Television series
Willow
Other titles called Willow: the 1988 film.
A fantasy adventure series set decades after the original 1988 film, welcoming back Warwick Davis as Willow Ufgood to mentor a new generation of heroes. It's brightly coloured, earnest, and full of magical quests and monster encounters. For fantasy fans who want comfort-watch adventure without cynicism.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you loved the 1988 film's bright, scrappy fairy-tale charm and want a sequel that keeps its mischief, costumes and cheerfully old-fashioned sword-and-sorcery adventure going.
Skip it if you need a fully original story, since this is a follow-up that leans on returning characters and a fairly familiar quest-and-monster formula.
What it asks of you: Eight episodes of roughly fifty minutes each, so it is a light, unhurried commitment that takes its time settling into a loose, episodic quest rather than a tight plot.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves2023
A heist-adventure film that loves its own fantasy world without taking itself too seriously. Genuine humour, creative magic use, and a cast having obvious fun together.
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Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Willow
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
The NeverEnding Story1984
Both are stories about champions answering calls larger than themselves in fully-realized magical worlds. Willow echoes Neverending Story's earnest belief in the weight of small heroisms.
A fantasy film about a boy reading a fantasy book, featuring practical puppetry, baroque monster design, and genuine peril for child characters. It's visually stunning and emotionally sincere in ways modern fantasy often isn't.
But Some creature effects are intentionally unsettling rather than cool, which can disturb younger viewers. The pacing is meandering; this isn't an action film.

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But Animated, which puts some off. Also assumes no familiarity with its source material, so the first arc is pure setup before the characters truly shine.

Merlin2008
Five seasons of magic-of-the-week adventure with an ensemble cast and a much larger legend building underneath. Warm, witty, and surprisingly emotional when it needs to be.
But The production values are notably cheaper than modern fantasy. Later seasons lean harder on emotional beats, so early fun gets displaced by plot.

Shadow and Bone2021
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But Season one is dense with world-building and doesn't always clarify it. The second season shifts tone significantly, which divides viewers.

Stardust2007
A fantasy quest film that's charming, romantic, and visually inventive. It loves its own adventure and doesn't apologize for whimsy. Perfect comfort-watch fantasy.
But Some effects feel dated now. It prioritizes charm over plot complexity, so there's no real darkness or genuine peril.

Xena: Warrior Princess1995
A cult classic that mixed adventure, action, humour, and genuine emotional storytelling. Lucy Lawless is magnetic, and the show's willingness to be ridiculous frees it to be brilliant.
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Arcane: League of Legends2021
Both structure their stories around mentorship and generational change—old powers, new champions. Arcane is a darker reimagining of that dynamic, where legacy carries the weight of systemic harm.
An animated series based on a video game that transcends its source entirely. Stunning animation, complex character arcs across two social classes, and a refusal to make any character simply good or evil.
But Animated, which deters some viewers. The first act is slow character work, and season two's finale is divisive among fans.

People
Cast
Production
- Tara TimponeAssociate Producer
- Hannah FriedmanCo-Executive Producer
- Adam TeeuwCo-Producer
- Bob DolmanConsulting Producer
- Jonathan KasdanExecutive Producer
- Kathleen KennedyExecutive Producer
- Michelle RejwanExecutive Producer
- Ron HowardExecutive Producer
- Roopesh ParekhExecutive Producer
- Samie FalveyExecutive Producer
- Tommy HarperExecutive Producer
- Wendy MericleExecutive Producer
- Kathy NettleshipLine Producer
- Hameed ShaukatProducer
- Julia CoopermanProducer
- Max TaylorProducer
- Stephen WoolfendenProducer
- Rayna McClendonSupervising Producer