Willow (1988)

Willow (1988) Full Recap

After hearing about a prophecy that a child born with a special birthmark will destroy her one day, an evil sorceress named Bavmorda imprisons all the pregnant women in her kingdom. When it's time for one of them to deliver her baby, a midwife named Ethna helps her with the delivery. Interestingly, the woman gives birth to a baby girl with the special birthmark, and Bavmorda's daughter, Sorsha, mentions that she has to tell her mom about it. Just as she leaves with her guards, the new mother begs Ethna not to let them take her baby because she'll be killed.

After thinking about this for a while, Ethna carries the baby and sneaks out with it before anyone can see her. Almost immediately, Bavmorda gets to the dungeon and sees the new mother holding a cloth shaped like a baby. As Bavmorda realizes that she's not holding a real baby, she looks pissed and tells Sorsha to find the midwife. She also mentions that Sorsha can use her dogs to ensure that the baby is brought back to her alive.

After Sorsha leaves, the new mother tells Bavmorda that her baby will eventually come back one day to put an end to Bavmorda's reign of terror. Bavmorda doesn't like this, and she tells her guards to kill the woman. Elsewhere, Ethna successfully leaves the castle and moves further away from the kingdom. She also makes a few stops on the way to take care of the baby and give her some food to eat.

Shortly after, Ethna hears Bavmorda's dogs heading toward the woods, so she quickly takes the baby to a river and places her on a tangle of dried grass. As the floating tangle of grass drifts away, the dogs catch up to Ethna and kill her before she can escape. After a while, the tangle of grass stops near the woods in a kingdom of dwarves who call themselves Nelwyns. Coincidentally, two children, Ranon and Mims, see the baby just by the river, and they look shocked.

Ranon eventually goes to call his dad, Willow, who is working on his farm. Willow initially seems reluctant to leave his farm because he’s busy, but since Ranon seems serious, he eventually follows his son. When Willow gets there, he looks shocked and tells the kids that the baby is not one of them. He adds that it's a Daikini baby, but Ranon asks what he means.

Willow then mentions that Daikinis are the big and tall people who live in the kingdom far away from theirs. Mims thinks the baby looks cute, and Ranon asks if they can keep it. Willow says they can't, and that they'll have to push it downstream and pretend like they never saw it. Before he can do this, though, his landlord, Burglekutt, starts calling his name.

Willow then tells the kids not to touch the baby while he goes to meet Burglekutt. As he returns to his farm, Willow hears his wife, Kiaya, telling Burglekutt that her husband didn't steal anything from him. Burglekutt doesn't seem to care about what she's saying, and he mentions that Willow hasn't paid his debts. He also accuses Willow of stealing the seeds he's currently planting on his farm.

Willow jokes that he used magic to get his seeds, but Burglekutt says he's not a sorcerer, and that he’s just a clown. As they continue arguing about the subject, Kiaya sees the kids standing near the river, and she goes to meet them. Almost immediately, Burglekutt threatens to seize Willow's land if he doesn't pay his debts, and he eventually walks away. Willow then goes to check up on his family, but he sees that Kiaya has already carried the baby.

Willow says she can't do that, but Kiaya ignores him and heads home with the baby. When they get there, Kiaya sees the baby's birthmark and asks Willow if they should take the baby to the village council. Willow says they can't do that because the council might think it's a bad omen, and they'll blame him for any bad thing that happens in the village. As he seems quite frustrated, Kiaya tells him to calm down, but he says he can't, because he has a big day tomorrow.

Kiaya then tells him that the village's great sorcerer, High Aldwin, hasn't chosen an apprentice in years. Willow says that this year is different because he knows he'll be chosen. Almost immediately, the baby starts crying, and Kiaya tells Willow to hold her while she goes to get some milk. Even though Willow initially seems reluctant to carry the baby, he eventually does this, and the little girl suddenly stops crying.

Ranon and Mims mention that it seems the baby likes their dad, and this makes Willow smile. The next day, Willow leaves the house to get prepared for High Aldwin's arrival. When he gets to the village square, he does a few magic tricks that leave his fellow villagers impressed. His last trick involves making a pig disappear, and he does this quite well.

However, the pig eventually comes out of its hiding spot, and Burglekutt makes fun of Willow for not being a real sorcerer. Shortly after, High Aldwin arrives and tells those who aspire to be his new apprentices to come forward. Willow goes up to the stage along with the other prospects, and Burglekutt seems surprised by this. He also makes fun of Willow because he doesn't think the farmer is good enough.

Just then, High Aldwin gives the prospects a test to point to the finger that possesses the power to control the world. As he shows them his fingers, the other prospects select one each, but he mentions that they’re wrong. Willow hesitates before making a decision, but he eventually selects one of High Aldwin’s fingers. High Aldwin says he’s also wrong, and he announces that he won’t be taking any new apprentices for the year because all the prospects failed his test.

Willow looks disappointed by this, and his kids also feel sad for him. Almost immediately, one of Bavmorda's dogs gets to the village square and starts attacking the villagers. Mims happens to be standing alone in the middle of the village square, and Willow quickly runs to save her. After they find a place to hide, some of the Nelwyn soldiers are able to take down the wild dog before anyone gets hurt.

A soldier named Vohnkar then mentions that it seems the dog came for a baby. Willow is shocked to hear this, and he quickly runs home to see if Kiaya is fine. Luckily, Kiaya happens to be okay, and Willow looks happy to see her. He then mentions that they have to take the baby to the village council just to be safe.

When they get to the council meeting, they hear the villagers talking about a possible punishment for whoever allowed the dog to come to the village. Willow decides to turn back because he’s scared of what they might do to him, but before he can leave, High Aldwin calls him to ask what he came for. Willow then mentions that his kids saw a baby by the river earlier, and as High Aldwin looks at it, he says that it's a Daikini baby. Burglekutt says that they need to return the baby to the Daikinis because he's sure that the beast came for it.

Willow says they can't do that because the baby will be killed, and High Aldwin mentions that he's right. He adds that the baby is special, and that it must be taken beyond the boundaries of the village to the crossroads. Burglekutt nominates Willow to do that, and everyone agrees. High Aldwin then asks if Willow has any love for the baby, and he says he does.

Following this, High Aldwin announces that Willow will take the baby out of the village, but that someone has to be with him to protect him. Willow's friend, Meegosh, volunteers to follow him, and Vohnkar also does the same thing. However, Burglekutt says that Vohnkar can't leave the village because he's their best warrior. High Aldwin gets tired of Burglekutt's attitude, and he names the arrogant landlord as the leader of the expedition.

Burglekutt is shocked by this, and he tells Vohnkar to come with him because he doesn’t know what might happen on the way. As they prepare to leave the village, High Aldwin asks Willow about the test he gave the prospects earlier. Willow says he wanted to choose his fingers, and High Aldwin says he would've been correct. He adds that Willow needs to trust his heart and have faith in himself, especially as he embarks on the quest.

He also gives Willow some acorns, which he says can turn people to stone. After this, Willow says goodbye to his family, and High Aldwin tells everyone going on the quest that the outer world isn't a place for a Nelwyn, and that they have to return home after giving the baby to the first Daikini they see. Following this, Willow and the others leave the village to begin their quest. Elsewhere, Sorsha returns to the castle to inform Bavmorda that she only found the dead midwife, but that she's still trying to find where the baby was hidden.

Bavmorda scolds Sorsha for still not finding the baby, and she mentions that she doesn't care about the dead midwife. Almost immediately, one of her soldiers, General Kael, comes in to tell her that he just took down a castle in a place called Galladoorn. Bavmorda praises him for this and tells him that she has another quest for him. She says that she wants Kael to help Sorsha find the baby, and that she wants it alive so that she can perform a ritual that will exile the child's spirit into oblivion.

Sorsha says she doesn't need help, but Bavmorda insists that Kael will help her. As they leave the castle, Bavmorda's high priest mentions that he has read some signs which show him that Sorsha will betray Bavmorda one day. Bavmorda doesn't believe this, and she mentions that she trusts Sorsha's loyalty more than that of any of her other followers. Meanwhile, Willow and the others continue their journey to the crossroads.

On the way, they eventually hear some horses approaching the woods, and they find a place to hide. They then hear one of Bavmorda’s soldiers saying that the baby is with the Nelwyns, and that they have to search their village. He adds that some of the Nelwyns are also believed to be moving through the woods, and that they have to find them too. After the soldiers leave, Vohnkar leads the others to continue their journey until they get to the crossroads and eventually come across a man named Madmartigan, who happens to be inside a crow's cage.

Madmartigan nearly strangles Willow while asking for some drinking water, but he eventually releases the dwarf. Burglekutt then mentions that they can just give the baby to Madmartigan because he's a Daikini. However, Willow says they can't do that because there's a reason why Madmartigan is trapped in the cage. Madmartigan says he's not a bad person, and he even tries to convince Burglekutt to release him so he can hold the baby.

Willow still refuses to listen to Burglekutt, and the arrogant landlord decides to leave with the rest of the crew. Meegosh chooses to wait with his friend, and Burglekutt eventually leaves with the others after insulting Willow for staying back, even though his family and his crops are back in the village. Much later, some Galladoorn soldiers, led by a general named Airk, march toward the road where Willow and Meegosh are standing. Willow then tells Airk to take the baby, but the general says he can't, because he and his soldiers are going into battle.

Suddenly, Madmartigan sees Airk and happens to know who he is. Airk also knows him, and he jokes that he always knew Madmartigan would end up in a cage. Madmartigan then asks where he's going, and he says that Bavmorda's men just destroyed the castle in Galladoorn, and that he's taking his men to attack them. Madmartigan offers to help him if he's released, but Airk refuses to do this because he knows Madmartigan to be a mercenary who isn't loyal to anyone.

After Airk and his men leave, Willow starts missing his family, and he also considers releasing Madmartigan to give him the baby. As Madmartigan promises to take care of the baby if he's released, Willow tells Meegosh to let him out. When he's free, Madmartigan looks excited and thanks Willow and Meegosh for helping him. He also carries the baby and says that he'll keep his word.

On the way back to the village, Willow asks Meegosh if they did the right thing by giving the baby to Madmartigan, and his friend says they did. Before they go too far, they see a hobgoblin who has stolen the baby from Madmartigan. As Willow and Meegosh try to get the baby back, they're ambushed by the hobgoblins in the area. After they're tied up, a bright light suddenly appears, and someone tells the hobgoblins to release the Nelwyns.

As they do this, a fairy queen named Cherlindrea appears before Willow and Meegosh. She says it's good to see Willow, and that the baby is the one who told her his name. Willow doesn’t get this, but Cherlindrea says that the baby's name is Elora, and that she's very special. She adds that Elora has chosen Willow to be her guardian because she likes him and knows that he has the courage to help her.

Willow still looks confused, but Cherlindrea tells him to take her wand and find a sorceress named Raziel. She says that Raziel will guide him and Elora to the kingdom of Tir Asleen, which is where a good king and queen will look after the baby. Willow doesn't think he's capable of doing this because he's not a warrior, but Cherlindrea just disappears. When she reappears, she tells Willow that Elora must survive and fulfill her destiny to bring about the downfall of Bavmorda.

Cherlindrea adds that if Bavmorda isn’t stopped, she'll end up controlling the lives of everyone in Willow's village, including his kids and wife. Before she leaves again, she tells Willow that all creatures of good heart need his help, and that he has to make a decision on what he wants to do. The next day, Willow decides to find Raziel, but he tells Meegosh to go home already. Meegosh asks if he’s sure about it, and Willow says he is.

After this, Willow is joined on his quest by two hobgoblins named Franjean and Rool. Willow then asks how long it will take to find Raziel, and Rool says it won't be long because the sorceress has been exiled to an island just over the hills. Willow doesn't get this, but Rool mentions that Raziel was exiled by Bavmorda. As they continue their journey, they eventually get caught up in the rain, and Willow suggests resting at a nearby bar.

After they enter the bar, some men start fighting inside, and Willow finds a room to hide. Interestingly, Madmartigan happens to be there with his lover, whose husband, Llug, is now around. Madmartigan's lover dresses him as a woman to deceive Llug, and he also collects the baby from Willow to make it seem like he's a mother. After he manages to escape from the room with Willow and the hobgoblins, they see Sorsha and her men in the bar, and she asks Madmartigan if the baby is his.

Willow tells Madmartigan not to let them take the baby, and as he pushes Sorsha back, she realizes that he's not a woman. Llug looks pissed when he sees this, and he causes a brawl, which helps Madmartigan and Willow escape with Elora, Franjean, and Rool. Some of Sorsha's soldiers follow them, but Madmartigan gets them off his back. After they get to safety, Madmartigan decides to continue his journey, but Willow begs him to help them get to a nearby lake.

Since he's also heading there, Madmartigan agrees to do this. They eventually stop along the way to rest for the night, and Willow manages to use Cherlindrea's wand to move himself to the top of a tree. The next morning, they get to an abandoned village just by the lake. Since Willow can now see the Island where he's headed, Madmartigan says goodbye to him and Elora before leaving.

Shortly after, Willow leaves Elora with Franjean and Rool so that he can go to the Island alone to find Raziel. When he gets there, the island looks abandoned, and Willow doesn't see anyone there. Before he leaves, a possum shows up and says that she's Raziel. She mentions that one of Bavmorda's spells turned her into a possum.

As she then asks what Willow came for, he mentions that Cherlindrea gave him a wand and told him to find her. Raziel realizes that Elora has been born, and she tells Willow to take her to the baby. When they get back to the abandoned village, Raziel admires Elora and tells Willow to use the wand to turn her back into her human form. Willow asks what he has to do, but Raziel says she thought he was a sorcerer.

Willow says he's actually a farmer, but that he’s also hoping to become a sorcerer one day. Raziel and the hobgoblins look disappointed by this, but before they say much, some soldiers head toward the village. Surprisingly, it turns out to be Sorsha and her soldiers, who have already captured Madmartigan and forced him to lead them to find the baby. Madmartigan tells Willow that he's sorry, and the soldiers take them away with Elora and Raziel.

Franjean and Rool get left behind, but they decide to follow the soldiers so they can help Willow, Elora, and Raziel. On the way, Willow tells Sorsha that Elora needs to eat, but she ignores him. Madmartigan then insults her and mentions that he hates her. Later that night, while they're trapped in a cage, Raziel teaches Willow how to use the wand to change her back to her human form so she can kill the soldiers and take Elora to Tir Asleen.

Almost immediately, Franjean and Rool arrive, but Raziel tells them to allow Willow to concentrate on the spell. Unfortunately, Willow transforms Raziel into a bird, and she seems pissed by this. As Franjean and Rool then try to unlock their cage to help them escape, Madmartigan insults them and says that he'll do it. Franjean looks pissed by this, and he angrily hits Madmartigan with a bag containing a love potion.

After the hobgoblins open the cage, Willow and Madmartigan head toward Sorsha's tent to find the baby. When they get there, Sorsha happens to be asleep, and Madmartigan suggests going in alone to get the baby. As he enters the tent, though, the effect of the love potion kicks in, and Madmartigan goes to meet Sorsha to tell her how much he loves her. Willow looks disappointed by this, and he enters the tent to carry Elora.

Suddenly, Sorsha wakes up and threatens to kill Madmartigan, but he keeps saying that he loves her. Just as Sorsha nearly falls for him, her soldiers enter the tent, and she sees Willow taking Elora away. Before they get caught, Madmartigan and Willow quickly escape with Elora, and they stop at a nearby village. There, Willow scolds Madmartigan for nearly getting them killed just because he wanted to confess his love to Sorsha.

Interestingly, Madmartigan no longer feels the effect of the love potion, and he mentions that he doesn’t love Sorsha, and that he actually hates her. As Sorsha and her soldiers head toward the village, Madmartigan and Willow hide inside a nearby building, where they also see Airk and his men. Shortly after, Sorsha nearly finds them there, but Madmartigan grabs her and threatens to kill her. Sorsha says they need to give up the baby, and Airk asks why Bavmorda wants Elora.

Willow says she's a princess, and that they're taking her to Tir Asleen. Airk doesn't think they'll be able to defeat Bavmorda's soldiers, but Willow says that there's an even bigger army in Tir Asleen. Airk then wonders why Madmartigan is now following Willow around, even though he's known to never serve anyone. Madmartigan says he now serves Willow, and he asks if Airk would like to come with them.

Airk says he's not interested, and Madmartigan leaves with Willow while holding Sorsha and threatening to kill her. They eventually leave together, but Sorsha forces herself down from the horse. Madmartigan then leaves her alone so that her soldiers won't capture him again. Shortly after, Madmartigan and Willow get to Tir Asleen, but they don't see anyone there.

Madmartigan seems pissed by this, and he scolds Willow for lying to him about how things would be better when they get to Tir Asleen. He also complains about the place being cursed and overrun by trolls, but Willow doesn't know what else to say because Cherlindrea told him that they'd be safe in Tir Asleen. Raziel then mentions that Bavmorda is responsible for what has happened to Tir Asleen. As she then tells Willow to try to change her back into her human form, Madmartigan goes inside the castle and sees some weapons.

He looks happy about this and quickly arms himself to prepare for when Sorsha's men get to Tir Asleen. Shortly after, Willow accidentally turns Raziel into a goat, and she looks pissed by this. Almost immediately, Madmartigan locks the gate just as Sorsha and her men almost break into the castle. After they eventually break down the gate, Madmartigan starts fighting against them alone while Willow tries to protect Elora.

As one of the trolls in the castle nearly attacks him, Willow accidentally uses the wand to turn him into a two-headed monster. The monster then starts attacking everyone in the castle, and Madmartigan is forced to go up against it. Sorsha sees this and admires him, and this makes her fall in love with him. Unfortunately, Willow gets overpowered, and Kael steals Elora away just as Airk arrives with his men.

After the monster is killed, Willow tells Madmartigan that Elora has been kidnapped. Madmartigan then tells Willow not to worry because they'll get her back. Following this, Madmartigan, Sorsha, Willow, Airk, and his soldiers head to Bavmorda’s castle. Meanwhile, Kael arrives with the baby, and Bavmorda looks happy about this.

As she then asks about Sorsha, Kael says that she has turned against them. This gets Bavmorda pissed, and she tells her men to get the ritual ready to kill Elora. Shortly after, Madmartigan and the others arrive at Bavmorda's castle, and Airk tells his men to set up their tents and get ready to attack in the morning. Later that night, Bavmorda comes out to see Madmartigan and the other soldiers.

She then uses a spell to turn them into pigs. Sorsha tells her mom to stop this, but Bavmorda also turns her into a pig. She then heads inside to begin the ritual. Meanwhile, as Willow sees what happened to the soldiers, he looks disappointed, but Raziel encourages him to use the wand to transform her because she can still defeat Bavmorda.

Willow then tries it again, and this time, he manages to change Raziel back to her human form. After this, she collects the wand and turns all the soldiers back into their normal human form. As they then strategize on how to enter the castle and defeat Bavmorda, Airk says it's almost impossible, but Willow says he has a plan. Airk still thinks it's risky, but Raziel says she'll fight to save Elora and the future.

Willow also says he'll fight, and Madmartigan mentions that it's time for everyone to decide whether they want to stay or leave. The next morning, Willow and Raziel head to the front of the castle to tell Bavmorda's soldiers to surrender to them because they're powerful sorcerers. Kael just laughs at them and sends some of his men to go and kill them. As they open the gates, Airk and Madmartigan lead their soldiers into the castle.

Willow (1988) Ending Explained

Raziel, Sorsha, and Willow then head to Bavmorda's room to stop the ritual. When they get there, Raziel tells Willow to stay back, and he does just this. After they enter the room, Sorsha takes down her mother's guards, but Bavmorda eventually knocks her out. Raziel then starts fighting with Bavmorda, and Willow keeps wondering if he should just go inside to pick up Elora.

Elsewhere, Kael stabs Airk badly, and Madmartigan quickly runs to meet him. Airk then tells Madmartigan to help him win the war. After Airk dies, Madmartigan goes to attack Kael, and he eventually kills him. Meanwhile, Bavmorda knocks out Raziel, and she catches Willow leaving with Elora.

As she stops him, Willow throws one of High Aldwin's acorns at her. Even though it almost works, Bavmorda happens to be very powerful, and she stops the effect of the acorn. Almost immediately, Willow does a trick to make Elora disappear. Bavmorda looks pissed by this, and as she tries to attack him, she ends up standing next to the altar where the ritual is supposed to be completed.

Just then, she gets struck by lightning, and her spirit gets sent into oblivion. After this, Raziel and Sorsha wake up, and Madmartigan also enters the room. As they look confused as to where Elora is, Willow brings her out from where he hid her, and he says that he used one of his old tricks to deceive Bavmorda. The next day, Raziel presents a book of magic to Willow and tells him that he's on the way to becoming a great sorcerer.

Following this, he says goodbye to Elora, Sorsha, and Madmartigan, after which he heads back home. When he gets to the village, everyone looks happy to see him, and he shows them a trick he just learned. Almost immediately, he sees his family and runs to hug them while saying that he missed them. After finding a newborn baby girl just by the river in their village, Willow and his family decide to take her in.

Unfortunately, it turns out that Bavmorda is after the baby, and this puts Willow’s village in danger. Willow then decides to leave the village to find a new home for the baby. On his quest, he meets a fairy queen who tells him about how special Elora is. Since she’s the one who will put an end to Bavmorda’s reign of terror, Willow teams up with Madmartigan and Raziel to protect her.

Sorsha eventually joins them after betraying her evil mother, and they all work together to not only save Elora, but also destroy Bavmorda. In this story, we learn that true courage comes from unexpected places, and even the smallest person can make a big difference.