WILLOW [1998] [25th Anniversary Edition] [Blu-ray] [1998 / 2013] [UK Release] Experience the Next Great Adventure with this Greatest Magic of all time!
Journey to the far corners of your imagination with ‘WILLOW’ and for the first time ever on Blu-ray! Now fully digitally restored, this release features a dazzling array of extras, including new, never-before-seen exclusive content.
From legendary filmmakers George Lucas and Ron Howard comes a timeless fantasy tale in which heroes comes in all sizes... and adventure is the greatest magic of all. When young Willow Ufgood [Warwick Davis] finds an abandoned baby girl, he learns she is destined to end the reign of the wicked Queen Bavmorda [Jean Marsh]. In order to protect the child, Willow must team up with a rogue swordsman Madmartigan [Val Kilmer] and overcome the forces of darkness in the ultimate battle of good versus evil!
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1989 Academy Awards: Nominated: Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing for Ben Burtt and Richard Hymns. Nominated: Best Effects and Visual Effects for Christopher Evans, Dennis Muren, Michael J. McAlister and Phil Tippett. 1989 Hugo Awards: Nominated: Best Dramatic Presentation for Ron Howard (director), Bob Dolman (screenplay) and George Lucas (screenplay). 1989 Razzie Awards: Nominated: Worst Supporting Actor for Billy Barty. Nominated: Worst Screenplay for Bob Dolman and George Lucas (story). 1989 Young Artist Awards: Nominated: Best Family Motion Picture in a Drama. Nominated: Best Young Actor in a Motion Picture in a Drama for Warwick Davis. 1990 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA: Win: Saturn Award for Best Costumes for Barbara Lane. Nominated: Best Fantasy Film. Nominated: Best Supporting Actress for Jean Marsh. Nominated: Best Performance by a Younger Actor for Warwick Davis. Nominated: Best Special Effects for John Richardson of Industrial Light & Magic [ILM].
FILM FACT No.2: George Lucas conceived the idea for the film ‘WILLOW’ (originally entitled Munchkins) in 1972. Similar in intent to ‘Star Wars,’ where George Lucas created “a number of well-known mythological situations for a young audience.” During the production of ‘Return of the Jedi’ in 1982, George Lucas approached Warwick Davis, who was portraying Wicket the Ewok, about playing Willow Ufgood. Five years passed before Warwick Davis was actually cast in the role. George Lucas said “I thought it would be great to use a little person in a lead role. A lot of my movies are about a little guy against the system, and this was just a more literal interpretation of that idea.” Principal photography began on the 2nd April, 1987, and ended the following October 1998. Interior footage took place at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, England, while location shooting took place in Wales and New Zealand. Some of the waterfalls scenes for the movie were shot at Burney Falls in Northern California, although Powerscourt Waterfall in Ireland was also used for other scenes. Lucasfilm's Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) created the visual effects sequences. The script called for Willow to restore Fin Raziel [Patricia Hayes] from a goat to her human form. Willow recites what he thinks is the appropriate spell, but turns the goat into an ostrich, a peacock, a tortoise and, finally, a tiger, before returning her to normal. ILM supervisor Dennis Muren considered using CGI stop-motion animation for the scene. Dennis Muren also explained that another traditional and practical way in the late 1980’s to execute this sequence would have been through the use of an optical dissolve with cutaways at various stages. Dennis Muren found both stop motion and optical effects to be too technically challenging and decided that the transformation scene would be a perfect opportunity for ILM to create advances with digital morphing technology and proposed filming each animal, and the actress doubling for Patricia Hayes, and then feeding the images into a computer program developed by Doug Smythe. The program would then create a smooth transition from one stage to another before outputting the result back onto film. Doug Smythe began development of the necessary software in September 1987. By March 1988, Dennis Muren and fellow designer David Allen achieved what would represent a breakthrough for computer-generated imagery [CGI].
Cast: Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Warwick Davis, Jean Marsh, Patricia Hayes, Billy Barty, Pat Roach, Gavan O'Herlihy, David Steinberg, Phil Fondacaro, Tony Cox, Robert Gillibrand, Mark Northover, Kevin Pollak, Rick Overton, Maria Holvoe, Julie Peters, Mark Vandebrake, Dawn Downing, Michael Cotterill, Zulema Dene, Joanna Dickens, Jennifer Guy, Ron Tarr, Sallyanne Law, Ruth Greenfield, Kate Greenfield, Edwin Alofs (uncredited), Kenny Baker (uncredited), Michael Henbury Ballan (uncredited), Alan Bennett (uncredited), Hayley Burroughs (uncredited), Peter Burroughs (uncredited), Kenneth Coombs (uncredited), Willie Coppen (uncredited), Sadie Corre (uncredited), Gerry Crampton (uncredited), John Cumming (uncredited), Kim Davis (uncredited), Samantha Davis (uncredited), Malcolm Dixon (uncredited), Margarita Farrell (uncredited), Valerie Gale (uncredited), John Ghavan (uncredited), Rusty Goffe (uncredited), Owain Griffiths (uncredited), Raymond Griffiths (uncredited), Andrew Herd (uncredited), Cheryl Howard (uncredited), Arnold Lee (uncredited), Stéphanie Lhorset (uncredited), Paul Markham (uncredited), Nathan Phillips (uncredited), Greg Powell (uncredited), Nosher Powell (uncredited), Jack Purvis (uncredited), Bob Ramsey (uncredited), Craig Salisbury (uncredited), David Sibley (uncredited), Gerald Staddon (uncredited), Ashley C. Williams (uncredited) and Fred Wood (uncredited)
Director: Ron Howard
Producers: George Lucas, Joe Johnston and Nigel Wooll
Screenplay: Bob Dolman (screenplay) and George Lucas (story)
Composer: James Horner
Costume Designer: Barbara Lane
Industrial Light and Magic Visual Effects: Dennis Muren, Michael McAlister and Phil Tippett
Special Effects Supervisor: John Richardson
Cinematography: Adrian Biddle, B.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Surround Audio
Española: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
François: 5.1 DTS Audio
Castellano: 5.1 DTS Audio
Deutsch: 5.1 DTS Audio
Italiano: 5.1 DTS Audio
Subtitles: English SDH, Española, François, Castellano, Dansk, Netherlands, Suomi, Deutsch, Italiano, Norsk and Svenska
Running Time: 125 minutes
Region: Region Free
Number of discs: 1
Studio: 20th Century Fox / Metro Goldwyn Mayer / Lucasfilm Ltd. / Imagine Entertainment
Andrew's Blu-ray Review: Courage, heroism and greatness comes in all shapes and sizes and from some of the most unexpected places in Ron Howard's ‘WILLOW’ [1998]. From the oft-visionary mind of George Lucas and the CGI wizardry of George Lucas’s Industrial Light & Magic, the family film delivers entertaining popcorn escapism while introducing a host of memorable characters. Brimming with spectacle, enchantment, and a great deal of imagination, the sword-and-sorcery fantasy tale plays out in traditional form as an epic adventure to protect a child destined to defeat an evil witch queen. Keeping strictly to formula leaves little room for surprises. The story is also interrupted by some pacing issues early on, but the journey thankfully ends in satisfying fashion, with plenty of hearty laughs and customary happy reunions.
The story follows Willow Ufgood [Warwick Davis], a lowly farmer with a lovely, caring family, but with aspirations of someday becoming a great and powerful wizard. Unfortunately, our soon-to-be unwitting hero lacks the confidence and mettle to even take a stand against who seems like the tallest person of the village, Burglekutt [Mark Northover]. Also, if we go by the looks of the current village High Aldwin wizard [Billy Barty], Willow Ufgood would need the requisite long white beard, a decorated staff, pointy hat, and probably live a somewhat hermit-like existence. Where does a family fit into all this? What to do when the kids tell dad they're embarrassed he still dresses like a hippie and that he reads from animal bones he's scattered all over the floor? Luckily, Willow Ufgood has a supportive wife Kiaya Ufgood [Julie Peters] who encourages his dreams but is none too happy that he must now venture off into the world.
Willow Ufgood's quest to go beyond the borders of his village begins soon after his children discover a human baby in a nearby river. On his journey to find another human adult with whom to leave the baby, Elora Danan [Kate Greenfield], Willow Ufgood bumps into Val Kilmer, playing a fast-talking, smarmy, and grossly arrogant prisoner who boasts of being a great warrior named Madmartigan [Val Kilmer]. The character is not much of a stretch for someone of Val Kilmer's calibre and he's at his best as a likeable cocky, self-important schmuck, but it's a terrifically memorable performance, arguably on par with the actor's Jim Morrison and Doc Holliday roles. He manages a great balance of slapstick comedy, as romantic interest to Joanne Whalley's warrior Sorsha and as standard inspiring-hero type. More importantly, Val Kilmer has a delightful camaraderie with Warwick Davis that feels genuine and comical, playing off each other with excellent timing which sees neither of the actors as sidekick to the other.
Their friendship grows or rather, is brought together by both a concern for the baby's safety and their slow realisation of a common enemy, played with animated caricature by Jean Marsh. As the villainous evil witch Queen Bavmorda [Jean Marsh] chews up the scenery with an oddly charming exaggeration that almost borders on parody. It's just too over-the-top and amplified to be taken seriously by any measure, particularly when the character looks as if she raided the closets of Maleficent and the Queen from Disney's ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwards.’ Queen Bavmorda's leading henchman General Kael [Pat Roach], with his terrifyingly cool skull helmet, is a bit more developed as a formidable and determined foe, but even he's mostly the obligatory and familiar bad guy who eventually meets his match once the arrogant Madmartigan learns humility and loyalty to a cause.
What makes 'WILLOW' feel largely conventional and routine, which can be viewed both as the film's drawback and strength, is George Lucas borrowing heavily and taking inspiration from some very familiar sources. At times, the story even seems like a reworking of Georhe Lucas' own ‘Star Wars’ mythology, down to the Brownies Rool [Kevin Pollak] and Franjean [Rick Overton] as the bumbling comic relief C-3PO and R2-D2. Nevertheless, director Ron Howard, who was enjoying early success as a filmmaker at the time with ‘Splash’ and ‘Cocoon,’ and does what he can to never let the fantasy-adventure film spiral too far into pastiche. Ron Howard accomplishes an enjoyable piece of entertainment with plenty of laughter and action for the whole family.
* * * * *
Blu-ray Image Quality – 20th Century Fox, Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Imagine Entertainment presents us this Blu-ray disc where it states that it is “Digitally restored and re-mastered” and you know it is as always the usual marketing phrasing and 'WILLOW' bursts onto this Blu-ray with an excellent image presentation, given the film's age and style. The original photography of Adrian Biddle doesn't really lend itself in spectacular fashion to the high-definition format, but the 1080p encoded image is admirable nonetheless and faithful to the source. The majority of the film falls on the softer side of things with the special-effects sequences looking the worst, but overall resolution and definition offers a first-class upgrade over previous home video editions. Fine object details are fairly sharp and strong while textures in clothing and facial complexions offer plenty of rich, distinct clarity. Presented in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio, it is clear some minor enhancements have been made to polish some of the visual effects. But thankfully, it's nothing too intrusive, just an effort to make certain scenes appear cleaner without completely removing their obvious remnants of early, outdated CGI work. The transfer comes with a consistent, very-fine layer of grain throughout, giving the image an appreciable cinematic feel. Colours are bold and cleanly-rendered. It's not a very dramatic palette, favouring the softer pastel hues and earth tones, but primaries are energetic and attractive. Contrast is well-balanced and brilliant with crisp, clean whites, which is particularly noticeable during the sled escape down a snowy mountain. Black levels are deep and true with excellent shadow detailing, making this high-definition presentation that is very easy one to love.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – 20th Century Fox, Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Imagine Entertainment brings us this Blu-ray and the real surprise it is definitely a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio sound track, which is simply spectacular. Some digital tweaking and tinkering has taken place, which amazingly improves upon the overall quality of the design for the better. Most apparent is the endless amount of activity in the rears, delivering plenty of discrete and convincing atmospherics. From the constant noise of the surrounding wildlife to arrows landing behind the listener and fire swooshing across the room, and the sound mix is splendidly immersive and highly engaging. James Horner's musical score also spreads into the back with very little effort, further enhancing and expanding the sound field. In the front, dynamic range is remarkably broad and extensive with stunning separation between the mids and highs. You can clearly make out each note and instrument in the orchestration, and the continuous clarity in the sword fighting while a two-headed monster shoots fire at terrified soldiers is astounding for a movie of this age and there's never the slightest hint of distortion or noise in the upper ranges. The low-end is incredibly responsive and accurate with a robust punchiness that adds depth to the music and serious weight to action sequences. Dialogue is precise and intelligible at all times. With a detailed and well-balanced soundstage that keeps viewers entertained, and 'WILLOW' performs its magic on this Blu-ray disc with this excellent and enveloping high-resolution audio track.
* * * * *
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: ‘WILLOW’ Deleted Scenes with Ron Howard [2013] [1080p / 480i] [1.78:1 / 1.37:1 / 2.39:1] [12:32] With this featurette, Ron Howard informs us, “That ‘WILLOW’ was my first big cinematic adventure,” and goes onto explain in this short making-of documentary and we get to view some behind-the-scene on location filming of ‘WILLOW’ and we also get to view some of the film's deleted scenes, including a whole subplot entitled Sorsha's Father; a dazzling troll sleight-of-hand magic entitled Bridge Troll Magic and a deleted scene entitled Fish Boy that Ron Howard says the sequence was too difficult to pull off with the then-contemporary VFX.
Special Feature: ‘WILLOW’ – The Making of An Adventure [2013 / 1998] [1080p / 480i] [1.78:1 / 1.37:1] [23:29] With this featurette, we get to view this 1988 television special on the behind-the-scenes activity making the film ‘WILLOW’ where Ron Howard discussing the film’s story and says how the film industry has changed in his lifetime, especially now he is a director, and was inspired and helped by George Lucas, and showing us the location filming in London, Wales, and New Zealand, and the innovative effects work by Industrial Light & Magic bringing it all together. Contributors include: Don La Fontaine [Narrator], Ron Howard [Director], George Lucas [Executive Producer], Warwick Davis [Willow Ufgood], Val Kilmer [Madmartigan], Rick Overton [Franjean aka Brownie], Kevin Pollak [Rool aka Brownie], Joanne Whalley [Sorsha], Jeremy Zimmermann [Casting Director], Nick Dudman [Self-Make-Up / Creature Designer], Nigel Wooll [Producer], John Bernard [Location Manager for New Zealand], Dennis Muren [Visual Effects] and Phil Tippett [Visual Effects].
Special Feature: From Morf to Morphing: The Dawn of Digital Filmmaking [2001 / 2013] [1080p / 480i] [1.78:1 2.39:1 / 1.37:1] [17:24] With this featurette, we get to meet Visual Effects Supervisor Dennis Muren at George Lucas’s ILM who has also worked on ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘Terminator 2’ and among many other films introduces a documentary about the Industrial Light & Magic's effects shots in the film ‘WILLOW’ and specifically the start of using computer effects and truly documenting the dawn of digital technology in filmmaking. We also get to view lots of behind-the-scene filming at the Industrial Light and Magic and seeing how they produce all the special effects for the film ‘WILLOW,’ Contributors include: Dennis Muren, A.S.C. [Senior Visual Effects Supervisor], George Lucas [Executive Producer] (archive footage), Patricia Blau [Senior V.P. of Production, ILM], Ron Howard [Director], Douglas Smythe [Associate Visual Effects Supervisor], George H. Joblove [ILM Computer Graphics Division / Former] (archive footage), Thomas Rosseter [ILM Optical] (archive footage) and James Cameron [Filmmaker].
Special Feature: ‘WILLOW’ – An Unlikely Hero and Personal Video Diary of Warwick Davis [2013] [1080p / 480i] [2.39:1 / 1.78:1] [10:53] With this featurette, Warwick Davis [Willow] and reminisces and talks fondly of his time on the set of ‘WILLOW’ and doing some of his own stunts while also sharing his personal video diary, which he shot on his personal video camcorder. Warwick Davis also informs us that he felt Willow Ufgood was someone who was able to achieve something against all the odds, and that he is smaller than anyone else, but takes on this huge adventure and who he thought was an unlikely hero. We also get to view lots of clips from the film ‘WILLOW’ with Warwick Davis in those particular scenes. We also get to view a scene with Warwick Davis in a scene in the film ‘Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.’ We also get to view lots of extracts from the Personal Video Diary of Warwick Davis.
Special Feature: ‘WILLOW’ Matte Paintings Gallery [2013] [1080p] [1.78:1 / 2.39:1] [1:09] With this featurette, we get to view a collection of wonderful colourful matte paintings and also the final composite shot montages with the ‘WILLOW’ film's combined matte paintings with music.
Finally, 'WILLOW' remains a delightful and entertaining fantasy adventure for the whole family, with memorable performances from Val Kilmer and Warwick Davis. Celebrating its 25th Anniversary, director Ron Howard's film succeeds by not spiralling into pastiche and manages to keep the story afloat with a satisfying yet predictable conclusion. The Blu-ray arrives with great picture quality and a highly-impressive audio presentation. Supplements have been ported over from previous Blu-ray versions, but this high-definition edition also offers a couple new surprises, making the package one fans will surely want to pick up. 20th Century Fox's Blu-ray re-master is itself the stuff of legend and a near-perfect transfer of a 1980’s release and the Blu-ray disc includes lots of fun special features, including some rarely seen deleted scenes and Warwick Davis’ charming video diaries, and is especially ideal for all age groups. Again like other films of this era that I saw in the cinema, I loved 'WILLOW' when released and now I love 'WILLOW' even more, as the magic is still there and has been brought back to life again with this stunning Blu-ray treatment and such an honour to have it in my Blu-ray Collection. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
