Troubled 12-year-old Jason James Richter is sentenced to community service for vandalising a marine amusement park, where he gets attached to killer whale Willy, the park's star turn. Learning the owner plans to sacrifice the whale for hefty insurance, the boy hatches a plot to free Willy. Warm and gutsy, the film has more backbone than similar ventures and builds to an exhilarating climax. The whale (and his animatronic stand-ins) is a real scene-stealer.

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