performed when he treated Luna.

Basil Poledouris returned to compose new music and also incorporated several scoring elements from the previous film.

Michael Jackson continued his affiliation with the Free Willy franchise when "Childhood", a double A-side single for "Scream" from HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, served as the main theme around Elvis while the instrumental version is played when he looks at a photo of the Greenwoods with Jesse while spending the night alone.

An instrumental version of Nathan Cavaleri's song "Lou's Blues" was used to dub Jesse's offscreen guitar playing.

Two renditions of Bob Dylan's "Forever Young" are featured in the movie. While a version from Michael Jackson's sister Rebbie was heard inside the donut shop Elvis and Wilcox attended, the end credits montage featured The Pretenders' version that first appeared in the film With Honors and was also included the band's album Last of the Independents.

On early UK home video promotions, the movie was titled simply "Willy 2: The Adventure Home", presumably because the film's premise, unlike its predecessor's, does not involve Willy being freed.

• Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home at IMDb