According to a release from The Good Whale, after Free Willy became an unexpected hit, fans learned the orca who played Willy in the movie — a killed whale named Keiko — was ill and living in ...

“The Good Whale” comes out on November 14 and is a project of Serial Productions and the New York Times. Our news partner, Willamette Week, was the first to report about "The Good Whale." ...

But Keiko was not a good candidate for rewilding: He’d lived in the care of humans since he was 2 and had zero orca friends. He no longer knew how to communicate with other whales, or even how ...

Tell Us Your Memories of Keiko, the Whale From ‘Free Willy’ We want to hear your stories of the beloved celebrity orca, whose real-life return to the ocean is explored in our new podcast.

Related: Whale Watchers Stunned by Sighting of 'Super Rare' White Orca Named Frosty "The Good Whale" launches on Nov. 14, wherever podcasts are available and on the NYT Audio app.

The whale, who was 27, died Friday afternoon after the sudden onset of pneumonia in the Taknes fjord. He was old for an orca in captivity, though wild orca live an average of 35 years.

OSLO, Norway -- For kids, Keiko the killer whale was the charming hero of "Free Willy." For biologists, he was the focus of fierce debate on whether captive animals can be returned to the wild ...

Dave Phillips was one of the numerous whale experts who helped the orca star of Free Willy return to the wild Now, Phillips is working to help two other whales in captivity at a closed marine park ...

TAKNES BAY, Norway (AP) -- Keiko the ``Free Willy'' whale still doesn't want to be free. It's been about a year since Keiko was freed from his pen -- and swam straight back to human companionship ...