Jesse is in een pleeggezin geplaatst, maar loopt weg en bekladt het bassin van een dolfinarium met spuitverf. De politie brengt hem terug naar de pleegouders met de opdracht dat hij alles schoonmaakt. Bij de uitvoering hiervan sluit hij vriendschap met Willy, een eigenwijze orka die niet veel van mensen moet hebben en al van jongs af aan in gevangenschap leeft.
Nee, helaas is Free Willy nog niet beschikbaar op Netflix in Nederland.
| Production | Jennie Lew Tugend | Producer |
| Sound | Basil Poledouris | Original Music Composer |
| Production | Lauren Shuler Donner | Producer |
| Directing | Simon Wincer | Director |
| Costume & Make-Up | April Ferry | Costume Design |
| Camera | Robbie Greenberg | Director of Photography |
| Art | Diane Yates | Art Direction |
| Writing | Corey Blechman | Screenplay |
| Editing | O. Nicholas Brown | Editor |
| Art | Charles Rosen | Production Design |
| Production | Penelope L. Foster | Co-Producer |
| Production | Jim Van Wyck | Co-Producer |
| Production | Richard Solomon | Co-Producer |
| Production | Judy Taylor | Casting |
| Production | Lynda Gordon | Casting |
| Production | Mark Marshall | Associate Producer |
| Production | Douglas C. Merrifield | Associate Producer |
| Production | Charles Skouras III | Unit Production Manager |
| Directing | Jim Van Wyck | First Assistant Director |
| Directing | Mark Cotone | Second Assistant Director |
| Sound | Joel Sill | Music Consultant |
| Art | Chas. Butcher | Art Direction |
| Art | Mary Olivia McIntosh | Set Decoration |
| Art | James W. Slater | Leadman |
| Sound | Michael Jackson | Theme Song Performance |
| Writing | Keith Walker | Screenplay |
| Writing | Keith Walker | Story |
| Production | Richard Donner | Executive Producer |
| Production | Arnon Milchan | Executive Producer |
| Sound | Tim Chau | Supervising Sound Editor |
| Sound | Tim Chau | Sound Designer |
| Sound | Thomas Milano | Music Editor |
| Sound | Chris Jargo | Supervising ADR Editor |
| Art | Harold Fuhrman | Set Designer |
| Costume & Make-Up | Pamela S. Westmore | Makeup Artist |
| Costume & Make-Up | Cheri Ruff | Hairstylist |
| Crew | Dennis Scott | Stunt Coordinator |
| Camera | Pete Romano | Underwater Camera |
| Camera | Marty Snyderman | Underwater Camera |
| Crew | Thomas R. Ward | Special Effects Coordinator |
| Crew | Bob Talbot | Cinematography |
| Sound | Jeff Clark | Sound Editor |
| Sound | Albert Gasser | Sound Editor |
| Sound | Leonard T. Geschke | Sound Editor |
| Sound | William Jacobs | Sound Editor |
| Sound | Nils C. Jensen | Sound Editor |
| Sound | David Kern | Sound Editor |
| Sound | Charles Ewing Smith | Sound Editor |
| Sound | Peter Tomaszewicz | Sound Editor |
| Sound | Bernard Weiser | Sound Editor |
