Willow (1988)

A young farmer is chosen to undertake a perilous journey in order to protect a special baby from an evil queen.

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers:

George Lucas (story by), Bob Dolman (screenplay by)

Stars:

Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Warwick Davis

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Val Kilmer	...	Madmartigan
Joanne Whalley	...	Sorsha
Warwick Davis	...	Willow Ufgood
Jean Marsh	...	Queen Bavmorda
Patricia Hayes	...	Fin Raziel
Billy Barty	...	High Aldwin
Pat Roach	...	Gen. Kael
Gavan O'Herlihy	...	Airk Thaughbaer
David Steinberg	...	Meegosh
Phil Fondacaro	...	Vohnkar
Tony Cox	...	Vohnkar Warrior
Robert Gillibrand	...	Vohnkar Warrior
Mark Northover	...	Burglekutt
Kevin Pollak	...	Rool
Rick Overton	...	Franjean

Storyline

A baby girl is discovered in a river by Ranon and Mims, the children of Willow Ufgood, a dwarf farmer and magician and the baby girl is taken into the care of Willow's family. But when a terrifying dog-like creature attacks Willow's village, whilst tracking down the baby. Willow consults the village council and the wizard The High Aldwin. The High Aldwin gives Willow a task and Willow leaves the village and embarks on the task to give the baby girl to a responsible person. But Willow soon learns the baby is Elora Danan, the baby girl destined to bring about the downfall of the evil sorceress Queen Bavmorda. Joined by his allies: swordsman Madmartigan, sorceress Fin Raziel and the Brownies Franjean and Rool, Willow takes it upon himself to protect Elora from Queen Bavmorda, who intends to kill Elora and prevent Elora from fulfilling her destiny. And Willow and his allies are pursued by Queen Bavmorda's daughter Sorsha and the evil commander of Queen Bavmorda's army General Kael, whom ...

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Plot Keywords:

evil woman | tough girl | tough guy | falling downhill | good man | 

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Taglines:

Adventure doesn't come any bigger than this.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 May 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Willow

Filming Locations:

Cannon Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,300,169, 22 May 1988

Gross USA:

$57,269,863

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$57,269,863

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Lucasfilm, Imagine Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Cusack tested for the role of Madmartigan, but lost to Val Kilmer. He considers this his biggest disappointment.

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Goofs

Upon Willow's grand return to his village, his wife Kiaya can be seen in the crowd waiting to greet him. Later on in scene, she's surprised by her husband and runs to him.

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Quotes

Franjean: Fine, good! Then we go that way, to the lake!
Rool: [tapping Franjean's shoulder] *That* way.
Franjean: You are drunk! And when you are drunk, you forget that I am in charge!
Rool: [in unison] You are in charge. Fine, then which way do we go?
Franjean, Rool: THAT WAY!
Madmartigan: Oh, NO! That's the way I'm going! All right, all right, you can follow me as far as the lake. But that's it!
[beat]
Madmartigan: You're not going south, are you?

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Crazy Credits

Although he played the title role, Warwick Davis took just third billing. Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley took first and second billing respectively.

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Alternate Versions

Also, during the fight at the castle towards the end, Willow zaps the troll with his wand, and 2 creatures emerge from its skin. In the UK version of this film, the bit where the creatures quickly rip the skin off of the troll is missing.

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Connections

Referenced in Twins (1988)

User Reviews

A Stunning 80s Epic

I remember seeing this film in theaters back in '88 and long to see it again on the big screen. There is a motherload of crappy fantasy flicks out there and this one is better than most. I was kinda young when I saw it and didn't find it too violent but some parents may think it gruesome at times. I myself feel that gave it an edge. Along with swordplay there are nasty trolls,a 2-headed beast,mean-spirited characters and some intense scenes at the end. Of course there are lots of special effects. This was a technically well made film with awesome cinematography and interesting locations. Every now and again Fox airs the movie but it's 2 1/2 hr running can be really cut. Ya gotta see it!