The wait is finally over! The long-awaited sequel to the 1988 movie Willow is now on Disney+. Fans of the original will be excited to see what new adventures await in this brand-new show. Here’s what you can look forward to.

A brand-new ORIGINAL story

Nope, this isn’t another remake. The show is set 20 years after the movie and follows a grown-up version of Willow. In the original film, Willow is a reluctant young hero who must protect an infant princess from the evil queen. In the new series, Willow is now an adult, with a wife and two children, but he faces new challenges as he tries to defend his magical kingdom.

It’s been a long time coming

Fans have been clamoring for a sequel for over 30 years, and they will finally be able to see the characters they love on the small screen. Warwick Davis and Joanne Whalley are returning to reprise their roles of Willow and Sorsha, as will Kevin Pollak and Rick Overton as the nine-inch Brownies.

In the global press conference, Davis shared that it was after meeting screenwriter Jon Kasdan on the set of Solo (where he played six different roles) that the sequel for Willow started to finally materialize.

“[Fans have been] constantly pestered me, saying ‘when are we going to see a sequel to that movie?’ And it’s a question that I could never answer. Until I met Jon Kasdan, who I understood was also a fan. And I wondered on the set of Solo who had let him onto set. You know, no fans allowed here, because he was obsessed, talking about Willow.”

After Kasdan championed the sequel, the studio understood what he wanted to do, and it was decided that there should be more Willow.

Soooo… where did we leave off?

Just in case you didn’t watch the original movie, here’s a quick synopsis:

After discovering a baby in a basket, farmer’s son Willow Ufgood joins forces with Madmartigan, a roguish and boastful warrior, to save the infant from the evil Queen Bavmorda . Joined by warrior princess Sorsha, two nine-inch imps, and the sorceress Fin Raziel, Willow and Madmartigan go on an epic journey (fighting off an army of monsters along the way) to protect the baby.

In the upcoming series, Willow faces a much larger and more dangerous task — he has to save the entire world from impending doom. Leading a group of misfits, Willow will use his special magical powers to take on forces he never even knew existed.

Is watching the original movie a prerequisite?

Because Willow follows many conventions of the epic fantasy genre, watching the 1988 film isn’t a must to follow the story. However, doing so does lend give the series’ viewer more appreciation of places and moments that reference the movie. Davis shared that he enjoyed also those callbacks immensely:

“One of the most enjoyable things about the series was really those call backs to events that had happened in the film. You know, times that when I as a character talk about those events, and that was a really fun way of looking back at those things, and certainly I think, I think fans will get a kick out of.

“We went back to locations, environments that we’d already been to in the film. In particular, Nock maar was one of those particular places,that for me really kind of gave me the shivers.  know, there I am kind of standing or sitting somewhere that Bavmorda would have sat, and you know, still kind of felt her presence in that area.”

You’ll probably want to watch the film, even after watching the series. So here’s some good news: it’s also on Disney+.

What is it about?

When Prince Airk gets kidnapped, his twin sister Princess Kit (played by Ruby Cruz), takes it upon herself to come to his rescue. She is joined on her quest by a ragtag group of misfits: her best friend, knight-in-training Jade (Erin Kellyman); kitchenmaid Dove (Ellie Bamber); scholar Graydon (Tony Revolori); thief and swordsman Boorman (Amar Chadha-Patel); and Willow himself.

Epic fantasy with a modern twist

Willow is an epic period fantasy, but its modern sensibility makes it accessible and enjoyable for viewers of all ages. It was a challenge to get the balance between the epic fantasy and the contemporary tone, but Kasdan says that having Davis in the cast was a great help:

“The great weapon we had with us was Warwick, who just lent the whole universe of Willow credibility. And the moment you see him on screen, you suddenly believe these six other foolish kids could somehow fit into that world, and really inhabit it.”

Relatable characters

Because of the diverse cast of characters, even someone completely new to the Willow universe will find something to connect to.

“[Kasdan] wrote every single character to have, you know, multiple layers, and we all got to play and have fun with them, and they’re very unique,” says Tony Revolori. “You can sit around with your family and watch, and point and go, ‘you’re like him, you’re like him, or her,’”

“One of my favourite things about the show is that no character has it figured out at all,” adds Amar Chadha-Patel. “And that is so true to life. The entire quest is not justa physical one to, you know, rescue someone, it’s also about us figuring out what the hell we’re doing.”

Where’s Madmartigan?

Though many of the cast from the original film will be reprising their roles, Val Kilmer won’t appear in the series. However, Kasdan says that Madmartigan’s presence will be felt in the series:

“The search for Madmartigan, and the question of what had happened to him was right at the heart of the story we were telling. And we knew that it would be woven into this quest in a fundamental way, really, to see where he was and what had become of him, and what he’d given up.”

Kilmer wasn’t actually written out of the series until just before production. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kasdan shares that in spite of Kilmer’s struggle with throat cancer, he had wanted Kilmer to come back. “We really wanted Val to come be in the show,” Kasdan tells EW. “And Val really wanted to come out and be in the show.”

However, because of the pandemic, Kilmer couldn’t make it to production, and so Kasdan had to find a way to preserve the story without Kilmer’s involvement. To do that, Kasdan added “this texture of a friend of Madmartigan’s” via a character played by Christian Slater. How will that play out, exactly? You’ll have to watch to find out.

You can now stream Willow, exclusively on Disney+. Get your popcorn ready, it’s time for a magical adventure!