Disney+ Removal of Willow TV Series Feels SO Wrong

[@pikafan2464]

While I understand why people didn't like this show, I personally loved Willow and I'm devestated at it's removal. All I wanted was seasons 2 & 3 so I can see how this story ends. Hopefully one day it comes back.

[@LapisAndroid17ParkRanger]

Same here, I watched the first 2 eps and was like: I'll continu later. So thats what I did now, finished yesterday. But I'm far from happy they gave us so little time. If this news had nit leaked I would have never been able to finish it. Thats just wrong. I think if they remove something thats only avalable on 1 platform they should release it on dvd/blue afterwards. A show in this day and age can't just be gone..

[@peterkrug4124]

There's an online petition to have the Willow series brought back to Disney+. If you enjoy the series like I did then please sign it.🤞

[@Slitka]

This reminds me of West World. HBO pulled it from their streaming platform after it was cancelled. It's so weird when these streaming services do this. People spend years making it, hyping it up, marketing it. And then when it doesn't perform as well as they would like, instead of just cancelling it, they pull it altogether. Overall it's making me worried about the future of streaming. Without DVD/Bluray sales of these shows, how is any of this going to be preserved? The reaction I've seen online is making people put their pirate hat back on, which is the complete opposite of what these companies would want.

[@shanewalker8607]

That's because they have to pay massive residuals to keep it on their service. They don't just own it and get to keep it on for free. If people aren't watching it and it isn't driving traffic to the site then it makes all the sense in the world to take it off the service. It sucks for us, and it sucks for the people who were in it and worked hard to make it happen, but it makes a lot of sense to get rid of it.

[@jaredomalley1208]

Excellent video thanks for sharing your thoughts. I’m so relieved to hear someone share their thoughts without taking out their anger out on fans of the series and all the negativity and hatred that comes with putting people down. There’s too much of that on KZbin especially towards Willow. So it’s nice to see someone being civilised about it. Thanks for sharing.

[@KrazyKryptonian]

Great video! I totally agree. And I remember those Disney vault commercials well. Also, I hadn’t seen the Willow TV series, figuring I would get around to it later. So once I heard the news that it would be pulled from Disney+, I decided to rewatch the movie (which I hadn’t seen in ages) and watch the series as quickly as possible. Finally, I finished the show today and got to say that I very much enjoyed it and am sad to see it go. The series creators clearly had plans for two mores seasons and it is sad that those stories now will not come to fruition.

[@FatherRoderick]

I finished the series late last night as well, and it really grew on me. The humor is great! I just hope it will somehow grow a cult following over time. It's too good to disappear in oblivion.

[@KrazyKryptonian]

@@FatherRoderick I agree. Hopefully, a cult fanbase will emerge over time.

[@crowhaven895]

They did to Willow the same thing they do to all our childhood heroes, they ruined his happy ending and made him a broken unhappy version of who we last saw years ago. They made him a stepping stone for a new "hero" that doesn't earn it.

[@FatherRoderick]

At first, Willow reminded me of old Luke, but did you watch the entire series? He does evolve, and so do all the other characters.

[@JasonsDigitalStuff]

While I didn't think the show was great and felt it failed to capture the magic of the original film, I was still very disappointed in its cancellation. I felt it still had enough going to bring me back for a second season, just to see where the story would go next. I did like the casting of Elora Danan, and wanted to see what would become of her. At the end of the day, if Disney+ wants to cancel a show moving forward, that's fine. But cancel it AND remove it from the service altogether? That is a bit much. They wasted a boatload of money on that, when they could have just cancelled season 2, and left season 1 up for people to enjoy. I don't get that part of the decision and its really a slap in the face to all those who worked so hard on it.

[@-a-s-a-s-]

Willow was one of the first fantasy movies I ever watched and it will always hold a special place in my heart. Just discovered and started watching the show and am disappointed to see it won't be more than one season.

[@FatherRoderick]

Unfortunately yes. I really liked what they did with the source material and it got really good towards the end.

[@peterkrug4124]

@@FatherRoderick There's an online petition to bring the Willow series back. Please sign it.

[@LiamsLyceum]

I’m just discovering they pulled it, I was looking to rewatch with my girls and couldn’t find it. 😔

[@FatherRoderick]

I'm hoping for a release on Blu-ray. Right now, there is no legal way to watch it anywhere.

[@sathvil]

Thank you for the video. I was very disappointed with the tv series to be honest. The original movie was a family adventure and I'm not sure why they decided to make the sequel a teen drama complete with rock music and pseudo-modern elements (almost gone are the wonderful themes created by the late James Horner). The vibe I got from this series is like what I got from yesteryear tv shows like Xena and Hercules , as compared to the original movie. At least those shows were not sequels and merely reinterpretations of classic characters. That being said, I'm strongly against all these book burning practices by Disney. Art is Art. Just because I don't like it, doesn't mean someone else won't . Fans of this series should have a chance to access them regardless, and this move will only encourage viewers to go to piracy sites to get their fix.

[@FatherRoderick]

I appreciated their efforts to appeal to a younger generation with the quirky music and the fast dialogue. It didn't take itself very seriously, and that had a certain charm.

[@Jleelee06]

Even if it was canceled keep the series in the catalog at least. I didn't even finish 4th episode😂.

[@FatherRoderick]

I'm so glad I was able to watch all episodes. It is a really good show, I hope it will show up elsewhere.

[@BB-zd3jr]

Hi Father! As much as I’d like to feel bad for the writers, Willow was terrible. Why wouldn’t Disney get rid of it? If people aren’t watching it now, they’re not going to. No company should be forced to pay residuals for a sub-par product. Maybe it’s better to put it away for a little while and put some distance between the show and todays politics and bring it back when it’s more palatable. Thank you for another lovely video. I so appreciate your content!

[@FatherRoderick]

I’m watching the rest of the episodes right now, and I actually quite like it. It’s a bit uneven, but definitely better than the first two episodes made me believe.

[@patcrowder608]

Hello Father Roderick, I wholeheartedly agree with you about trusting a platform to have material for you to review and enjoy at any given time. But the main problem with "Willow" was that it is not good TV streaming and entertainment. What Disney/Lucasfilms did was put a lot of identity politics in the series and disrespected very loved legacy characters. It started out by focusing on two lesbian females and not on the title character of Willow himself. I don't want to sound homophobic but as of late Disney has been pushing that type of agenda in some of its products. You are also right about the writing and dialogue not being good and they had very little viewing of the series as a whole. Everyone pretty much took the same approach as you did they may have watched one maybe two episodes before tuning out. Because they did the characters wrong and did not stick with the source material which made us admire the original movie.

[@FatherRoderick]

That modern writers integrate cultural changes into their stories doesn't bother me, stories have always done that. For many members of the LGTBQ+ community, representation is important and I can see why. My criticism is about Disney and other big companies disrespecting the enormous creative effort of writers, actors and other creators for purely financial reasons. Canceling a series is one thing, but removing it all together so no one can watch it anymore?

[@xdomeman]

​​@@FatherRoderick the problem is that most people don't care for representation, they just want a good story. If a character was gay but had likeable traits than that's fine, but right now these representation character are often smug and condescending, even taking spotlight away from actual main characters in some cases, which is what happened to Willow himself. Meanwhile, shows that ignore the LGBT+ politics in favor of just making a story usually do well. Point is, the viewship for Willow was very poor. You might have liked the show, but the minority of people did not.

[@bobmathis-friedman6742]

hear, hear!

[@ragingsithmaster]

I only made it through the first episode and a half. I had been looking forward to it for months, but when it started and I heard that Jonathan Kasdan was attached to it, my enthusiasm for the Willow series was vaporized then and there.

[@FatherRoderick]

I’m binge watching it now, and it’s actually quite good. Episode four was very eerie and well done. Will finish the rest today and tomorrow.

[@ericart]

It was a dumb show but i enjoyed it and would watch more. It was like watching a dnd campaign where all the players were drunk and just taking the piss. In a good way.

[@roycenedeleff6775]

.I'm probably going to get heat for this but I messaged Bob Igar about the series Willow on the premier on Disney+, and I told him. He needs to have it removed because of the lesbian action and because. This is a kids' show! Not a porno. Shortly after I messaged him. It was removed. 😞 sorry.