Willow (1988 film)
Willow is a 1988 American high fantasy adventure film directed by Ron Howard and produced by Nigel Wooll. The film was executive produced by George Lucas and written by Bob Dolman from a story by Lucas. The film stars Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Warwick Davis, and Jean Marsh. Davis portrays the title character, an aspiring magician who teams up with a disaffected warrior (Kilmer) to protect a baby princess from an evil sorceress (Marsh). Lucas conceived the idea for the film in 1972, approaching Howard to direct during the post-production phase of Cocoon in 1985. Bob Dolman was brought in to write the screenplay, coming up with seven drafts that Lucas was actively involved in the developmental process of each draft. It was finished in late 1986. It was then set up at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and principal photography began in April 1987, finishing the following October. The majority of filming took place in Dinorwic quarry in Wales with some at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, as well as a small section in New Zealand. Industrial Light & Magic created the visual effects sequences, which led to a revolutionary breakthrough with digital morphing technology. The film was released in 1988 to mixed reviews from critics with praise for the special effects and character designs but criticisms for its direction and plot. It grossed $137.6 million worldwide against a $35 million budget. While not the blockbuster some expected, it turned a profit based on international box office returns and strong home video and television returns. Additionally, it received two Academy Award nominations. A television series that served as a sequel to the film was released on Disney+ in 2022. Plot In an unnamed fantasy world, the evil sorceress Queen Bavmorda of Nockmaar hears of a prophecy that a child with a special rune birthmark will bring about her downfall. As a preventive measure, she imprisons all pregnant women in her domain. The foretold child is born, but her mother persuades the midwife to smuggle the baby out of the castle. Bavmorda executes the mother and sends her wolf-like Nockmaar Hounds after the midwife. With the hounds closing in on her, the midwife sets the baby adrift on a tuft of grass in a river before succumbing to the hounds. Meanwhile, Bavmorda sends her daughter Sorsha and an army led by General Kael to hunt down the baby. Some distance downriver, a village of Nelwyn (a race of dwarves) prepares for a festival. The baby is found by the children of farmer and aspiring sorcerer Willow Ufgood and his family takes her in and comes to love her. At the festival, a Nockmaar hound arrives and attacks all the cradles it finds. After the Nelwyn warriors kill it, Willow presents the baby to the village leader, the High Aldwin, as the probable reason for the dog's appearance. The High Aldwin orders the baby must return to a Daikini (the Nelwyn's name for "tall people") family, so Willow and a party of volunteers set out