Willow (1988)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
An aspiring magician and a disaffected warrior must team up to protect a baby princess from an evil queen.
The story
The evil sorceress Queen Bavmorda of Nockmaar hears of a prophecy that a child with a special rune birthmark will bring about her downfall. She imprisons all pregnant women in her realm. The child is born, but her mother persuades the midwife Ethna to smuggle the baby out of the castle. When the baby is found by the family of aspiring sorcerer Willow Ufgood, they take her in. After a Nockmaar hound attacks the village, Willow and other volunteers set out with the baby to find a suitable family. Along the way, they encounter a mercenary named Madmartigan, who joins their quest to protect the child from the pursuing forces of the evil queen.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After the baby Elora Danan is smuggled out of the castle, she is found by Willow Ufgood and his family. They set out to find her a home, eventually joining forces with the mercenary Madmartigan. Along their journey, they encounter various magical beings, including the Fairy Queen Cherlindrea, who gives Willow a magic wand. They face various obstacles, including a quest to find the enchantress Fin Raziel, who was turned into a possum by Bavmorda. During their travels, they are pursued by the forces of the evil queen, including her daughter Sorsha and General Kael. After several skirmishes and magical mishaps, the group reaches the land of Tir Asleen, which is overrun by trolls. In the final confrontation at Nockmaar Castle, Willow and his allies face Bavmorda. Willow uses his magic to trick the queen, leading her to accidentally banish herself. The land is restored, and Willow returns home to his family in triumph.
- First release year
- 1988
- Runtime (minutes)
- 126
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ron Howard
- Writers
- Bob Dolman · screenplay; George Lucas · story
- Cast and characters
- Warwick Davis · Willow Ufgood; Val Kilmer · Madmartigan; Joanne Whalley · Sorsha; Billy Barty · not specified; Jean Marsh · Bavmorda
- Genres
- fantasy; adventure
- Themes
- heroism; friendship; magic
- Tone and mood
- fantasy; adventure
- Setting
- A fantasy land featuring a village of Nelwyn, the kingdom of Tir Asleen, and the castle of Nockmaar.
- Premise and plot tags
- fantasy; adventure; quest
- Source material / true-story basis
- Original story by George Lucas
- Franchise connections
- Willow
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 47 · scale: 100 · review count: 12
- Awards and nominations
- Best Costume Design · Saturn Awards · 16th · won; Best Performance by a Younger Actor · Saturn Awards · 16th · nominated; Best Supporting Actress · Saturn Awards · 16th · nominated; Best Fantasy Film · Saturn Awards · 16th · lost; Best Dramatic Presentation · Hugo Award · lost; Worst Screenplay · Golden Raspberry Awards · 9th · nominated; Worst Supporting Actor · Golden Raspberry Awards · 9th · nominated
- Production trivia
- The film featured a breakthrough in digital morphing technology.; The character of General Kael was named after film critic Pauline Kael.; The two-headed dragon was named 'Eborsisk' after critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…