One of the most successful entries in the endless catalog of “kid-and-animal” movies tells the story of orphan Jesse, who befriends orca Willy living in captivity in a marine park. While the park management—including a particularly ornery Michael Ironside—wants to sacrifice the whale to their greed, Jesse and Willy bond over sentimental stories of self-discovery that culminate in a final cathartic jump to freedom. Free Willy is textbook mid-1990s family entertainment, so perfectly polished that there’s no doubt: Whoever doesn’t shed a tear as the credits roll has forgotten what childhood even means. (mk)