Joey Paur of GeekTyrant is certainly excited to see a new Willow series coming to Disney+ since the idea is pretty much set and has been confirmed at least enough for people to start becoming hopeful that they’ll be seeing it eventually in 2021. Production has apparently started on it but considering all that goes into creating and then launching a series such as this there’s going to be a lot of work that needs to be done and a lot of hype that needs to be built up to remind people just why Willow was so great in the first place. Those of us that grew up with this movie know too well just how much fun it was since despite being nominated for two Razzie awards it was still a wild ride that featured very interesting and over the top characters that were enjoyable and in some cases absolutely terrifying. Try and tell me Queen Bavmorda didn’t feel like the type of woman that would drink the blood from a victim with a straw if it would give her greater power, go on and try. She was one of the scariest old witches of the time period and her general, Kael, was an absolute nightmare since he was big, tough, and despite not being much of a swordsman was still skilled enough to take down many a soldier before Madmartigan finally ended him.
To be fair I’m kind of on the fence with this one since in a positive light there is a lot more to the world that Willow Ufgood inhabits that has yet to be seen since we were only given so many glimpses of it considering how rushed his trip was and how dire the circumstances could have been if he’d taken his time. But there are also a lot of considerations to be taken into account as well since getting some of the cast members back might be kind of an issue. Patricia Hayes, who played the sorceress Fin Raziel, passed away in 1998, and Billy Barty, who played the part of the High Aldwin in the Nelwyn village, passed in 2000. This isn’t too hard to explain since the characters were pretty old and could be seen as having finally passed away due to natural causes, which would likely leave Willow as the High Aldwin of the village, or at least someone that had gained a good deal of notoriety thanks to his exploits. In a way Willow was much like The Lord of the Rings in a few distinct ways since the Nelwyn’s weren’t known for venturing outward that much and didn’t really take a lot of stock in adventures. When one of their own was selected to take a human child, or a Daikini as they’re called by the Nelwyn’s and others, it came as a great shock since none of them had ever really made their way out of the village for an extended period. Jeremy Dick of MovieWeb has more to say about this series.
The similarities to LOTR comes and goes and are pretty thin most times but they’re still there and they are noticeable. That being said though Willow is still it’s own story since the whole plot focuses around the titular character and the fulfillment of his destiny that can only be accomplished by keeping the human child, Elora, safe and sound until she can be delivered to her own kind. A series would certainly open up the world a bit and it would allow Warwick Davis to shine again since for many years now he’s still been around but he hasn’t really been seen as a huge contributor as far as being front and center as he was for Willow. Again I’m still on the fence but do find that it will be interesting to see what can come from this idea and how it will be played out since it feels absolutely necessary to bring back characters such as Madmartigan and Sorsha, who by the end of the movie had come together and were devoted to raising Elora as their own. Plus, we kind of need to see what became of Elora and just how she’s grown throughout the years, to see if she’s become a kind and just ruler as she was fated to be in the movie.
As for the threat that the heroes will face that’s always up for grabs in a series that has so many wide open vistas as this to choose from. Queen Bavmorda was defeated at the end of the movie but given how powerful she is it does feel likely that her overall threat might not have been erased just yet. Maybe much like the haunted kingdom of Dwimorberg, it could be that Bavmorda’s dark soul still occupies her old castle and that the spirits of her followers might be stuck in some kind of limbo as well. It’s worth a mention really.
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