Willow premieres on Disney+ on Nov. 30, 2022. Review by Rosie Knight.
Jon Kasdan brings unabashed joy and passion to Willow. His love for the property shines through, making this one of 2022’s most unexpected and brilliant new series. Expertly balancing accessibility for new viewers and continuing the story that ’80s babies love, with stunning cinematography, charming performances, and vibrant storytelling, this feels like Disney+ at its best.
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In an age where content is King an Established franchises rural Hollywood It often feels as if everything is Getting rebooted in many cases it can Leave fans wishing their precious Artistic fave was left alone but in some Cases it can lead to underappreciated Gems getting to find a new audience as They're reimagined for the modern age or In the case of new Disney plus series Willow it can build on a beloved story That many thought would never be Continued the first seven episodes of John cast in sequel to The 1988 Ron Howard Dark Fantasy amount to one of 2022's most magical shows Foreign [Music] Decades after the events of Willow peace Reigns in the Kingdom of tirasleen or at Least it does within the walls of the Magical barrier that was erected to keep Evil out and the prophesized child known As Alora Donnan in shorsha is Queen and Her rebellious daughter kit is set to be Married off to a noble but when Kitt's Twin goes missing it sets off a series Of events that brings together a ragtag Group of young Heroes together they must Journey beyond the barrier with the help Of the sorcerer Willow played by Returning star Warwick Davis you remind Me of your mother beautifully vibrantly Shot Willow watches like a warm hug
Though similar shows trade simply in Nostalgia the built-in audience for Willow is much more Niche than your Average recoil and the source material More limited that means it has to Constantly innovate and expand on the Little that we do know of the universe We're losing ourselves in luckily kazdan Is a lifelong fan of the franchise and Comes from a family Legacy of creating Accessible and exciting Adventure Yarns His love for the world drenches every Scene and along with the Stellar Creative team kazden has created a truly Unique and lovely fantasy series Willow's biggest surprise will likely be Its comedy while the original movie was Funny what has long stuck with young Viewers is the combination of Terror and Fantasy both of those elements come into Play here of course but the writing is Legitimately warm and often hilarious Okay okay Davis gives a performance that Channels a truly heartwarming kind of Humor that delivers some of the show's Most hearty laughs his new party of Adventurers is equally Charming Disney Stalwart Aaron kellyman who's had Impressive but underwritten turns in Star Wars and the MCU finally gets a Role that showcases the breath of Emotion and Reign she can bring to a Performance Ruby Cruz meanwhile Seemingly has a lot of fun as the
Spoiled Warrior Princess whose brother's Kidnapping breaks her out of her Palace-trapped reverie and into the real World while adventuring is at the fore This is a story about Legacy and how we Live it that's true not just in the fact That Willow is itself a sequel but in The journey that each of the heroes take At the heart of many of their stories is Matt martigan played by Val Kilmer in The movie and the impact he had on them It's this connection that introduces two Of the show's standout performances one From a never better Christian Slater and The other from Amar chadhal Patel as mad Spiritual successor Borman he's a Whirlwind of charm quips and well-timed Violence that feels closest to what Kilmer brought to Will hello all those Years ago leaning into the classic Serialized storytelling that has always Shaped lucasfilm this is a wacky and Wonderful adventure of the week series Set in a gorgeously drawn fantasy world It's all driven forward by an Overarching mystery and a party of Heroes that you can't help but care About [Music] John cazden brings an unabashed joy and Passion to Willow his love for the Property shines through making this one Of 2022's most unexpected and Brilliant New series expertly balancing
Accessibility for new viewers and Continuing the story that 80s babies Love with stunning cinematography Charming performances and vibrant Storytelling this feels like Disney Plus At its best for more TV reviews check Out what we thought of Wednesday season 1 and Star Wars tales of the Jedi and For everything else stick with IGN
