Willow

Though Willow was one of director Ron Howard's few box-office disappointments, it definitely deserves a second look. At once an epic celebration and a gentle spoof of the "sword and sorcery" genre, the film concerns the efforts by little person Willow (Warwick Davis) to protect a sacred infant from the machinations of a wicked queen. One source book has assessed the picture as a combination of The Ten Commandments and Snow White. This is true enough, except that neither one of those properties offered such offbeat casting choices as Billy Barty and Jean Marsh. Executive producer George Lucas has (through the conduit of screenwriter Bob Dolman) added elements of his own Star Wars saga to the stew. The results are generally satisfactory, though the film is sometimes weighed down by too much plot, and the action sequences may not be suitable for very young children. Incidentally, this is the film where costar Val Kilmer met his future wife Joanne Whalley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Back in the 1980s, in the wake of such productions as Conan the Barbarian, fantasy films reigned supreme. Krull, Legend, The Beastmaster, Labyrinth, all of the countless Italian-made rip-offs like Lucio Fulci's Conquest or Joe D'Amato's numerous Ator endurance tests -- were just a few of the films that rode the success of the trend. None of them were colossal artistic or financial hits when released, so when George Lucas and Ron Howard collaborated on the epic-fantasy film Willow, expectations were very high indeed. Unfortunately, Willow didn't shake the foundations of the film world. It did not become another Star Wars, as many had predicted it would. But over the years, time has been kind to poor Willow, and its appeal as a much-watched family film has grown every year. 20th Century Fox's DVD is sure to please fans of the film. The disc is offered in its proper theatrical aspect ratio (2.35:1 enhanced) and it has been given a thunderous 5.1 Dolby Surround track as well as a two-channel option. The picture is excellent throughout -- crisp, colorful, and the widescreen framing really brings out the old-fashioned epic style of its filmmaking more than previous pan-and-scan video offerings. The disc has also been given a commentary track with star Warwick Davis, who plays the title character. Davis is delightful and is obviously proud of his participation in the production (he should be). There are some dropouts with his commentary, especially toward the end, but for the most part his comments are amusing, informative, and entertaining. Davis talks at length about the film's sometimes arduous production, his relationship with co-star Val Kilmer, and the difference of working with Ron Howard and George Lucas, among other things. He also mentions the filmed -- although it was later deleted --- storm scene that unfortunately is not available on the disc. The disc also contains more TV and theatrical trailers than you could possibly want, a lengthy production featurette, Back in the 1980s, in the wake of such productions as Conan the Barbarian, fantasy films reigned supreme. Krull, Legend, The Beastmaster, Labyrinth, all of the countless Italian-made rip-offs like Lucio Fulci's Conquest or Joe D'Amato's numerous Ator endurance tests -- were just a few of the films that rode the success of the trend. None of them were colossal artistic or financial hits when released, so when George Lucas and Ron Howard collaborated on the epic-fantasy film Willow, expectations were very high indeed. Unfortunately, Willow didn't shake the foundations of the film world. It did not become another Star Wars, as many had predicted it would. But over the years, time has been kind to poor Willow, and its appeal as a much-watched family film has grown every year. 20th Century Fox's DVD is sure to please fans of the film. The disc is offered in its proper theatrical aspect ratio (2.35:1 enhanced) and it has been given a thunderous 5.1 Dolby Surround track as well as a two-channel option. The picture is excellent throughout -- crisp, colorful, and the widescreen framing