| Willow | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster byJohn Alvin | |
| Directed by | Ron Howard |
| Screenplay by | Bob Dolman |
| Story by | George Lucas |
| Produced by | Nigel Wooll |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Adrian Biddle |
| Edited by |
|
| Music by | James Horner |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | MGM/UA Distribution Co. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 126 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States[2] |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $35 million[3] |
| Box office | $137.6 million |
Willow is a 1988 Americanhigh fantasyadventure film directed byRon Howard and produced by Nigel Wooll. The film was executive produced byGeorge Lucas and written byBob Dolman from a story by Lucas. The film starsWarwick Davis as the title character,Val Kilmer,Joanne Whalley,Billy Barty, andJean Marsh. Davis portrays an aspiring magician who teams up with a disaffected warrior (Kilmer) to protect a young baby princess from an evil queen (Marsh).
Lucas conceived the idea for the film in 1972, approaching Howard to direct during thepost-production phase ofCocoon in 1985. Bob Dolman was brought in to write the screenplay, coming up with seven drafts that Lucas was actively involved in developing.[4] It was finished in late 1986. It was then set up atMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) andprincipal photography began in April 1987, finishing the following October. The majority of filming took place inDinorwic quarry inWales with some atElstree Studios inHertfordshire, as well as a small section inNew Zealand.Industrial Light & Magic created the visual effects and animation sequences, which led to a revolutionary breakthrough with digitalmorphing technology.
The film was released in 1988 to mixed reviews from critics with praise for the visual effects, humour, character designs and Warwick Davis's performances but criticism for its direction, pacing, tone and story. It grossed $137.6 million worldwide against a $35 million budget. While not the blockbuster some expected, it turned a profit based on international box office returns and strong home video and television returns. It received twoAcademy Award nominations. Atelevision series that served as asequel to the film was released onDisney+ in 2022.
In afantasy world, the evilsorceress Queen Bavmorda of Nockmaar hears of a prophecy that a child with a specialrune birthmark will bring about her downfall. She imprisons all pregnant women in her realm. The child is born, but her mother persuades themidwife to smuggle the baby out of the castle. Bavmorda sends her Nockmaar Hounds after the midwife. With the hounds closing in on her, the midwife sets the baby adrift on a tangle of dried grass in a river before succumbing to the hounds. Meanwhile, Bavmorda sends her daughter Sorsha and an army led by General Kael to hunt down the baby.
Downriver, a village of Nelwyn (a race ofdwarves) prepares for a festival. The baby is found by the children of farmer and aspiring sorcerer Willow Ufgood, and his family takes her in. At the festival, a Nockmaar hound arrives and attacks cradles. After Nelwyn warriors kill it, Willow presents the baby to the village leader as a possible reason for the hound's appearance. The leader orders the baby must return to a Daikini (the Nelwyn's name for "tall people") family, so Willow and a few other volunteers set out with the baby to find one.
At acrossroads, they find Madmartigan, amercenary trapped in acrow's cage, who offers to take the baby in exchange for his freedom. Most Nelwyn think they should give him the baby, but Willow and his friend Meegosh refuse, causing the others to leave for home. After meeting Madmartigan's old comrade Airk, riding with an army to attack Bavmorda, Willow agrees to Madmartigan's terms.
On the way home, Willow and Meegosh discover that somebrownies have stolen the baby, and pursue them. They are captured by the brownies, but Fairy Queen Cherlindrea frees them and explains the baby is Elora Danan, the foretold Princess of Tir Asleen. She gives Willow a magic wand and sends him to find the enchantress Fin Raziel.
Willow sends Meegosh home and continues the journey in the company of two brownies, Franjeen and Rool. At a tavern, he re-encounters Madmartigan, who is disguising himself as a woman to hide from his mistress's husband Llug. Sorsha and Kael's soldiers arrive, but Madmartigan is revealed as a man to Llug, who starts a brawl which helps Willow and Madmartigan escape with Elora.
Madmartigan allows Willow to follow him to the lake where Raziel lives. They are captured soon thereafter, along with Raziel, who had been turned into apossum by Bavmorda. Willow tries to restore her, but turns her into arook instead. Franjeen accidentally doses Madmartigan with a love dust, causing him to declare his undying love to a skeptical Sorsha. Fleeing, Willow's party find Airk and the remnants of his army after Bavmorda defeated them. When the Nockmaar army pursues, Madmartigan takes Sorsha hostage, and they flee once more. Unfortunately, Sorsha manages to escape.
Willow's party arrives at Tir Asleen, only to find it cursed and overrun withtrolls. Kael's army soon arrives thereafter, and Madmartigan and Willow attempt to fend them off. Willow accidentally turns a troll into a giant two-headed monster with his wand, and in the ensuing chaos, Kael captures Elora. Sorsha, realizing she loves Madmartigan, defects to his side. Airk's army arrives, but Kael escapes with Elora and makes his way to Nockmaar Castle, where Bavmorda prepares a ritual to banish Elora into total oblivion.
Willow's party and Airk's army travel to Nockmaar Castle, but upon their arrival, Bavmorda casts a spell turning them all into pigs. Willow, having used the wand to protect himself, finally restores Raziel to her human form. She breaks Bavmorda's spell, and Willow's army manages to trick their way into the castle. Kael slays Airk, and Madmartigan avenges him, while Willow, Sorsha, and Raziel confront Bavmorda in the ritual chamber. Bavmorda incapacitates Raziel and Sorsha. Willow usessleight-of-hand to trick Bavmorda into thinking he made Elora vanish. Bavmorda, unnerved, moves to attack him, but in doing so accidentally completes the ritual while standing next to the altar, banishing herself.
During celebrations at the restored Tir Asleen, Willow is gifted a spellbook by Raziel. Leaving Elora in the care of Madmartigan and Sorsha, Willow returns home to his village and family in triumph.
George Lucas conceived the idea for the film (originally titledMunchkins) in 1972. Similarly to his intent inStar Wars, he created "a number of well-known mythological situations for a young audience".[5][6] During the production ofReturn of the Jedi in 1982, Lucas approachedWarwick Davis, who was portrayingWicket theEwok, about playing Willow Ufgood. Five years passed before he was actually cast in the role. Lucas "thought it would be great to use a little person in a lead role. A lot of my movies are about a little guy against the system, and this was just a more literal interpretation of that idea."[5]
Lucas explained that he had to wait until the mid-1980s to make the film because visual effects technology was finally advanced enough to execute his vision.[6] Meanwhile, actor-turned-directorRon Howard was looking to do afantasy film. He was atIndustrial Light & Magic during thepost-production phase ofCocoon, when he was first approached by Lucas to directWillow. He had previously starred in Lucas'sAmerican Graffiti,[7] and Lucas felt that he and Howard shared a symbiotic relationship similar to the one he enjoyed withSteven Spielberg. Howard nominatedBob Dolman to write the screenplay based on Lucas's story. Dolman had worked with him on a 1983television pilot calledLittle Shots that had not resulted in a series, and Lucas admired Dolman's work on thesitcomWKRP in Cincinnati.[8]
Dolman joined Howard and Lucas atSkywalker Ranch for a series of lengthy story conferences, and wrote seven drafts of his script between the spring and fall of 1986.[8]Pre-production began in late 1986. Various major film studios turned down the chance to distribute and cofinance it withLucasfilm because they believed the fantasy genre was unsuccessful. This was largely due to films such asKrull,Legend,Dragonslayer, andLabyrinth.[9] Lucas took it toMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), which was headed byAlan Ladd Jr.[10] Ladd and Lucas shared a relationship as far back as the mid-1970s, when Ladd, running20th Century Fox,greenlit Lucas's idea forStar Wars.[11] However, in 1986, MGM was facing financial troubles, and major investment in a fantasy film was perceived as a risk. Ladd advanced half of the $35 million budget in return for theatrical and television rights, leaving Lucasfilm with home video andpay television rights to offer in exchange for the other half.[11]RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video paid $15 million to Lucas in exchange for the video rights.[12]
Lucas named the character of General Kael (Pat Roach) after film criticPauline Kael,[13] a fact that was not lost on Kael in her printed review of the film. She referred to General Kael as an "homage a moi". Similarly, the two-headed dragon was called an "Eborsisk" after film criticsGene Siskel andRoger Ebert.[3]
Principal photography began on April 2, 1987, and ended the following October. Interior footage took place atElstree Studios inHertfordshire, England, whilelocation shooting took place inDinorwic quarry, Wales, and New Zealand.[11] Lucas initially visualized shooting the film similar toReturn of the Jedi, with studio scenes at Elstree and locations inNorthern California, but the idea eventually faded. However, some exteriors were done aroundSkywalker Ranch and on location atBurney Falls, nearMount Shasta.[14] The Chinese government refused Lucas the chance for a brief location shoot. He then sent a group of photographers to South China to photograph specific scenery, which was then used for backgroundblue screen footage.Tongariro National Park in New Zealand was chosen to house Bavmorda's castle.[14]
Some of the waterfalls scenes for the movie were shot atBurney Falls in Northern California, althoughPowerscourt Waterfall in Ireland was also used for other scenes.[15]
Lucasfilm'sIndustrial Light & Magic (ILM) created the visual effects and animation sequences. The script called for Willow to restore Fin Raziel (Patricia Hayes) from a goat to her human form. Willow recites what he thinks is the appropriate spell, but turns the goat into an ostrich, a peacock, a tortoise and, finally, a tiger, before returning her to normal. ILM VFX supervisorDennis Muren considered using CGIstop-motion animation for the scene.[16] He also explained that another traditional and practical way in the late 1980s to execute this sequence would have been through the use of anoptical dissolve withcutaways at various stages.[11]
Muren found both stop-motion and optical effects to be too technically challenging and decided that the transformation scene would be a perfect opportunity for ILM to create advances with digitalmorphing technology. He proposed filming each animal, and the actressdoubling for Hayes, and then feeding the images into a computer program developed by Doug Smythe.[11] The program would then create a smooth transition from one stage to another before outputting the result back onto film. Smythe began development of the necessary software in September 1987. By March 1988, Muren and fellow designer David Allen achieved what would represent a breakthrough forcomputer-generated imagery (CGI).[11] The techniques developed for the sequence were later utilized by ILM forIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade,Terminator 2: Judgment Day, andStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.[17]
The head of ILM's animation department,Wes Takahashi, supervised the film's animation sequences.[18]
| Willow | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |
| Released | 1988 |
| Genre | Film music |
| Length | 69:23 |
| Label | Virgin |
| Producer | James Horner, Shawn Murphy |
Thefilm score was composed and conducted byJames Horner and performed by theLondon Symphony Orchestra.[19] According to Horner, "I am a musicologist, a doctor of music. Therefore I listened to, studied and analysed a lot of music. I also enjoy metaphors, the art of quoting and of cycles. The harmonic draft of theWillow score, and most particularly its spiritual side, came from such a cycle, from such mythology and music history that I was taught, and that I myself convey with my own emotions and compositions."[20]
Eclectic influences on the score includeLeoš Janáček'sGlagolitic Mass,Mozart's "Requiem", "The Nine Splendid Stags" fromBéla Bartók,Edvard Grieg's "Arabian Dance" for the theater playPeer Gynt, and compositions bySergei Prokofiev.[20]
"Willow's Theme" purposefully (see Horner's quote above) contains a reworking/alteration of part of the theme of the first movement ("Lebhaft") ofRobert Schumann'sSymphony No. 3 referencing it, while "Elora Danan's Theme" shows a reference to the Bulgarian folk song "Mir Stanke Le" (Мир Станке ле), also known as the "Harvest Song from Thrace".
In June 2022, Intrada released an expanded score across two CDs (Special Collection Volume ISC 476), with this track listing:
CD 1
CD 2
The film was shown and promoted at the1988 Cannes Film Festival.[21][22] It was released on May 20, 1988, in 1,209 theaters, earning $8,300,169 in its opening weekend,placing number one at the weekend box office. Lucas had hoped it would earn as much money asE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,[22] but the film faced early competition withCrocodile Dundee II,Big andRambo III.[23] Grossing $57.3 million at the box office in the United States and Canada,[24] it was not theblockbuster hit insiders had anticipated.[25] The film opened in Japan in July and grossed $16.7 million in its first seven weeks, MGM's highest-grossing film in Japan at the time and went on to gross $20.3 million there.[26][27] It performed well in other international markets, grossing $80.3 million[28][29] for a worldwide total of $137.6 million. Strong home video and television sales added to its profits.[30]
Willow was released to mixed reviews from critics.[22] On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 52% of 61 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6/10. The website's consensus reads: "State-of-the-art special effects and an appealing performance from Warwick Davis can't quite saveWillow from its slow pace and generic story."[31] OnMetacritic, the film has a score of 47 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[32] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.[33]
Janet Maslin fromThe New York Times praised Lucas's storytelling, but was critical of Ron Howard's direction. "Howard appears to have had his hands full in simply harnessing the special effects," Maslin said.[34]
Siskel & Ebert gave it Two Thumbs Down on their television show. Ebert's print review inThe Chicago Sun-Times was a mixed 2.5 stars out of a possible 4. He wrote that while the special effects were good, the core story was unengaging and the characters flat: "There can be no true suspense in a movie where even the characters seem to be inspired by other movies."[35]
Desson Thomson writing inThe Washington Post, explained "Rob Reiner's similar fairytale adventureThe Princess Bride (which thecinematographerAdrian Biddle also shot) managed to evoke volumes more without razzle-dazzle. It's a sad thing to be faulting Lucas, maker of theStar Wars trilogy andRaiders of the Lost Ark, for forgetting the tricks of entertainment."[36] Mike Clark inUSA Today wrote that "the rainstorm wrap-up, in which Good edges Evil is likeLed Zeppelin MeetsThe Wild Bunch. The film is probably too much for young children and possibly too much of the same for cynics. But any 6–13-year-old who sees this may be bitten by the ’movie bug’ for life."[11]
At the61st Academy Awards, the film was nominated forSound Effects Editing andVisual Effects.[37] It wonBest Costume Design at theSaturn Awards, where it was also nominated forWarwick Davis forBest Performance by a Younger Actor (lost toFred Savage forVice Versa) andJean Marsh forBest Supporting Actress (lost toSylvia Sidney forBeetlejuice). It also lostBest Fantasy Film[38] and theHugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation toWho Framed Roger Rabbit.[39] It was also nominated for twoGolden Raspberry Awards includingWorst Screenplay, which lost toCocktail andWorst Supporting Actor forBilly Barty, who lost toDan Aykroyd forCaddyshack II.[40]
The film was first released onVHS,Betamax,Video 8, andLaserDisc on November 22, 1988 byRCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video. The film also had multiple re-releases on VHS in the 1990s under Columbia TriStar Home Video as well as a Widescreen LaserDisc in 1995.20th Century Fox Home Entertainment re-released the film on VHS and onDVD for the first time as a "special edition" on November 27, 2001, both of which wereTHX certified.[41] The release included anaudio commentary by Warwick Davis and two "making of" featurettes. In the commentary, Davis confirms that there were a number of "lost scenes" previously rumored to have been deleted from it including a battle in the valley, Willow battling a boy who transforms into a fish-like monster in a lake while retrieving Fin Raziel, and an extended sorceress duel at the climax.[42] George Lucas and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released the film onBlu-ray Disc on March 12, 2013, with an all-new digital transfer overseen by Lucasfilm.[43] Following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm (and 21st Century Fox's assets), the film was re-released with theMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer logo at the beginning byWalt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on Blu-ray, DVD, andDigital (for the first time) on January 29, 2019, and was later made available to stream onDisney+ when the service launched on November 12, 2019. The 4K UHD Blu-ray of the film was released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on December 10, 2024.[44]
In 1988, Tor Books released The Willow Game,[45] a two- to six-player adventure board game based on the film and designed byGreg Costikyan.
Three video games based on the film were released.Mindscape published anaction game in 1988 forAmiga,Atari ST,Commodore 64, andDOS.[46] Japanese game developerCapcom published two different games in 1989 based on the film; the firstWillow is aplatform game for thearcades and the secondWillow game is arole-playing game for theNintendo Entertainment System.[47][48]
Wayland Drew adapted Lucas's story into a film novel,[49] providing additional background information to several major characters, whileJoan Vinge adapted the story into another novelization.[50] Both included various additional scenes, including an encounter with a lake monster near Raziel's island which was filmed, but ultimately not used in the movie. A segment of that scene's filmed material can be found in the DVD's "Making of Willow" documentary.
Lucas outlined theChronicles of the Shadow War trilogy to follow the film and hired comic book writer/novelistChris Claremont to adapt them into a series of books. They take place about fifteen years after the original film and feature the teenage Elora Danan as a central character.
Beginning in 2005, Lucas and Davis discussed the possibility of a television series serving as a sequel toWillow.[51] Throughout the years, in various interviews, Davis expressed interest in reprising his role as the title character.[52][53][54]
In May 2018, Howard confirmed that there were ongoing discussions regarding a sequel, while confirming the project would not be calledWillow 2.[55] In 2019,Ron Howard announced that a sequel television series was currently in development, with intentions for the series to be exclusively released on theDisney+ streaming service.Jonathan Kasdan would be involved in the television series, while Warwick Davis would reprise his role from the original film.[56][57][58] Creator George Lucas would not participate in this series.
In October 2020, the series was officially green-lit by Disney+, with Ron Howard set to executive produce the series alongside Kasdan,Wendy Mericle, andJon M. Chu. Chu would direct the series first episode, with Kasdan and Mericle serving asshowrunners,Warwick Davis reprising his role as Willow Ufgood, andBob Dolman serving as a consulting producer.[59] In December 2020, it was announced the show would be released in 2022.[60] In January 2021, Chu left his directorial duties due to production moving towards the summer and it corresponding with birth of his next child.[61]
That same month, it was revealed that Jonathan Entwistle had officially been hired to replace Chu as director, with filming commencing in Spring 2021[62] in Wales.[63] However, due to production delays as a result of a recasting, Entwistle also exited the series, withStephen Woolfenden coming in to direct the first two episodes of the series.[64]
In November 2021, a promo video featuring the cast of the series was released forDisney+ Day. The new live-action series premiered on November 30, 2022, on Disney+.[65] The series was cancelled in March 2023[66] and was removed from streaming on May 26, 2023.[67]
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