Oregonians may have a special place in their hearts Keiko, the orca who became famous because of the Oregon Filmed Movie ‘Free Willy’ and those later in the Oregon Coastal Aquarium, in Nieuwpoort.
Controversies over what was best for Keiko have raged for years, and now the orca’s story is being retold, in a new podcast, ‘The Good Whale’ from The New York Times and Serial Productions (the company whose previous podcasts include the true crime saga, ‘Serial’ and ‘S-Town’).
“The Good Whale” is hosted by Daniel Alarcón, and the six episodes will revisit how Keiko became loved after the success of 1993’s “Free Willy” and the public outcry that followed the news that the killer whale captured on film escaped to freedom jump actually lived in “an undersized tank in an amusement park in Mexico City,” like Oregonian/OregonLive’s Katy Muldoon wrote.
Amid calls to free Keiko from this inadequate facility, the orca was moved to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in January 1996. While some experts believed Keiko’s years in captivity made the idea of returning him to the wild unrealistic, others were determined to free Keiko.
According to the press release, “The Good Whale,” which launched on November 14, tells the story of “the hugely ambitious scientific experiment to return Keiko to the ocean – while the world watched.” An epic story that starts in Mexico and ends in Norway. The six-episode series follows Keiko as he is transported from country to country, each time ending up in the hands of well-meaning people who think they know what’s best for him – people who still decades later, we don’t agree whether they did the right thing.”
In addition to telling what happened to Keiko and the controversies surrounding him, “The Good Whale” will also feature what the press release describes as “a musical reimagining of Keiko’s re-emergence in the wild,” written by songwriting duo Benj Pasek & Justin. Paul, starring Mark Sonnenblick, and performed by Jordan Fisher (“Hadestown,” “Teen Beach Movie”).
The song, and a music video directed by Carlos López Estrada (“Raya and the Last Dragon,” “Lil Nas
– Kristi Turnquist includes features and entertainment. Reach her at 503-221-8227, [email protected] or @Kristiturnquist
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