Bindi Irwin as Kirra Cooper with Willy in Warner Premiere's family adventure Free Willy: Escape From Pirates Cove. (Photo by Joe Alblas/Warner Bros)
New Free Willy Movie
Bindi Irwin stars in DVD release
When you go to an amusement park, do you ever find yourself daydreaming about how cool it would be to live there? You could go on the rides as many times as you like, eat cotton candy whenever you felt like it, and your free time would be so much fun! Sounds perfect, right?
What sounds like a dream come true might actually turn out to be a nightmare. In the new DVD movie Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove, Kirra Cooper, played by Bindi Irwin, finds herself in a similar situation after her father is hurt in an accident. Her mother died when she was very small, so who will take care of this 11-year-old girl while her father recovers in the hospital?
Dad decides to send Kirra to South Africa to stay with a grandfather she has never met. When she arrives, she is shocked by the house where her grandfather, Gus Grisby, lives and the dilapidated amusement park he owns.
Grisby isn't a typical grandpa. His personality is sort of like a cross between Krusty the Clown from The Simpsons and Mr. Krabs from SpongeBob SquarePants. He's like Krusty the Clown because he dresses like a pirate, but is too cranky and impatient to entertain anyone. He is similar to Mr. Krabs because he shares a love of money, and if you can remember, Mr. Krabs tried to profit from children with his lame amusement park "Krabby Land." Same here.
While living with her grandfather, Kirra becomes attached to a whale that accidentally becomes trapped in a lagoon at the amusement park. She makes it her mission to free the whale so that he won't be stuck as the park's entertainment the rest of his life.
But thanks to Willy the Whale, business is booming for Grandpa Grisby. Will her grandfather let his new moneymaker leave the theme park, or will the whale become the main attraction? You will have to find out for yourself!
This movie is both entertaining and heartwarming. Irwin, who is the youngest person to ever receive an Emmy award, was perfect for the role of this animal loving character.
For me, the movie was like an adventure that I went on with Bindi. I think the setting—the amusement park in South Africa—made it unique from other movies, so I really enjoyed that aspect.
The grandfather, played by Beau Bridges, was very funny at times, and made me laugh out loud. Overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to others! You don't have to wait to see it, because it is now available on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Check out Kid Reporter Mariam El Hasan's blog post about her afternoon with Bindi Irwin on the Scholastic Kids Press Corps Blog.
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Get the latest on national and international events, movies, television, music, sports, and more from the Scholastic Kids Press Corps.
Mariam El Hasan is a member of the Scholastic Kids Press Corps.
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