The first teaser trailer for the new Disney+ seriesWillowpremiered recently, opening Disney’s Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim. The high fantasy series comes from a movie that George Lucas helped create in 1988. WhenWillow(1988) came out, many people believed it would do the same thing for fantasy thatStar Warshad done for science fiction. Unfortunately, the movie did not reach the same heights of critical acclaim thatStar Warshad and retreated quietly into a realm of unique ’80s fantasy films.
However,Willowslowly gained popularity over the years. Investigated by followers of George Lucas and fans of pre-Lord of the Ringsfantasy, the movie steadily built up a cult following. Future fans would see it as a hallmark of films that created fantastic worlds while relying more on practical effects than leaning on CGI.Willowhad a lot going for it – marvelous magic, a perilous journey, and a compelling underdog story with a group of characters you could really root for. The Disney+ series looks to revive that story in this new tale that will serve as a sequel to the 1988 film.
With a few familiar facesreturning toWillow’scast, the show looks to breathe life into the spirit of the tale while leaving the original movie untouched.
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Willow Will be Introduced to a New Generation
If you haven’t heard of the movie, you shouldn’t worry. It’s been 34 years since the original came out, and it’s only recently begun to garner attention again within the genre of fans of practical effects andThe Dark Crystalrevival. While the movie was close to the only venture into high fantasy of George Lucas’s early career,Willowstill holds its positionamong venerable magical fantasies likeThe NeverEnding StoryandThe Princess Bride. ThoughWillowdidn’t do quite as well as those films, fans of Lucas’s more make-believe movies ensured the public remembered it. With its tiny cult following keeping the movie on life-support, Disney clearly saw a good opportunity to introduce a whole new generation of fans to the magical world.
The movie centers around a sheltered Nelwyn dwarf named Willow Ufgood. Although Willow has a quiet life filled with family and farming, he still dreams of being a sorcerer. One day, Willow’s children discover an abandoned human child. The dwarven family takes her in and cares for her, but they have no idea that she is the child prophesied to unite the realms and end the rule of the evil Queen Bavmorda.
One day, when the quiet town is attacked by a wolf, Willow brings the baby to the town’s leader, the High Aldwin, and discloses that she was likely the reason such a beast came searching in their tiny village. The High Aldwin decrees that the baby must be returned to its own kind and thus begins Willow’s journey to ensure the child’s safety.
Willow is played by Warwick Davis, who many will recognize as Griphook and Professor Flitwick from theHarry Pottermovies. And if you’ve seen the trailer, you’ll notice that he’s returned to reprise his role. Though the dwarf was only an aspiring sorcerer in the movie, the trailer for the series shows Willow using some actual magic. Since he was rewarded with a book of spells at the end of the film, it seems the hero has been studying them. It was also revealed that Davis’ daughter would play Willow’s grown-up daughter in the Disney+ series, and his son will serve as Davis’ stunt double.
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The New Willow Series Will Continue the Story
The film tied everything off quite nicely. While on his journey, Willow met a party that included a mercenary swordsman named Madmartigan, played by Val Kilmer, the Queen’s daughter Sorsha (Joanne Whalley), and two tiny Brownies. These lilliputian creatures could fit in the palm of your hand and were played by Kevin Pollack and Rick Overton. When Willow defeated the evil Queen Bavmorda, he entrusted the child he found to Madmartigan and Sorsha, who promised to raise the child as their own. And though Willow returned home to his family and all was well, this newWillowseries raises some big questions.
Because it has been several years since the movie’s events, fans wonder exactly how much of the story has progressed in that time. And it’s fairly easy for one to speculate based simply on the number of people returning to play their roles from the film. For example, Joanne Whalley is returning as Sorsha, and Ruby Cruz is listed as playing Kit, who is said to be Sorsha’s daughter. So is this the same child that was found in the film? It could be a different baby that Sorsha and Madmartigan had after the adventure was over, but we will have to wait and see.
Unfortunately, as was the case withTop Gun: Maverick,Val Kilmer will not be returningdue to his health issues. So an exciting part of this series will be learning the fate of Madmartigan and finding out what happened to his new family. But with all the effort invested in growing the original idea using the same seeds planted in 1988, it will be interesting to see what fruit this mystical tree bears.
