#willie the whale

[atomic-chronoscaph]

Enchanted Forest amusement park, Maryland (1950s/1960s)

#enchanted forest maryland #vintage amusement parks #vintage roadside attractions #vintage theme parks #nursery rhymes #fairy tales #cinderella #mother goose #humpty dumpty #willie the whale #hansel and gretel #little red riding hood #snow white #three little pigs #1950s #1960s

[thinkbolt]

Willie the Whale (Disney, 1946) - dirs. Geronimi & Luske

#Willie the Whale #Opera singer #Nelson Eddy #Disney #Make Mine Music #1940s #classic cartoon #golden age animation #tragedy

[capturingdisney]

Original production animation drawing of Willie The Whale from "The Whale Who Wanted To Sing at the Met" section of Make Mine Music, 1946.

#make mine music #willie the whale #disney #concept art #disneyedit #disney edit #capturingdisney #*

[queenfishie]

My father sat me down and had me watch Willie The Operatic Whale, he said he only remembered a part where he sings “Fígaro” and he knows I like whales obvs.

Gets to the Shortnin Bread number and I’m hooked. leaned in. Willie himself looks like a loaf of bread with flippers so I’m in love immediately.

Around 15 minutes later, im sobbing and my mother was scolding dad for showing me the video in the first place.

Now the fucking whale won’t leave my head, he’s too cute.

LOOK AT HIMMMMM!! 😭😭😭

#willie the whale #Willie the operatic whale #disney #when I say I SOBBED #like UGLLYYY crying #pixeyrambles #love that whale tho #the whale who wanted to sing at the MET

[thestuffedalligator]

Out of a moment of aching sadness and fury and manic impulsivity, a wizard turns a killer whale trapped in a theme park aquarium into a human so she can smuggle it out of the park and back into the wild.

#wizards #fairy tales #whales #orca #think free willy meets the little mermaid #10k #20k #30k #40k

[orcinus-veterinarius]

Can you elaborate the story of the ”Free Willy” orca (forgot his name). From my understanding the orca couldn’t survive in the wild and imprinted on hunans to the point that he seeked out human compaionship

Oh Keiko. His is a sad story. In 1979, he was tragically captured from his native Icelandic waters as a calf and, after bouncing around for several years, was sold to an amusement park in Mexico City that would eventually become Six Flags Mexico. It was here that he found fame as the star of Free Willy, a very sweet and very fictional story (a favorite of mine as a child!) that later spawned a trilogy, all while convincing the public that it’s easy to free a whale.

The tank you see in the movie is the same tank Keiko lived in during his time in Mexico. Intended to house dolphins, it was incredibly undersized, and the water was far too warm for an orca. Worst of all, he was isolated from others of his kind, with only the companionship of his human caregivers and a few bottlenose dolphins. The years of poor husbandry took their toll on poor Keiko, and he was lethargic and in ill health when his story because known throughout the world.

Although many parties were involved in what happened next, Warner Bros. studios (the filmmakers behind Free Willy) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS, my beloathed) were at the forefront. Once it became public knowledge that the real Willy was not, in fact, returned to the wild to live with his family and was still living in that too-tiny pool, many of Keiko’s fans (mainly children) began writing letters asking for their favorite cetacean movie star to be released.

Doesn’t that warm your heart? *she says sarcastically*

Some time—and an incident in which Michael Jackson (yes, that Michael Jackson) tried to purchase the whale for his personal collection—later, Keiko’s owners relented. It was decided by the newly formed Free Willy-Keiko Foundation, founded by Warner Bros. and cell phone mogul Craig McCaw (and still in operation to this day, unfortunately), that it was time to make fantasy a reality and set Keiko free. In 1996, Keiko was transferred to the Oregon Coast Aquarium for rehabilitation, where he would spend two years.

Under the quality husbandry and veterinary care Keiko received in Oregon, his health began to improve. In my opinion, this beautiful habitat, with trainers who loved and cared for him, should’ve been his forever home. One would think this was the plan all along, considering his trainers were still doing waterwork with him. That doesn’t exactly scream “this animal is a candidate for release!”

But the HSUS and Free Willy-Keiko Foundation had promised the children of the world that Keiko would return to the wild. Think of the children, people.

In 1998, Keiko tasted the crisp saltwater of the Icelandic seas for the first time in nearly two decades. For the next four or so years, Keiko lived in a sea pen, with the intentions of gradually habituating him back to his native environment. Over time, his trainers took him on longer and longer “walks” in the open ocean. One day in 2002, the walk didn’t end.

Keiko was free.

15 months later, he was dead.

The cause of death was pneumonia, the most common disease of cetaceans both in the wild and in human care. He was 27 years old (average life expectancy of a male orca is about 30 years).

Perhaps it would’ve been worth it, had Keiko spent those last 15 months with his long-lost family. But he didn’t. Though he was occasionally observed trailing pods of orcas, Keiko never rejoined a wild pod. Instead, he spent those 15 months traveling the coasts of Iceland and Norway seeking out the only family he knew. Humans.

Keiko would approach swimming children, allowing them to ride on his back as he had with his trainers over the years. He would follow boats in search of food and companionship, as his caregivers had interacted with him from boats during his ocean walks. These escapades became so frequent that the local government passed ordinances to stop its citizens from interacting with the whale. Although the HSUS claimed otherwise, Keiko was never again a truly wild whale. He was a whale dependent on humans, humans who ignored the advice of experts and tried to bring fiction to life. In 2009, the journal Marine Mammal Science did a retrospective review of Keiko’s rehabilitation and release. They determined it was a failure.

Despite this, Keiko remains a poster child for anti-zoo activists. The still-hypothetical Whale Sanctuary Project (my even more beloathed) uses Keiko as an example of why their experiment is a good idea, tugging at heartstrings of well-meaning animal lovers like HSUS did all those years ago.

In reality, Keiko was quite possibly the worst candidate imaginable for release. He was a fully mature male, with a history of poor health, who had spent decades in the care of humans with absolutely no contact with others of his kind since he was basically a toddler. The decision to release him was made entirely on emotion and carried out by movie executives and animal rights activists. For further insight into the political and financial woes of the release, I highly recommend Killing Keiko by Mark Simmons, one of Keiko’s caregivers throughout the rehabilitation process.

RIP Keiko. You were a beautiful, sweet man who inspired millions 🐳

#keiko #free willy #orcas #killer whales #cetaceans #marine mammals #killing keiko #humane society of the united states #whale sanctuary project #answered asks

[lemonofthevalley]

my partner found the easiest way to kill willy: force him to watch anime with taylor

#dndads #the context to the 'redemption arc' bit was i said 'omg willy redemption arc pepperoni tony style 😍' #<- which is INCREDIBLY sarcastic i genuinely want to strangle willy stampler #my partner has only just gotten to the episode where the teens are fighting their dads and break the whale glass #which means theyre really close to the soccer episode which i am so excited for its so fucking funny

[thelegolink]

This is my original character, Skipper Whale. He's a hardboiled musculid who serves as a getaway boat captain for the Midnight Crew. Do not steal.

#steamboat willie #skipper whale #midnight crew #homestuck #problem sleuth

[mockingnerd]

Like so many of us orca nerds in the 90s, I followed Keiko’s life closely. I still have a folder full of newspaper clippings from every stage of his rehabilitation journey, and recently rewatched an old documentary I used to have on repeat. It got me thinking about how special he was and I wanted to do a tribute, so: here he is surrounded by mountain avens, the national flower of Iceland, his original home.

#my art #orca #killer whale #keiko #free willy #artists on tumblr #orcas #killer whales #cetaceans

[whowouldwininafite]

#who would win in a fite #polls #free willy #Willy the whale #don quixote #don quijote #man of la mancha #alonso quijano

[laryssarts]

Redraw time! Original I drew back in 2012 under the cut.

This is a fanart for a friend's Free Willy fanfic called "Blackfish Saga - Twin Tides". The kids are Taylor and Tyler, the orcas are Paikea and Ikkaika. I tried to keep the cartoon look on the orcas, just with a better/more accurate anatomy.

You see I still work better with animals than with people lol

On a sidenote, the moment I started throwing colors in the sky on my redraw, I automatically began singing "Here comes the sun, doo doo doo doo" XDD

#My Art #Free Willy #Free Willy Cartoon #Free Willy The Movie #Orca #Orcas #Killer Whale #Killer Whales #Free Willy Fanart #Larytello #Blackfish #Blackfish Saga #Twin Tides

[theorcabox]

Guess who?

This is a plushie of Keiko! He was the whale that portrayed the titular Willy in the first Free Willy movie (the sequels were all animatronic whales).

After the first film's release, an effort was made to rehabilitate and reintegrate Keiko back into Icelandic waters. During the first phase of his rehab, he was moved to the Oregon Coast Aquarium where a specially-made 850,000 gallon chilled seawater tank was waiting for him.

He was a big draw at the aquarium, so naturally he got some merch. I found this guy in Oregon at a small thrift shop when I visited with my family in 2009. As soon as I saw his 3 embroidered freckles, I knew who he was!

Bought secondhand, Cascade Toy

#killer whale #orca #dolphin #plushie #plush collection #keiko #free willy #oregon coast aquarium

[obstinaterixatrix]

air said they think I need to have less white whales but the thing is I’ve found every single one. wise guys (1999)? happiness (2009)? dr. stephen f evans’ handout about punctuation in academic writing? fear and trembling (2003)? I always win.

#my ramblings #there’s the willie mizner cameo in the gentlemen prefer blondes silent film that got lost in the mgm fires #but that’s more sister’s white whale than mine

[kaiju-wolfdragon]

I decided to change willy and hope's marine form into a giant whale and a Mosasaurus

#my oc art #g/t #g/t art #whale!willy #mosasaurs!hope #willy #hope #hope and willy #willy and hope #kid willy #kid hope

[danrenouf]

Every part of Cale is cold. Fingers. Ears. Ankles. Even his hair. He’s on night watch, stationed above deck, the wind coming off the water cutting through his layers of clothes. He can still feel his hands, at least, which is good - he needs them to adjust the hydrophone. 

He loves night watch. Wind or no wind, pervasive damp, salt crust on his skin, in his hair - there’s something about the dark heave of the ocean, the endless spill of night sky. When the sky is clear, the stars themselves are worth the cold. When the night is overcast or foggy, with no line to differentiate the sea and the sky, Cale can pretend it’s just him in the world, him and the crew of Puck Luck, and below them, the whales they’re trying to triangulate.

Finding the whales has proven difficult. They’ve been off the coast of Labrador for weeks, as spring has settled across the mainland, sweeping the depths with the hydrophone, listening for the telltale clicks and creaks of Physeter macrocephalus. Sweeping the surface with their eyes, watching for the telltale spout, tail slap, breach. Documenting endlessly the crew’s coordinates, the time, the weather, the depth of the equipment. The ocean’s never quiet, but the hydrophone never yields what they’ve been waiting for: sighting the Sperm Whale pod they know must be nearby.

The wind picks up, somehow, slingshots itself right down the back of Cale’s neck. He curls his hands around the deck rail, stares into the water. If he could just look hard enough, he might see something, he might --

“No moon tonight,” someone says, behind him.

Cale jerks back from the rail. “Fuck, Willy. You scared the shit out of me.”

Willy just smiles, unrepentant, all teeth and hair curling out from under his toque, and holds out a cup in offering. “Brought you some tea.”

“Thanks.” Cale takes it, cradles the hot cup in his hands. He turns back against the rail, so he can keep looking over the water. Willy plants himself right next to him. “How much of this is whiskey?”

“Eh,” Willy evades. “Enough.” He shivers and shifts closer to Cale. “Maybe not enough, actually. It’s fucking cold out here. I don’t know how you do it.”

The tea is almost all whiskey, turns out. It’s hot, though, and the combination of tea and whiskey gets to work right away. Willy shivers again, and Cale hands him the cup. “Here. Take some of your own medicine.”

Willy makes a face. “I hate Jameson.” He drinks, though, and hands it back. “Gross. Who made this shit?”

He doesn’t bother to answer. Willy sneaks a little bit closer, like Cale’s going to give off enough heat to offset the bitter wind. He doesn’t mind. If there were a way to get Willy even closer, he’d take it. Maybe, like, Willy would want to be under his arm. Maybe he’d want to be in Cale’s tiny bunk, damp layers peeled away. Maybe skin to skin --

“Anything good tonight?” Willy steals the cup out of his hand to take another sip. The boat rolls under their feet, and Cale braces himself so that he doesn’t make too much contact.

“Not so far.” Cale takes the tea back. It’s going to be gone soon, and Willy with it. He takes a big drink anyway. Willy will pout if he doesn’t. “Just, you know.” He waves the cup out over the rail. “The sea. So much sea. And wind.”

“Yeah.”

Willy’s quiet for a minute, and Cale is, too. Willy’s chatter has become background noise, almost, in the weeks they’ve been sailing together - like the sea birds, like the thumps and squeals from the hydrophone, like the rhythmic click click click --

“Holy shit.” Willy spins to face him, grabbing at the sleeve of Cale’s coat. His eyes are so wide. “Is that -?”

The clicking stops. Starts. Gets louder. “Holy shit,” Cale says. “I think it is.” He clocks the time - 10:21 p.m. He starts to push off the rail, away from Willy. He has to get to the hydrophone, get the readings - depth, decibels, frequency, intervals. Willy hangs onto his coat, though, keeping him in place. 

“Look,” he says, all breathless. He’s pointing down at the water, which is roiling; it’s always roiling, but this is different, it’s different. Cale is holding his breath. Willy is holding his coat. A shape looms just under the water, massive and white. A plume of spray erupts into the air. “Holy shit,” Willy chokes out. “Holy shit.”

The whale doesn’t breach, not fully. It lingers at the surface for long enough for Cale to start breathing again, for his fingers to go numb from clutching the rail, the cup. Then it dives, gone, tail slapping at the surface, too far away for the spray from its dive to hit them.

Cale exhales, shuddery and loud. He peels his hand off the rail. Willy’s still hanging onto him, staring out over the water like he doesn’t know what might happen next. “We should go get Dr. Pluman,” he says. They have actual data to record, now, so much data --

Willy laughs, light and wild, and lets him go. “Holy shit,” he says, again, and presses his hands to his face. “We just saw that. We actually just saw that, holy shit, Cale.” 

Giddiness bubbles up in Cale’s chest, unexpected, warmer than any combination of whiskey and tea. “Yeah, we did.” He lets himself stay there for a few more seconds. Rocked by the water, bit through by the wind. Caught in Willy’s joy like the gentlest of orbits. He grabs Willy’s sleeve and pulls on it, because he can - because he doesn’t have words for this kind of moment. No latitude or longitude to describe it. 

“Okay,” Willy says, and takes a step closer, so they’re toe to toe. A smile traces over the edge of his mouth. “You can kiss me, and then we’ll go do all the research stuff, okay?”

“What?” Cale doesn’t move. He can’t. Willy’s got him pinned with those wide eyes again.

Willy smiles all the way this time. They’re the same height, more or less, so he doesn’t exactly lean up, but he digs his fingers into the front of Cale’s coat and leans in. “First you’re going to kiss me, and then we’ll go do the very important science things. Like scientists do.” He’s so close, his breath is lapping at Cale’s face, tea and whiskey and salt-sea air.

It’s not - it’s not what they should be doing, probably. But Cale’s always been a good listener. Probably why he’s good at his job. So leans in the rest of the way, and kisses Willy. On the rolling deck of the boat, in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere. Willy sighs against him and sticks his tongue in Cale’s mouth, and the hydrophone click click clicks. They can take a minute, now. He’ll have time later to tell Willy about his idea with the small bunk and the peeling off of layers. They’ll have plenty of time.

#hockey rpf #GOD i cannot get this pairing unrooted from my brain stem but i'm sooooo stuck on that wip #so have some cale/willy whale watching instead #imagine me: writing!! even a tiny thing

[orcinus-veterinarius]

Some people already said that with Keiko. Though tech he was no longer in the sea pen. -_-

Very true unfortunately ☹️ a lot of people have also convinced themselves that he was actually just fine out there and use him as a poster child for why releases work.

It’s possible releasing him killed him. He was only in the wild for about a year before he died, and he was never a robustly healthy whale. But his cause of death was pneumonia, something that routinely kills both wild and managed cetaceans. He was also 27, close to the average life expectancy of 30 years for male orcas (though they can and do live longer, and nowadays there are multiple 30+ year old male orcas in human care).

To me, the real tragedy of Keiko isn’t that he died. That’s a big part of it—I still do think he would’ve lived longer if he hadn’t been released. It’s that he died alone. This incredibly social animal died alone because people decided it was better for him to die in an attempt to reunite him with wild orcas than to let him have the company of humans—which is what he wanted.

#I was going to do a single sentence reply but I started ranting again #keiko #free willy #ara insanity #orcas #killer whales #animal welfare #answered asks #anonymous