Willow (2018 film)

Willow is a 2018 computer-animated film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. Directed by Catherine Yuh Rader (in her feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Tony Gilroy, the film stars the voice of Sandra Bullock as a titular character. The film tells a story of Willow, a lady who sees a threat in her village and must find a way to stop it before it's too late.

The film was theatrically released in the United States on April 6, 2018, by Universal Pictures. The film receives generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $478 million worldwide.

Plot
In an unknown village, a kind lady Willow dreams of saving the village. She attempts to run her music career, only to end up singing horribly. Meanwhile, Rob visits the village and warns the villagers that Taufer may destroy the village soon. The villagers don't believe what Rob said, which ends up to his disappointment. While Willow was taking notes of singing, she realizes that she sang horribly when she never remembers the musical notes. She doesn't want to be on stage if she doesn't sing too well. Her parents tells her to improve.

Willow then starts her own journey by searching for an assistant that would help her sing better, but she was warned by her parents that going out might be dangerous. She met Rob while going out from her village. He warns her that the village might be in danger due to Taufer's evil plan. However, Willow doesn't believe what he said, but he explains his whole story about Taufer destroying his village before Rob managed to escape. She makes a deal with him while continuing the journey. They both met Clint, who is a master in any skills, including singing. Meanwhile, Taufer is planning to destroy Willow's village after Rob's.

Back to the master academy, Willow managed to not only improved her singing, but also learning to save the village. She thanks Clint for her help and she goes back to her village. She shows her improved singing to the villagers. They were impressed by her improved singing performance. Her mom suggests her to be on recital. However, she was concerned of that, but Rob tells her not to worry about being scared of performing on stage. She revealed that she has her stage fright when she was young. She refused to accept her mom's suggestion and she left her village.

Taufer and his guards went on to raid Willow's village and he also captured Rob. Back to the academy, Clint also tells Willow that Rob's warning to her is true, convincing her to go back to her village. Willow confronts Taufer in her village. She frees Rob, and they both defeated Taufer and his guards, saving the other villagers. The mayor of her village congratulates Willow for saving her village from Taufer's raid. Willow finally handles her stage fright, and she sings well in the recital.

Cast

 * Sandra Bullock as Willow, the main protagonist.
 * Capri Oliver as young Willow.
 * Chris Hemsworth as Rob.
 * Will Arnett as Taufer, the main antagonist.
 * Ed Asner as Willow's father.
 * Phyllis Smith as Willow's mother
 * Andy Serkis as Clint.
 * Newell Alexander as the mayor of the village.
 * Tom McGrath as villager #1.
 * Conrad Vernon as villager #2.
 * Christopher Knights as store manager.

ADR Group

 * Newell Alexander
 * Rosemary Alexander
 * Steve Alterman
 * Steve Apostalina
 * Rajia Baroudi
 * Ryan Bartley
 * Mitch Carter
 * Brook Chalmers
 * Vic Chao
 * Julie Falls
 * Peter Falls
 * Jennifer Crystal Foley
 * Jackie Gonneau
 * Nicholas Guest
 * Bridget Hoffman
 * Rif Hutton
 * Joyce Kurtz
 * Edie Mirman
 * Michelle Ruff
 * Ethan Simono
 * Warren Sroka
 * Kelly Stables
 * Marcelo Tubert
 * Lynnanne Zager

Production
Tony Gilroy pitched his idea to DreamWorks Animation where it features a lady finding a way to stop a threat in her village before it's too late. DreamWorks then greenlit the project in 2014, with Catherine Yuh Rader making her directorial debut and it's scheduled to be released sometime in 2018.

More to be added

Release
To be added

Home media
The film was released on digital HD and Movies Anywhere on June 19, 2018, and on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on July 3, 2018, by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. All releases include the short film The Tremendous Concert.

Box office
Willow grossed $149 million in the United States and Canada and $329 million internationally for a worldwide gross of $478 million.

Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 76% based on 187 reviews. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it an 83% positive score and a 71% "definite recommend".

Sequel

 * Main article: Willow: The Lost Resort

On November 7, 2020, it was announced that DreamWorks Animation has greenlit the sequel of Willow, with release date on September 15, 2023. It will be directed by Bob Persichetti with co-direction by Matt Flynn from a screenplay by Tony Gilroy and Will Davies. Gal Gadot is set to voice Willow in the sequel, replacing Sandra Bullock, while Chris Hemsworth is set to reprise his role.