A year ago, Disney released information that they had an upcoming project based on the 1988 fantasy classic Willow. To be honest, I wasn’t all that interested because you can’t improve upon perfection. Am I right? There is no way to make Willow (one of my earliest dives into a full-on fantasy world) better. No remakes or reboots could recreate that kind of magic. Who could beat a young Val Kilmer as the mercenary swordsman Madmartigan?
Except Disney lured me back in. Their upcoming Willow Disney+ streaming series is not a reimagining, but a continuation of the original story. They even got Warwick Davis back playing the amazing titular sorcerer hero Willow Ufgood. Disney dropped the teaser trailer for the new series, and I am in love all over again.
The original Willow story was full of magic, battles, and an epic journey. The evil Queen Bavmorda feared a prophecy of a newborn baby that would be her undoing. So, she imprisoned all the pregnant women in her kingdom. However, redheaded newborn Elora Danan was smuggled out by a midwife. In a faraway village, Willow’s children found the baby floating down the river, and the village elder told Willow he had to return Elora to her people. On his adventure, Willow befriended many magical creatures and became a sorcerer, all to protect the baby that would end the evil queen’s reign. The humble farmer from a small village ended up a legendary hero.
When is the Willow series streaming?
For the sequel, not much information has been released. All we know is a princess must assemble a team and begin a quest to find her twin brother. Going off the teaser trailer that is just over a minute long, Willow’s sorcery has improved and he will help the princess on her journey. Although we haven’t seen Willow’s world in a long time, it looks like many of the magical creatures are still there, plus many new ones. Even the brownies made an appearance (the fairy creature, not the food).
Now that the short trailer has gotten us all jazzed up, we have to wait until November 30th for the show to premiere on Disney+. Until then, the original movie is also available for streaming on Disney+, so I know what I will be watching this weekend.
Watch the first teaser trailer below:
D23 Willow Updates
Disney’s 2022 D23 Expo gave us a few more tidbits about the upcoming Willow series. The entire cast came onstage to introduce the newest trailer. Surprising everyone, actor Christian Slater joined the others to reveal he will also appear in the show. There is not much more known about the characters at this time, but it does seem like baby Elora Danan might be in it and ready to kick butt alongside Willow. Check out the latest trailer below.
(feature image: Disney/Lucasfilm)
