Willow (1988)
75%RT Audience Score: 79%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 2 Oscars
1 win & 11 nominations total
State-of-the-art special effects and an appealing performance from Warwick Davis can’t quite save Willow from its slow pace and generic story
Willow may not have won over all the critics, but let’s be real, it’s a classic. Sure, it may borrow from other fantasy movies, but it’s got its own charm. Plus, who doesn’t love a good adventure with a little magic thrown in? And let’s not forget about those creature effects – they were pretty impressive for their time. So, if you’re in the mood for a fun, lighthearted fantasy flick, give Willow a chance. You might just be pleasantly surprised.
Production Company(ies)
Columbia Pictures, Huayi Brothers Media, National Geographic World Films,
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Burney Falls, McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park – Highway 89, Burney, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1988
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:2h 5m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 20, 1988 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 1, 2001
Genre(s)
Fantasy
Keyword(s)
starring Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Warwick Davis, Jean Marsh, Patricia Hayes, Billy Barty, Phil Fondacaro, Kevin Pollack, directed by Ron Howard, written by Bob Dolman, George Lucas, fantasy, PG, box office performance, $55.6M, reviewed by Gene Siskel, Sheila Benson, James Berardinelli, Ian Nathan, Dave Kehr, Jay Boyar, Rene Jordan, Brian Eggert, Christopher Lloyd, Michael Sragow, Val Kilmer as Madmartigan, Joanne Whalley as Sorsha, Warwick Davis as Willow Ufgood, Jean Marsh as Queen Bavmorda, Patricia Hayes as Fin Raziel, Billy Barty as High Aldwin, produced by Nigel Wooll, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Dolby Stereo, Dolby A, Stereo, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR, Scope (2.35:1), special effects, slow pace, generic story, dream, reality, myth, magic, adventure, prophecy, evil queen, warrior, old wizard, Brownies, soundtrack, James Horner, underrated
Worldwide gross: $57,269,863
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $146,636,123
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 844
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 15,990,853
US/Canada gross: $57,269,863
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $146,636,123
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 526
US/Canada opening weekend: $8,300,169
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $21,252,096
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 625
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $35,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $89,615,446
Production budget ranking: 464
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $48,257,917
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $8,762,760
ROI to date (est.): 6%
ROI ranking: 1,368
Joanne Whalley – Sorsha
Warwick Davis – Willow Ufgood
Jean Marsh – Queen Bavmorda
Patricia Hayes – Fin Raziel
Billy Barty – High Aldwin
Director(s)
Ron Howard
Writer(s)
Bob Dolman, George Lucas
Producer(s)
Nigel Wooll
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 2 Oscars
1 win & 11 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (58) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (30) | Rotten (28)
There isn’t a single major character in the film who is engaging.
December 6, 2018 | Rating: 2/4
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
If it evaporates from memory with the airiness of a bubble bath, at least it leaves a friendly glow and a sense of a magical world lovingly evoked.
December 6, 2018
Sheila Benson
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Willow feels like the kind of movie that might have worked considerably better on the printed page.
December 6, 2018 | Rating: 2.5/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
Willow is not without its charms — the effects are more than special, the set-pieces suitably epic — but it just doesn’t fulfill the promise of certain other fantasy films.
December 6, 2018 | Rating: 3/5
Ian Nathan
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
It takes forever for the story to get started, and once it does it holds few surprises.
December 6, 2018 | Rating: 2/4
Dave Kehr
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Willow exchanges the high-tech gleam of the Star Wars universe for the low-tech look of a Tolkienesque world, but otherwise it’s business as usual.
December 6, 2018
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
[Willow] is a good movie for kids. [Full review in Spanish]
June 21, 2022
Rene Jordan
El Nuevo Herald (Miami)
In the wake of series like The Lord of the Rings and the later Harry Potter entries, Willow cannot help but feel catered to children with little awareness of how much it borrows from other sources.
February 18, 2022 | Rating: 2.5/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
The underappreciated fantasy film from George Lucas and Ron Howard delighted the young audiences it was intended for, poked fun at its critics — by name — and is now set for a Disney+ reboot.
October 4, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5
Christopher Lloyd
The Film Yap
Willow mostly calls to mind dozens of other, better movies, ranging from Lucas’s own Star wars to the Ten Commandments and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It’s a malformed Tolkien-type fantasy.
December 21, 2020
Michael Sragow
NPR’s Fresh Air
Cult favourite Willow saw producer George Lucas attempting to recreate the fantasy-adventure spirit of his Star War films in a sword-and-sorcery setting.
December 15, 2020
Jason Best
Movie Talk
The character designs are fascinating, as are the creature effects (helmed by Industrial Light & Magic and nominated for an Academy Award).
September 8, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins…
Plot
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 are searching for Elora and bring her back to Queen Bavmorda’s castle, where Queen Bavmorda bids to kill Elora in a ritual and prevent the prophecy of her downfall.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Val Kilmer gives a good performance as the warrior Madmartigan.
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