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 (Warwick Davis) to protect a sacred infant from the
machinations of a wicked queen. 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 costar Val Kilmer met his future wife Joanne Whalley. | Val Kilmer | Madmartigan |
| Joanne Whalley | Sorsha |
| Warwick Davis | Willow Ufgood |
| Patricia Hayes | Fin Raziel |
| Jean Marsh | Queen Bavmorda |
| Billy Barty | High Aldwin |
| Pat Roach | Gen. Kael |
| Gavan O'Herlihy | Airk Thaughbaer |
| David Steinberg | Meegosh |
| Phil Fondacaro | Vohnkar |
| Mark Northover | Burglekutt, Prefect |
| Kevin Pollak | Rool |
| Rick Overton | Franjean |
| Maria Holvoe | Cherlindrea |
| Mark vande Brake | Ranon |
| Julie Peters | Kaiya |
| Ron Tarr | Llug |
| Michael Cotterill | Druid |
| Zulema Dene | Ethna |
| Joanna Dickens | Barmaid |
| Tony Cox | Vohnkar Warrior |
| Sallyanne Law | Mother |
| Jennifer Guy | Wency |
| Dawn Downing | Mims |
| Kate Greenfield | Elora Danan |
| Robert Gillibrand | Vohnkar Warrior |
Genre/Type - Fantasy, Fantasy Adventure, Sword-and-Sorcery
Produced by - Imagine Entertainment / Lucasfilm / MGM / United Artists
Release - May 20, 1988 (USA)
Released by - UA Communications
Running time - 118 min.
The Black Cauldron (1985, Ted Berman, Richard Rich)
Arabian Adventure (1979, Kevin Connor)
Star Wars (1977, George Lucas)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002, Peter Jackson)
O Auto Da Compadecida (2001, Guel Arraes)
The Princess Bride (1987, Rob Reiner)
Aladdin's Other Lamp (1917, John H. Collins)
Rumpelstiltskin (1986, David Irving)