Willow on DVD

Scott Hardie | August 24, 2001
"Willow" is one of the few movies that I would define as a guilty pleasure for me: It's a pretty bad movie, but I can't help loving it.

Fox has announced the November release date for the DVD, and I read that it will have the following features: "Special commentaries, an all new documentary on the film's groundbreaking visual effects, the classic "Making of an Adventure" documentary, an effects featurette, original theatrical trailer, TV spots, still photo gallery and more."

That's all good, and I'll probably buy it, but where are the deleted scenes? That movie had lots of them, and they sound pretty good. The High Aldwin counseling Willow not to use a magic acorn on Burglekutt. Madmartigan casting a fire spell on a wall of thorns with Fin Raziel's assistance. Sorsha encountering the King of Tir Asleen in a block of ice and Fin Raziel explaining that it's her real father. There are supposedly eleven deleted scenes in all, but the grandest one involves an encounter with a strange boy. As Willow is rowing the boat to the island to fetch Fin Raziel, a thin and yellow-skinned boy floats to the surface of the lake and warns him not to advance further, since it is dangerous. Willow ignores him, and on the way back, the boy emerges again, but almost standing on the surface of the water this time. Raziel warns Willow that it's no boy, but it's too late, and the boy grows scales and transforms into a huge fish. There's an underwater battle (Warwick Davis discussed filming in a water tank in an interview at the time), and Willow eventually kills the fish-monster by hitting it with an acorn.

Do you know how much I'd pay to see that scene? That and the other scenes are so good that they had damn well better be included on the DVD. From the description, it doesn't sound like it (deleted scenes are always touted high on the list of extras unless they suck), but my fingers are crossed.