I watched this movie when I was in grade school. Well I'm 29 and it's been a long time. Remember when VHS was still on its popularity in house holds? I can't exactly recall the title of this movie but what made me remember this movie is the name of the child "Elora." I can hardly forget her name.
Willow is a 1988 American fantasy film directed
by Ron Howard, produced and with a story by George Lucas, and starring Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Jean Marsh, and Billy Barty. Davis plays the eponymous lead character and
hero: a reluctant farmer who plays a critical role in protecting a special baby
from a tyrannical queen in a sword and sorcery setting.
Lucas
conceived the idea for Willow in 1972, approaching Howard to direct
during the post-production phase
of Cocoon in
1985. Lucas believed he and Howard shared a relationship similar to the one
Lucas enjoyed with Steven Spielberg. Bob Dolman was
brought in to write the screenplay, coming up with seven drafts before
finishing in late 1986. Willow was then set up at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and principal photography began in April 1987, finishing the
following October.
The
majority of filming took place at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, England, as well as Wales and New Zealand. Industrial Light
& Magic created
the visual effects sequences, which led to a revolutionary breakthrough with
digital morphing technology. Willow was released in May 1988 to mixed
reviews from critics, but was a modest financial success and received two Academy Award nominations.
Plot
Fearful of a prophecy
stating that a girl child will be born to bring about her downfall, the evil
Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh) imprisons all
pregnant women within her realm, the formidable stronghold of Nockmaar. The
child, Elora Danan, is born in the Nockmaar dungeons and identified
as the prophesied child by a birthmark on her arm.
Before the black sorceress arrives to claim the
child, Elora's mother convinces her reluctant midwife to escape with the baby.
Bavmorda sends her daughter Sorsha (Joanne Whalley) and General Kael (Pat Roach), the leader of her army, after the midwife to
retrieve Elora. After a long pursuit, Nockmaar hounds finally catch up with the
midwife. Knowing she can't escape, she puts the baby on a makeshift raft and
sends it downstream, trusting fate to run its course, just before she is caught
and torn apart by the hounds. The child washes up on shore near a village
inhabited by a race of dwarf-like people called Nelwyns (derisively called
"pecks" by humans) and is found by the children of Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis), a farmer and amateur conjurer. Willow is at first reluctant to
take in the baby, but eventually comes to care for her.
The next day, Willow and
his children attend a celebration in their village and Willow takes part in a
'test of magic' to become the apprentice to the village's wizard. During the
celebration, a Nockmaar hound that was tracking the baby attacks the village.
Once the cause of the attack is found, Willow is chosen by the town council to
return the child to the world of the "large people," or Daikini
(humans). The first Daikini that
Willow comes upon is a
boastful warrior named Madmartigan (Val Kilmer), being held captive in a "crow's cage" by the side of the road for theft. Seeing a way
to escape his cage, Madmartigan offers to take care of the baby. During their
interaction, they meet the retreating army of the kingdom of Galladoorn, which
was recently destroyed by Bavmorda, under the leadership of Madmartigan's old
friend Airk Thaughbaer, an officer in the army. Willow entrusts the baby to
Madmartigan, but on his way home, Willow is attacked by a clan of brownies, who stole the
baby from Madmartigan. Willow is taken to the fairy queen of the forest,
Cherlindrea (Maria Holvöe),
who tells him that the baby, Elora Danan, has chosen Willow to be her guardian.
She gives Willow her magic wand and commissions him to find the sorceress Fin
Raziel, with two of her brownies, Franjean and Rool, acting as his guides.
Along the way, they bump into Madmartigan again, who helps them escape from Sorsha.
Willow and the rest of
the group finally meet Fin Raziel (Patricia Hayes), only to find that the sorceress has been
turned into a possum by Bavmorda. Soon afterwards Sorsha captures
Willow and the others, and they start the long trek to Nockmaar castle. In a
mountain camp, Willow attempts to use magic to turn Fin Raziel back into her
human form, but transforms her into a Rookinstead. Franjean and
Rool cause further mayhem when they accidentally expose Madmartigan to a fairy
love dust they are carrying, which makes him become infatuated with Sorsha, but
eventually they manage to escape.
The group arrives at the
castle of Tir Asleen, which has been put under Bavmorda's spell; all its
inhabitants are frozen in ice. Madmartigan, refusing to give up hope, prepares
for Sorsha's attack while Willow once again fails to transform Raziel into
human form, this time turning her into a goat. Sorsha, Kael, and their army arrive and give battle.
Willow encounters a few trolls, and after a botched magic spell, transforms one
into a giant two-headed monster (the "Eborsisk"). Luckily, the
remnants of the Army of Galladoorn arrive just in time to help their friends.
Amidst the melee, Sorsha finally realizes her love for Madmartigan. Kael,
however, seizes Elora and takes her to Nockmaar.
The heroes set up camp
at Nockmaar, preparing to storm the castle in a final attempt to rescue Elora.
Bavmorda turns most of the soldiers (including Madmartigan) into pigs, but Raziel teaches Willow how to
protect himself from the spell. Willow finally returns Raziel to human form,
and the sorceress is able to transform the soldiers back to people. Since
Nockmaar's walls seem impenetrable, all despair until Willow proposes a trick
to get them inside. In the morning, Raziel and Willow alone provoke the
Nockmaar army into attacking them. As the Nockmaar army abandons the security
of the castle, Airk's army comes out of hiding from under tents and pits,
ambushing them and gaining access to the castle.
While Madmartigan, Airk,
and his soldiers battle Kael and the Nockmaar army in the courtyard, Willow,
Raziel and Sorsha ascend the castle's main tower trying to locate Elora. They
find Bavmorda in the process of initiating an evil ritual that will banish
Elora's body and soul to a nether-realm. Below, Kael kills Airk, then engages
Madmartigan in a lengthy battle, which ends with Madmartigan killing the
General. After a lengthy magical battle between Raziel and Bavmorda, Willow,
using his sleight-of-hand trick, saves Elora and causes Bavmorda to get caught
in her own ritual, banishing her own body and soul. Willow leaves the baby in
the care of Madmartigan and Sorsha at the castle of Tir Asleen and returns home
to his beloved family with a special gift: a spellbook from Raziel, which helps
him develop his own magical abilities.
Cast
- Warwick Davis as Willow Ufgood: A reluctant Nelwyn dwarf and aspiring sorcerer who plays a critical role in protecting infant Elora Danan from the evil queen Bavmorda.
- Val Kilmer as Madmartigan: A boasting mercenary swordsman who helps Willow on his quest. In the film (further explained in the film's novelization) it is partly revealed that he is a disgraced knight from the kingdom of Galladoorn.
- Kate and Ruth Greenfield and Kristen Lang as Elora Danan: An infant princess that prophecy says will bring about Queen Bavmorda's downfall.
- Joanne Whalley as Sorsha: Warrior daughter of Bavmorda. In the film's novelization, her father is revealed as the king of Tir Asleen, which becomes a further factor for Sorsha to turn against her mother.
- Jean Marsh as Queen Bavmorda: Villainous ruler of Nockmaar and mother of Sorsha.
- Patricia Hayes as Fin Raziel: Aging sorceress who is turned into a possum[2][3] due to a curse by Bavmorda.
- Billy Barty as The High Aldwin: Nelwyn wizard who commissions Willow to go on his journey.
- Pat Roach as General Kael: Villainous associate to Queen Bavmorda and high commander of her army.
- Gavan O'Herlihy as Airk Thaughbaer: Military commander of the (destroyed) kingdom of Galladoorn who shares a mixed friendship with Madmartigan.
- Maria Holvöe as Cherlindrea: Fairy queen who resides in the forest and updates Willow on the importance of his quest.
- Kevin Pollak and Rick Overton as Rool and Franjean: Brownie duo who also serve as comic reliefs in Willow's journey.
- David J. Steinberg as Meegosh: Willow's closest friend who accompanies Willow partway on his journey.
- Mark Northover as Burglekutt: Leader of the Nelwyn village council who maintains a running enmity with Willow.
- Phil Fondacaro as Vohnkar: Nelwyn warrior who also accompanies Willow on his journey.
- Julie Peters as Kaiya Ufgood: Wife of Willow. Kaiya is a loving mother and enthusiastic in caring for Elora.
- Tony Cox as a Nelwyn warrior.
Click the photo to watch the movie.
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