WhileDisneyhas evidently never heard of the phrase “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” their spin-off shows and movie remakes are not always disastrous, so hopefully the newestWillowseries will fall into the success story category. Fortunately, the wonderful Warwick Davis returns to lead his Nelwyn brethren and Daikini allies on a new adventure that is bound to be overflowing with nostalgic nuances at every turn!RELATED:Best Live-Action Disney Remakes, RankedWhileWillowwas not Davis' first performance, it certainly paved the way for greatness, as he soon landed roles in showstoppers such asLeprechaun,The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,and, most notably, as Professor Flitwick in theHarry Potterfranchise.A few co-stars will also be joining theWillowreboot but will sadly miss Val Kilmer’s (Madmartigan) presence on set.
8The Bundle(s) of Joy
Willow would have never gotten the chance to become a hero if it wasn’t for the beautiful baby Daikini namedElora Danan. As withmost pre-adolescent acting roles, the workload is distributed between multiple children, while the dangerous and potentially traumatizing scenes are left to an animatronic infant to carry out.Twin sisters Kate and Ruth Greenfield and little miss Rebecca Bearman share the brunt of the responsibility regarding Elora’s adorable contribution to the storyline. To ensure that viewers of the originalWillowfeel their age, all three of these lovely ladies make cameo appearances in theDisney+series (34 years later!)
7The Star Wars Roots
Stars Warsfans might not recognize Warwick Davis from his contributions toThe Return of the Jedias the Rebel Alliance’s helpful Ewok ally, Wicket.George Lucashit it off with the British actor and allegedly wroteWillowspecifically for Warwick, who was only thirteen years old when he met the renowned filmmaker (and seventeen whenWillowproduction kicked off).RELATED:Andor: Things The Disney Plus Series Adds To The Star Wars MythosSome critical viewers have noted the similarities betweenStar WarsandWillow(because, apparently, creative types shouldn’t add an identifiable style to their work).Some enthusiastic fanshave gone so far as to theorize that the Nelwyn’s adventures actually take place in the Galactic Republic, presumedly after falling prey to aWookipediaprank that includes Warwick and the likes in their database.
6The Authentic Death Dogs
WhileWillowmay not display the best special effects when compared to today’s cutting-edge aesthetics,Mike McAlistercould not be accused of conforming to standards withhis work on this dark fantasy.Not only was hisIndustrial Light & Magicexperience invaluable (and a major factor in the success of the film’s revolutionary morphing scenes), but it also made for some gutsy calls on set.Keen viewers may note that the Death Dogs don’t have that stiff animatronic feel; however, in the 80s, CGI was not nearly advanced enough to create such smooth movement. As a simple solution, trained rottweilers were dressed with monstrous accessories and set loose on the scene (under close supervision, of course!)
5The Realistic Representation
Filling out the multiple Nelwyn roles inWillowresulted in the largest recorded cast call (at the time) for actors with dwarfism, which surpassed that of evenThe Wizard of Oz’sMunchkins and the Ewok requests forStar Wars. Boasting between 225 and 240 professionals on their team significantlycontributed to the worldbuildingofWillow, as one or two token little people would not have had the same effect.RELATED:Star Wars: Things You Didn’t Know About EwoksApart from the leading hero,Warwick Davis(charitable founder ofLittle People UK), other stellar performances are delivered byTony Cox, David Steinberg, Phil Fondacaro, Mark Northover,and many more.
4The Respectful Rename
While the world was significantly less “woke” back in the day, it isvery fortunate that George Lucasdidn’t stick with his original film title idea, as the term “Willow” is not going to offend anyone. However, a movie featuring one of the largest casts of little people boasting the name “Munchkins” isn’t the most sensitive method of representation.Willow’s size may occasionally get in the way of his mission to protect Elora; nevertheless, he is undoubtedly the ultimate hero at the end of the day and deserves more respect than a derogatoryWizard of Ozreference, which may not have aged well in today’s cancel culture.
3The Pink Floyd Synchronicity
Certain elements ofWillowline up perfectly alongside Pink Floyd’s musical masterpiece,“The Wall,“if one were to begin the album and movie simultaneously and run them concurrently. It is unclear whether this little tit-bit was leaked to the media or some creative genius with time to kill stumbled across a serendipitous occurrence, but it is not the first time Floyd got some cinematic love.RELATED:Ron Howard Says Willow TV Series Won’t Rely on NostalgiaTheBee Movieallegedly works beautifully with “Dark Side Of The Moon” whileAlice In Wonderlandis also a fan of “The Wall.“Star WarsandThe Wizard of Ozget another honorable mention for syncing up with Pink Floyd and leaving some “Dark Side” Easter Eggs of their own.
2The Love Affair
Showbusiness frequently sets Cupid into action; even one ofWillow’son-screen romances inspired the actors to take their work home with them and test things out in the real world. Sorsha and Madmartigan don’t exactly get off to the best start; however, the dashing Daikini finds himself completely infatuated with the enemy (against his will, initially).It looks like the magicalDust of Broken Heartshad along-lasting effect, as Val Kilmerand Joanne Whalley tied the knot the same year thatWillowdebuted and welcomed two children into their family. The since-divorced Whalley will be making a come-back in theDisney+series as Sorsha, whereas Madmartigan will be conspicuously absent from the line-up.
1The Quarrelsome Critics
George Lucas added some tongue-in-cheek namedrops to a couple of character designs inWillowto get a dig in at those who enjoy criticizing his work. The evil Queen Bavmorda’s most ruthless bloodthirsty soldier is namedGeneral Kael,allegedly inspired by Pauline Kael, who appeared to havea personal vendetta against Lucas,publically describing him as “a slugger in the ring who has no variety and never lets up” (among other flavourful insults) in aNew Yorkerreview.Other film critics to receive some special treatment include Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, whose names were seemingly fused to createEborsisk,the duel-headed dragon, which was formerly a troll (another dig) before Willow “worked” his magic. The intricacies of their relationship with the filmmaker are hilariously dissected in the comedic documentary titled “The People vs. George Lucas.“MORE:Willow Creator Jon Kasdan Says Series Was Inspired By Star Wars: The Force AwakensSources:The New Yorker/Fun Machinesandreddit/Creepy_Inflation_168
