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Willow

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews

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70

USER SCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 178 Ratings

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2.7

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2.7	Your Score
2.7	User Score Generally unfavorable reviews based on 178 Ratings

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Willow: Special Look

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Willow

Series Details & Credits

Disney+ | Release Date: November 30, -0001

Summary: Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) leads a disparate group of heroes to help save the world in this television sequel series to George Lucas's 1988 film "Willow."

Genre(s): Drama, Action & Adventure, Fantasy

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Stream On

Recent Episodes

tbd
S1:E8. Children of the Wyrm
Air Date: November 30, -0001
7.5
S1:E7. Beyond the Shattered Sea
Air Date: November 30, -0001
7.5
S1:E6. Prisoners of Skellin
Air Date: November 30, -0001

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

70

Positive:

15

Mixed:

6

Negative:

1

Critic Reviews

100

Collider Maggie Boccella

Nov 29, 2022

Season 1 Review: Willow is, ultimately, a rare treat, the fantasy answer to Top Gun: Maverick that gives fans everything they want and even more. Read full review

90

Decider

Meghan O'Keefe

Nov 30, 2022

Season 1 Review: We finally have a sequel that continues the Willow saga with the heart and soul the story deserves. Disney+‘s new series Willow is a raggedy, hilarious, and absolutely enchanting continuation of the Lucasfilm cult classic. Instead of wallowing in “grimdark” imagery or losing itself tripping over unnecessary mystery boxes, Willow embraces the joy of its source material. Willow is a tour de force of fun and fantasy frivolity. Read full review

80

Salon

Melanie McFarland

Nov 30, 2022

Season 1 Review: I still wish that "Willow" were as consistently electric from the start as it eventually becomes from the third episode onward. Then again, if "Willow" takes a couple of episodes to find its greatness, perhaps the story's spirit dictates that is as it should be. Read full review

72

CNET Richard Trenholm

Nov 30, 2022

Season 1 Review: A welcome blend of clanging swords and comedy (with some spooky bits to make the kids jump). Read full review

70

RogerEbert.com Clint Worthington

Nov 30, 2022

Season 1 Review: In lesser hands, this could fall flat on its face, so it’s a pleasant surprise to find just how easily it all goes down. Each member of the ensemble gets their chance to shine, both individually and when paired off. ... But any time we stray from our likable ensemble into the dirty business of the adventure, the show starts to lose steam. Read full review

60

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Rob Owen

Nov 30, 2022

Season 1 Review: The new “Willow” feels a little fan-fiction-y. Some will surely lap it up, but I can’t imagine this series, despite its big budget, registering in the pop culture zeitgeist in the same way “Star Wars” and Marvel shows on Disney+ sometimes do. Read full review

25

The Playlist Marya E. Gates

Nov 30, 2022

Season 1 Review: Ultimately, “Willow” is an underdeveloped legacy sequel that somehow stretches the source material to its breaking point, while never reaching the same heights of good old-fashioned fun that a fantasy epic should have at its heart. By chopping up the story into tedious, overlong episodes, the magic has been bleached from its bones, leaving behind a rotting corpse that resembles its inspiration on the surface only. Read full review

SEE ALL 22 REVIEWS

Write a Review

2.7

User Reviews

10

nylsenmajk

Dec 3, 2022

Excellent. I immediately fell in love with the characters. I'm really looking forward to the next series. Finally a fantasy show with heart. 84% on Rottentomatoes. Huge viewership on disney plus

4 of 31 users found this helpful427

10

arekusu

Jan 11, 2023

For people looking for a well made show that feels right out of a young-adult fantasy novel, this is probably the best live action fantasy TV series I've ever seen (and truly, I've watched almost all of them, haha). It has a lot of comedy and doesn't worrying about focusing on grimdark loreFor people looking for a well made show that feels right out of a young-adult fantasy novel, this is probably the best live action fantasy TV series I've ever seen (and truly, I've watched almost all of them, haha). It has a lot of comedy and doesn't worrying about focusing on grimdark lore and violence. Almost like Avatar: The Last Airbender in tone, it manages to balance comedy, wonder, and deeper themes about life in an unusually good coming of age adventure.

It's not as amazing a show overall as the early seasons of Game of Thrones, but nothing in the live action fantasy genre is. Willow's strength is that it's a completely different type of fantasy story focused on fun characters, comedic banter, and a feeling of adventure as you travel through a strange new world. Given that the classic movie had a silly tone throughout and was, above all, a series of cool filmmaking set pieces with a plot that sometimes seemed like an afterthought, they've done a good job here.

Scrolling through the user reviews, it once again seems like most of the negative reviews are just review bombs trying to tank the score with a big fat 0. Do people not realize that this just makes the user review average useless? A lot of the review bombers seem to be complaining about something called "wokeness" which seems to mean something like... letting black actors play characters in a fantasy world? Good times guys.

That said, I'm sure there are people who prefer grimdark fantasy and are disappointed by the lighthearted, young-adult-fantasy tone of this story that is about 50% comedy, 30% adventure and mystery, 10% fight scenes and 10% innocent romance. For those folks there's already watching the first 5-7 seasons of Game of Thrones... and then making up your own ending. Does anyone really expect a more serious tone in a follow up to the movie Willow?… Expand

1 of 5 users found this helpful14

3

night4

Dec 4, 2022

This isn't "Willow". It's "angsty teens with Willow as a minor character".

I don't understand who the target audience is, but it sure isn't anyone I've ever met.

13 of 16 users found this helpful133

1

rylege

Dec 4, 2022

Once again, Disney has managed to ruin another classic. I remember going to the theater in 1988 to see Willow. I was 13. It was epic, magical, and very important to my childhood. Now Jonathan Kasdan has decided to take this beloved classic and use it as a vehicle for identity politics,Once again, Disney has managed to ruin another classic. I remember going to the theater in 1988 to see Willow. I was 13. It was epic, magical, and very important to my childhood. Now Jonathan Kasdan has decided to take this beloved classic and use it as a vehicle for identity politics, catering to the smallest percentages of our population. Fantasy should be about entertaining, not preaching socio-political talking points. It should be about writing circumstances relatable to the vast majority of the population. Instead, we get unrelatable relationships placed at the forefront, relegating Willow and the tale as mere background noise. In addition, it's poorly written, using modern teenage dialogue and cheap, plastic-looking sets and costumes. So what classic is next on Disney's hit list?… Expand

11 of 15 users found this helpful114

0

metacriticsur

Jan 23, 2023

I waited so I could watch the entire season. I couldn't make it past episode 3. How are these people still employed. RIP Willow ip you killed it.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

0

Mal81

Dec 12, 2022

Honestly, I had been looking forward to watching this quite a bit. I was a kid when the original came out, I remember running around Backyards choosing who got to be Mad Mardigan, sticks for swords and wands, all that. The beautiful score by James Horner, story by George Lucas, andHonestly, I had been looking forward to watching this quite a bit. I was a kid when the original came out, I remember running around Backyards choosing who got to be Mad Mardigan, sticks for swords and wands, all that. The beautiful score by James Horner, story by George Lucas, and Direction by Ron Howard it's like.... why did you do this?

This show starts off as garbage like RIGHT away. It starts off like a bad, overly colorful and saturated CW show. The tone is NOTHING, and I mean absolutely NOTHING like the original. The characters are vapid and bland, chosen clearly for their looks and not their acting ability, and The gritty, often ugly Medieval fantasy world of the original film is completely absent.

And here's the part that plenty of internet warriors will come out straight away and say "SEE, it's just because they're a biggot that they didn't like it" but no, I'm sorry, this was NOT an lgbtq story, it just wasn't. Tossing it in as the front and center reason to watch, it's like... who is this for? It's clearly not for me, who grew up with the story, and I would imagine I ought to be the target audience for the nostalgia factor. Inclusion is great, and multicultural diversity is great, all of that, but NOT when it's hijacking an existing story to be a vehicle for it. TONS of content exists for that demographic without taking our childhood stories and applying "woke" to them.… Expand

9 of 12 users found this helpful93

0

dubhlaidh

Nov 30, 2022

Terrible writing. Specifically the dialog is mostly junk. The story had some good points but overall it still needed work. Also suffers from some very bad scene writing. It's not a 0... but I did cancel my disney+ membership right after I watched it... ugh.

(ep 1-2 only, I ~might~ watchTerrible writing. Specifically the dialog is mostly junk. The story had some good points but overall it still needed work. Also suffers from some very bad scene writing. It's not a 0... but I did cancel my disney+ membership right after I watched it... ugh.

(ep 1-2 only, I ~might~ watch more and update this later... but atm I'm leaning towards bowing out)… Expand

23 of 28 users found this helpful235

SEE ALL 98 REVIEWS

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Seasons & Episodes

70

Series Overview
Season 1

70
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: November 30, 2022
- tbd
  S1:E8. Children of the Wyrm
  Air Date: November 30, -0001
- 7.5
  S1:E7. Beyond the Shattered Sea
  Air Date: November 30, -0001
- 7.5
  S1:E6. Prisoners of Skellin
  Air Date: November 30, -0001
- 7.5
  S1:E5. Wildwood
  Air Date: November 30, -0001
- 7.5
  S1:E4. The Whispers of Nockmaar
  Air Date: November 30, -0001
- tbd
  S1:E3. The Battle of the Slaughtered Lamb
  Air Date: November 30, -0001