We wanted to like Willow, seriously, we tried our little hearts out. In truth, it wasn’t even that bad. There was plenty to celebrate; the art direction for this Disney Plus sequel series was inspired, the set design was incredible, heck, even the costumes were cool. Yet the one thing Willow didn’t have was a convincing story, and when you’re in the business of storytelling, that’s a bad thing.
A follow-up to the Ron Howard-directed, George Lucas-inspired 1988 fantasy classic, Willow won’t be getting a second season — even with an 83 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Warwick Davis even returned as the titular character, Willow Ufgood.
Frankly, this is a show that was caught in the midst of an identity crisis it couldn’t recover from — and ended up paying the ultimate price. Sure, it’s been a strange year for streamers. With lackluster ratings and not-so-savvy business decisions, all the big players in the streaming space have been canceling shows to make way for the future. Scorched Earth-type stuff.
Willow happened to be in the Lucasfilm crosshairs, and they took care of business faster than you can say, “This is the way.“
Introducing new people and places, the biggest problem with this eight-episode story was the tone. One minute, it’s high fantasy; the next, the characters are talking to each other like they’re at your local Starbucks. Which begs the ultimate question — who was this show for?
Unable to tap into the zeitgeist like its predecessor, ultimately, Willow struggled to find the magic. Still, this is and will always be an important IP in the Lucasfilm gallery of genius. With that in mind, and with any luck, perhaps Willow will return. Although how or when remains to be seen.
