There has been a lot of Star Wars chatter recently with the long-awaited return of Ewan McGregor’s Obi Wan Kenobi, but believe it or not: A long time ago in a galaxy (not that far away), George Lucas attempted to recreate the success of Star Wars with another fantasy franchise and was even helped by director Ron Howard.
Willow, starring Warwick Davis as the titular wizard, was released as a feature film in 1988 but unfortunately, didn’t do quite as well at the box-office. Now, 34 years later, the story of Willow is being given another chance and a new Disney+ series is on the way. A trailer for the series was released on this week at the Star Wars: Celebration event in the US.
Welsh viewers, in particular, should feel a sense of ownership of the new series as it was filmed on location in our beloved country. Production took place at Dragon Studios near Llanharan. Wales found itself a big fan in the shape of lead actor, Warwick Davis, who was seen holidaying in Saundersfoot whilst filming the show. You can read more about that here.
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New Disney+ series, Willow, picks up where the original left off but reintroduces us to an older Nelwyn dwarf sorcerer, more akin to Alec Guinness' Obi Wan in Star Wars: A New Hope. Whilst producers are keeping their cards close to their chest when it comes to plot details, an official synopsis for the series reads: “A princess assembles a party to join her on her quest to rescue her twin brother.”
The original 1988 fantasy film tells the story of Willow Ufgood, who must protect an infant, Elora Danan, from an evil queen. The new story takes place 20 years after the original and is set to debut on Disney+ on November 30.
A new trailer, which debuted at Star Wars: Celebration, treated fans to their first glimpse of the series and also confirmed the return of some old favourite characters too. Joanne Whalley’s Sorsha and at least one of the brownies will be making an appearance in the show.
Also included in the cast is Ruby Cruz as Kit, Erin Kellyman as Jade, Ellie Bamber as Dove and Spider-Man star Tony Revolori in an undisclosed role. Warwick Davis’ own daughter, Annabelle, makes a very small cameo in the trailer.
It remains to be seen whether the series will be a hit with fans of the original, but one thing that the trailer does prove is that it is set to, once again, put Wales on the world’s stage. With a whole host of fantastical Welsh locations shown, viewers will no doubt be impressed by the shear scale of Willow. Here are some of the locations used in the series:
Saundersfoot
Actor Warwick Davis clearly loved filming in Saundersfoot, as he was seen enjoying himself there with his family. Specialising in the best of British cuisine while marrying it with tasty Indian spices, The Mulberry (pictured) is found in Saundersfoot Harbour and welcomed Warwick a few times when he was filming Willow.
Tenby
Tenby Castle Beach provided the perfect mythical backdrop that producers were looking for.
Morlais Quarry
Warwick Davis is no stranger to North Wales, having used it in the original 1988 feature-film.
The crew have also been busy at Mynydd Llangynidr Quarry in the Brecon Beacons and also at Pontsticill Reservoir in South Wales.
One character describes how “the world needs [Willow] again” and who are we to argue? Willow begins on Disney+ on November 30.
