Inspired by the films, an international campaign began in 1993 to free Keiko and return him to the wild - the first orca whale to be freed in this way.

BBC: NEWS | Entertainment | Keiko the 'Free Willy' whale dies

Along the way, it garnered a few citations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and some negative publicity in 2010 when an orca whale killed a trainer in front of a live audience in Orlando.

WSJ: Blackstone and the 'Vampire Squid' Sell SeaWorld