"You ARE Great": It's Time To Admit I Was Wrong About 'Willow'
On the eve of its season one finale, the Disney+ series has me eating my words...
This story begins on May 26th, 2022.
It was the first day of Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022. After three years of pandemic-related postponements, we were finally back. I was seated in the Celebration Stage for the Lucasfilm Showcase, the much-hyped kick-off to the weekend where all the projects that had been worked on secretly over the past several years would finally be revealed to the world.
It was also the first time I ever engaged in any sort of meaningful way with the relatively-obscure Lucasfilm property, Willow.
The Showcase kicked off with a bang. A live choir sang “Duel of the Fates” as Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen walked out on stage to announce that the world premiere of Obi-Wan Kenobi would take place in that very room later that night—and that everyone at the panel was welcome to attend.
Then Diego Luna, Tony Gilroy, and the cast of Andor took the stage to debut the first trailer for what would become the best Star Wars Disney+ series to date (although we didn’t know it at the time). So far, so good. The Showcase was living up to the hype.
It was after then that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, who was sharing hosting duties with Community star Yvette Nicole Brown, declared that the next portion of the event would focus on a universe other than Star Wars. I was skeptical. This was Star Wars Celebration, after all. But I tried to keep an open mind as Kathy revealed they would now be talking about the new Willow series.
At this point, the extent of my knowledge of Willow was extremely limited. I knew it was a movie Ron Howard directed in the 80s and that George Lucas wrote the story. I knew that it had a bit of a following, but nothing major. So I hadn’t really understood why Disney even greenlit the series in the first place. The words of Linus from Fanboys (2009) echoed in my brain when I first saw the news, “Who cares about Willow?”
The Willow segment of the Showcase wound up briefly becoming a retrospective on Solo: A Star Wars Story since many of the key creatives on that film (director Ron Howard, co-writer Jon Kasdan, Enfys Nest actress Erin Kellyman, and Star Wars mainstay Warwick Davis) are all involved in Willow and were all in attendance that day in May. But it soon shifted away from Star Wars and onto actually promoting Willow.
That night, during our live-from-IHOP Star Wars Underworld Podcast (yes, that’s a real thing that happened), I declared to our audience that I was “bored as hell” during the Willow talk.
I’m now ready to admit that I had it all wrong.
The Golden Age of TV Epic Fantasy
The last year or so has seen four major epic fantasy TV series hit our screens, beginning with Amazon’s adaptation of The Wheel of Time last November, followed by HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon in the summer, and Amazon’s big-budget Lord of the Rings spin-off, The Rings of Power in the fall. Naturally, Disney would want in on the epic fantasy fun (and profits).
Enter Willow, a sequel series to the 1985 film of the same name. The series brings back Warwick Davis as the titular hero, along with a smattering of other characters and cast members from the original film, including Joanne Whalley as Queen Sorsha. (Sadly, Val Kilmer was unable to reprise his role as Madmartigan due to health concerns). They’re joined by an unlikely posse of new heroes, including Sorsha’s daughter, princess Kit (Ruby Cruz), her would-be husband prince Graydon (Tony Revolori), and her lover, the warrior Jade (Erin Kellyman). Rounding out the cast are Ellie Bamber as Dove and Amar Chadha-Patel as Thraxus Boorman.
And it’s really good. Great, even.
The series follows a fairly straightforward quest narrative, with the above characters setting out on an adventure during the first episode to rescue the kidnapped prince Airk. Along the way, they make discoveries about themselves and their past that change their perspectives on the world and their relationships with each other. In addition, of course, to facing off with monsters and villains that seek to stop them from accomplishing their goal.
It’s familiar but in a pleasant way.
House of the Dragon and Rings of Power told epic, political stories about the relationships between realms and kingdoms (be it elves and dwarves or Targaryens and Hightowers). The stories are grand in scope, where relationships between societies are as important as those between individuals. Part of the appeal of these shows is seeing how the choices of the characters impact the larger world.
By contrast, Willow is focused very directly on the characters and how their choices affect each other. What little talk there is of politics or kingdoms is largely relegated to the background. For example, the drama around Kit’s arranged marriage to Graydon isn’t about how the realm will fall apart if they don’t get married, but how Kit and Jade’s relationship will be affected if it goes ahead as planned. It’s storylines like these that drive the action in the story.
And the show makes it easy to root for the characters. The leads, especially Cruz and Kellyman, have great chemistry and there’s plenty of charisma to go around (Chadha-Patel’s Boorman is a fantastic addition to the ranks of the funny-tough guy). Warwick Davis also feels right at home slipping back into Willow’s shoes, and taking on the mentor role for the series.
The more narrow focus of Willow also doesn’t mean the series feels small. The choice to film largely on location in Wales gives the show a sense of scope and grandeur that ensures it doesn’t feel left behind by the other modern fantasy shows. The series also makes use of The Volume (ILM’s 360-degree video wall) to inject some added wonder into key scenes in the seventh episode.
It’s a nice balance as The Volume seems to be used primarily for sequences that take the characters further and further away from their familiar world and, as Willow himself puts it, “into the unknown.” (Cue the music from Frozen). It works well, with the choices of whether to film on location vs in The Volume feeling like they are driven by what suits the story rather than budgetary or other production concerns. It’s something other Lucasfilm productions would be wise to follow suit on.
Speaking of other Lucasfilm productions…
Willow: A Star Wars Story?
The more you watch Willow, the more apparent it is that it’s made by the same people who make Star Wars. The spirit of George Lucas’ storytelling flows through the series, with all the wonder, philosophy, and teenage angst that entails. But there’s even more to it than that.
During a sequence in the second episode where Willow describes the magic of their world to Elora Danan (whose true identity is kept secret through the first episode), the old sorcerer tells his new apprentice, “There is an energy that flows through all living things.”
“The bloodstream of the universe,” replies Elora.
“Yes,” says Willow. “Now that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, only transformed. What we call magic is the art of transforming that energy from one form to another.”
No wonder this show worked for me, he’s talking about The Force!
Swap out a few words for “The Force” and that sequence would feel right at home in a Jedi training session. Hell, if at some point down the road, someone wanted to say that the world of Willow was actually a planet in the Star Wars galaxy, it would feel right at home. (Apparently, this idea was already considered, and rejected, by Lucasfilm in the mid-2000s).
But there’s more than that. A source of tension between Elora and Willow is the difference between the legend of Willow Ufgood that has been built up since Queen Bavmorda’s defeat in the film and the reality of the man that is Willow Ufgood now. Sound familiar? Rian Johnson would be proud.
This is not to say that the series just feels like a Star Wars show with a different name. The Force has always born a similarity to all sorts of spirituality, both in fiction and in the real world—it’s part of what makes it so impactful. And while the Last Jedi comparison is there, what becomes of that plotline is sufficiently different that it doesn’t feel like Lucasfilm just attempting a do-over at one of their more controversial stories.
Rather, this familiarity gives new viewers (like myself) something to grab onto at the start of the story—if you like Star Wars, you’ll probably like Willow. Which makes sense since the marketing of the series was so frequently placed right next to promotions for Star Wars (not just at Celebration but at D23 and on social media too). And I do think it worked, for me at least. I watched the movie shortly before the series premiere. I thought it was ok. If it wasn’t for the series, though, I probably wouldn’t have thought about Willow much afterward. But the series drew me in. With its fun characters, familiar themes, and rollicking adventure.
That’s the other thing about the series that sets it apart from the other epic fantasies on television right now. It’s so much fun to watch. The characters make jokes, the action feels over-the-top in that glorious Indiana Jones-ish way, and the world is filled with delightful wonders. It’s the same balance that George Lucas injected into Star Wars back in the day. And like the serials that inspired George, it has me coming back next week wanting more.
Bring On Season Two
I’m writing this before seeing the season one finale, but I’ve already seen enough to know I want more. As of right now, nothing official has been said about the show’s future. Executive producer Jon Kasdan has gone on record as wanting another season, but there’s a long list of producers that have wanted a second season or a sequel to their work but never got one.
It would be a real shame to see Willow end after just one season, the characters and the world feel ripe for further explorations. There are more adventures and more magic to be had, not to mention that the subplot of Willow’s visions of an apocalyptic future seems unlikely to be completely wrapped up after episode eight.
Plus, the series has done such a good job at modernizing the fantasy genre, with its diverse cast and a prominent queer love story between its leads. The genre as a whole has been taking steps in the right direction from a representation standpoint, and losing Willow would feel like a step backwards.
And, again, the series is just so much fun to watch. The characters are engaging and you care about their relationships, the world is wonderous and it feels like we’ve just scratched the surface, and the production values are top-notch. It’s a winning recipe, more seasons just feel right.
Back in May, when I was whining about sitting through a less-than-fifteen-minute segment of the Lucasfilm Showcase, I never would have expected I’d be here, advocating for a second season. But Willow has won me over for all the reasons listed above and then some. I hope when season two comes around they bring it back to Celebration too, so I properly show the cast & crew the love they deserve.