Willow [30th Anniversary] [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray]

Director: Ron Howard Ron Howard

Overview

Though Willow was one of director Ron Howard's few box-office disappointments, it definitely deserves a second look. At once an epic celebration and a gentle spoof of the sword-and-sorcery genre, the film concerns the efforts by little person Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) to protect a sacred infant from the machinations of a wicked queen (Jean Marsh). One source book has assessed the picture as a combination of The Ten Commandments and Snow White. This is true enough, except that neither one of those properties offered such offbeat casting choices as Billy Barty and Jean Marsh. Executive producer George Lucas has (through the conduit of screenwriter Bob Dolman) added elements of his own Star Wars saga to the stew. The results are generally satisfactory, though the film is sometimes weighed down by too much plot, and the action sequences may not be suitable for very young children. Incidentally, this is the film where co-star Val Kilmer met his future wife Joanne Whalley.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/29/2019
UPC:	0786936858723
Original Release:	1988
Rating:	PG
Source:	Walt Disney Video
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:06:00
Sales rank:	192

Special Features

Deleted scenes with Ron Howard introduction; The making of An Adventure with Ron Howard interview; From Morf to Morphing with Dennis Muren; Willow: an unlikely hero - personal video diary of Warwick Davis; Audio commentary by Warwick Davis; Matte Paintings; And more!

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Warwick Davis	Willow Ufgood
Val Kilmer	Madmartigan
Joanne Whalley	Sorsha
Jean Marsh	Queen Bavmorda
Patricia Hayes	Fin Raziel
Billy Barty	High Aldwin
Pat Roach	General Kael
Gavan O'Herlihy	Airk
David Steinberg	Meegosh
Phil Fondacaro	Vohnkar
Mark Northover	Burglekutt
Kevin Pollak	Rool
Rick Overton	Franjean
Maria Holvoe	Cherlindrea
Julie Peters	Kiaya
Mark Vande Brake	Ranon
Dawn Downing	Mims
Michael Cotterill	Druid
Zulema Dene	Ethna
Joanna Dickens	Barmaid
Jennifer Guy	Wench
Ron Tarr	Llug
Sallyanne Law	Mother
Tony Cox	Vohnkar Warrior
Robert Gillibrand	Vohnkar Warrior
Ruth Greenfield	Elora Danan,Elora Danan
David J. Steinberg	Meegosh
Sadie Corré	Nelwyn Villager
James Horner	Composer

Technical Credits

Bob Dolman

Ron Howard	Director
Nigel Wooll	Producer
George Lucas	Executive Producer
Gerry Crampton	Stunts
John Richardson	Special Effects
Ben Burtt	Sound/Sound Designer
Bob Dolman	Screenwriter
Lee Rich	Producer
Industrial Light & Magic	Special Effects
Jane Jenkins	Casting
David Allen	Special Effects
Michael McAlister	Special Effects
Dennis Muren	Special Effects
Phil Tippett	Special Effects
Janet Hirshenson	Casting

Editorial Reviews

Forget about Hobbits and rings -- for rousing action, fantasy, and romance, you need look no further than Willow, an entrancing adventure that has all the attributes of first-rate swords-and-sorcery fare. Once upon a time, we’re told, there was an evil sorceress and queen (Jean Marsh), who ordered the deaths of all the kingdom’s infants to eliminate the royal-born successor to the throne. It falls to a diminutive sorcerer’s apprentice named Willow (Warwick Davis) to protect the baby girl who could someday be a princess. In defense of his tiny charge he enlists the aid of a roguish adventurer (Val Kilmer), and the oddball twosome ward off attacks led by the evil queen’s feisty daughter (Joanne Whalley). Directed by Ron Howard (Apollo 13) and adapted from a story by George Lucas, Willow lacks for nothing in terms of production: Its sets, costumes, and special effects are all top-drawer, and its well-cast principal players enact their roles with panache. Most important, though, the film never betrays the condescension or cynicism that mars all too many fantasy movies -- and it’s this unsullied fairy-tale quality that makes Willow ideal family entertainment. The newly remastered version now available on DVD includes a commentary by Howard, an all-new documentary on the film’s making, a photo gallery, theatrical trailers, and TV spots.

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse

Complete with biblical rubric, medieval sorcery, and mystical creatures, director Ron Howard's Willow is the stuff of good fantasy adventure. In a nicely mannered performance, Val Kilmer plays well off of Warwick Davis as Willow, the sorcerer-to-be. The film is a well-conceived and well-executed quest fairy tale borrowing heavily from Gulliver's Travels, not to mention the story of Moses. Although seemingly a children's film, it is not without its share of violence, gore, and ghastly monsters, all provided by executive producer George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic special-effects department. With this film, Howard proved his adroitness at fantastic adventure; furthermore, the film's cult following cultivated a generation of Magic, The Gathering players worldwide.

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