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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Temple chapter.

The fantasy TV series Willow is a modern take on the original Willow movie that was released in 1988. In the Willow timeline, the events of the series take place “200 moons” after the movie, which is about 16 years. The series’ events occur after the fall of the queen, Bavmorda, who was defeated by Willow in the film. 

At the start of the series, the princess’s (named Kit Tanthalos) brother Airk goes missing. She and a team of others from the kingdom — including her best friend Jade Claymore, Graydin (the Prince of Galladoorn), a long-time prisoner named Thraxus Boorman, and Dove, a kitchen maid who’s in love with Prince Airk — go on an adventure to save her brother. While traveling, the group visits the Newlyn Village, where they find the sorcerer Willow Ufgood. Upon their visit, they discover that Dove is really Elora Danan, who was the child of the prophecy and daughter of the Sun and Moon and is gifted with magic. Throughout the journey, Elora tries to learn more about herself and her powers, and the group continues adventuring through dangerous lands, such as the Nockmaar Castle, the Wildwood, the Mines of Skellin, and, the scariest of all, the Shattered Sea.  

From my perspective, the development of friendships, romance, action, and comedy make the show exciting to watch. The story leaves people wondering what the fate of the unique cast of characters will be as they embark on their quest to magical new places. And as the series went on, I grew attached to the characters who were all different from one another in ways that both caused conflict and also brought them closer together. I enjoyed the tensions between the characters and seeing them learn more about each other and their pasts. I also enjoyed the stunning locations and views that made the series what it is, filmed throughout many beautiful places in Wales. 

Unfortunately, the show is no longer available to watch, since it was canceled and removed from Disney+ in May 2023. It was pulled from the platform along with 50 other titles. Because it was canceled, fans of Willow have created petitions and campaigns to bring the show back. Thousands of people have signed these petitions, with one from the campaign website called Free Willow, having over twelve thousand signatures. The hashtag #SaveWillow is still being shared on social media in 2024, too, along with people’s favorite moments and discussions about the show. 

It was mentioned in the #SaveWillow petition that the campaign wanted Disney to reevaluate their decision in support of creatives with disabilities since this was a series that featured characters with different types of dwarfism. The show also featured Disney’s first LGBTQ+ princess as one of the main leads, with her romance with Jade being one of the show’s main plot points. The show featured diverse characters that viewers could relate to or identify with, but that was taken away when the show was taken off Disney+. There is already not much representation of these groups as main leads in mainstream media, so it is disappointing that a story with characters such as these was removed. 

While Disney might not ever bring the show back, fans like me still hope another platform will continue it, especially after the story was left unfinished with a cliffhanger at the end of season one. A new season would allow for more development of the characters and the story and provide answers to what was left unsolved after the show was canceled. 

Kelsea Clarke

Temple '28

Hi! My name is Kelsea Clarke. I am a freshman studying journalism at Temple University. I write for the Arts and Entertainment section of Her Campus. I love exploring all elements of entertainment, from movies and shows to music, musicals, and books to current events and I can't wait to share my thoughts about these in my writing! Outside of writing for Her Campus, I am a writer and music show host for WHIP Radio. I also wrote for my school newspaper, The Arrowhead, in high school. I love baking, listening to music, dancing, catching up on my favorite shows and K-dramas, and going to concerts with my friends. My favorite music genres are pop, dance, alternative, and K-pop. My current favorite series are Willow and Doom at Your Service.