10 Feel Good Movies With Heartbreaking Hidden Secrets

Free Willy is one of the quintessential feel good movies, with that iconic ending scene of Willy jumping over the barrier and landing in free waters. However, scratch below the surface and there could be dire side effects.

First off, regardless of his reasoning (or justification), Jesse has just stolen an orca from an amusement park. He can probably take it on the chin that he might be an unpopular figure with some children and selfish adults; he is, after all, in the right.

With the park itself though, he might not have as much luck. Regardless of ethics, the park owned Willy fair and square. Jesse freed him, meaning he took him away, meaning the whale becomes stolen property. Jesse’s justification that it was the right thing to do might not hold up in court against a huge corporation. They tend to get their way.

Then there’s Willy himself. After being in captivity, several animals struggle with life in the wild. It would especially heartbreaking if this was all for nought and Willy either ended up recaptured or dead relatively soon after his daring leap to freedom.

Plus, in order to do this film at all, a real whale is in captivity.