If you put aside the misleading marketing of it being a sequel within the Free Willy franchise, I think it is a worthwhile and good natured piece of escapism for younger viewers.
You cannot fault themes associated with animals being better off in the wild than in captivity, plus the nice bond portrayed between a grandfather and granddaughter is a positive message.
I also like how the filmmakers use the location to good effect. You can tell it is made on low budget, but has a solid production, capturing environment and editing various shots nicely to help tell the story. You cannot get away from the distraction of animated killer whales, but it is what it is.
Beau Bridges and Bindi Irvin lead the cast well. They have a script that is cliched and full of contrivances, but it also has a simple, harmless quality that both my daughters (8 and 4 years old) found engaging.
Some movies and TV shows feel torturous to sit through as a parent, but personally this was not the case for me.
