Keiko: The Untold Story of the Star of Free Willy

Theresa Demarest's nature documentary is no puff piece about Warner Brothers' 1993 family hit Free Willy and its sequels/reboots. Instead of clips or guest celebrity appearances, Keiko features representatives of the Humane Society and the Free Willy-Keiko Foundation, who explain how the orca whale used for live-animal shots in the movie was traumatically separated from his pod off Iceland in 1979 and kept in a cramped tank in an unreasonably warm theme park in Mexico City while filming took place. A grassroots push to have Keiko released into the open sea (in imitation of the fictitious Willy's crowd-pleasing escape) led to a dramatic series of relocations, bringing Keiko nearer and nearer to his native waters. Sadly, however, Keiko (who was unable to find acceptance in wild orca pods) died of a kidney ailment before a hoped-for Hollywood happy ending could materialize. Still, the heroic project to return Keiko certainly enriched his life and also led to fresh observations about cetacean behavior under such singular circumstances. A nicely understated call-to-arms on animal rights, Keiko also features a list of orcas still held in captivity. A solid complement to Blackfish (VL-11/13), this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)