Once upon a time there was an enchanting fantasy film about a hero of short stature but big heart. pasture – directed by Ron Howard and based on an idea by George Lucas – Warwick Davis cast as a farmer who is thrown on a dangerous mission to protect a little girl destined for greatness. Willow Ufgood rises to the challenge and protects little Elora Danan from Bone Reavers and Brownies. He befriends the incorrigible villain Madmartigan (Val Kilmer), meets powerful sorceresses and finally defeats the evil Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh) through a stroke of luck.
34 years later we finally have a sequel that continues that pasture Saga with the heart and soul the story deserves. Disney+‘s new series pasture is a choppy, hilarious and utterly adorable sequel to the cult classic from Lucasfilm. Instead of wallowing in Grimdark imagery or getting lost tripping over unnecessary mystery boxes, pasture embraces the joy of its source material. pasture is a tour de force of fun and fantasy frivolity.
When it debuted in 1988, pasture was too quaint and quirky, too simultaneously low-fi and high-concept, to woo the masses the way Peter Jackson did Lord of the Rings would do in 2001. However, it had its undeniable charms. pasture was serious in his beliefs, unapologetically goofy whenever possible, and pulsing with sensuality. (The cross-dressing, womanizing, lust-driven Madmartigan has more sexuality in one of its thin braids than most fantasy epics do in full force.) Of course, it would become a cult classic, loved by generations of proud jerks like yours truly.
Disney+’s pasture takes place about 20 years after the events of the film. Now, as Queen Sorsha (Joanne Whalley) explains in the opening narration, our heroes thought they had won the war against evil forever. However, Willow has a nightmarish vision of an ancient evil returning to destroy the rightful Empress Elora Danan. Sorsha decides to hide the child and keep her identity a secret even from Elora herself.
If we look back to the present day, Madmartigan and Sorsha’s twins, Kit (Ruby Cruz) and Airk (Dempsey Bryk), have grown into spoiled, spirited chips off the old block. Kit would rather crave adventure than submit to an arranged marriage to Galladoorn’s scholarly Prince Graydon (Tony Revolori), and spends her days training as a warrior with beast Jade (Erin Kellyman). Meanwhile, cute, flirty airhead Airk is embroiled in a romance with adorable kitchen maid “Dove” (Ellie Bamber). (A future episode reveals that her name is Brunhilde, but she understandably prefers Airk’s nickname.)
Everything seems good until evil strikes. A cadre of monstrous warriors descend on Sorsha’s castle in Tir Asleen and kidnap Prince Airk. This triggers the central search for pasture Season 1: A ragtag group of warriors, villains, and naïve band together to save Airk. First, however, they must enlist the help of the world’s wisest wizard… Willow Ufgood.
As for television pasture is not high art. It doesn’t have the pathos or electricity of Disney+’s last flagship series, Andor. However, it still rules. pasture is the perfect sequel to the 1988 film. Creator and showrunner Jonathan Kasdan has infused the series with all the hallmarks of a labor of love. Scenes from the film are taken up again and expanded. Fan-favorite characters like Kevin Pollack’s Rool return with his own daughter in tow. Warwick Davis’ real-life daughter Annabelle gets to steal scenes as an adult version of Willow’s daughter Mims.
The most incredible part of pasture is his heart. I was utterly enchanted by this new generation of clumsy heroes and brave heroines who plunged into battle against evil. pasture feels less like a massively expensive hunt attempt by a streamer game of Thrones‘s cultural influence and more like a love letter to RPG nerds and 80’s fantasy.
pasture cleverly avoids many of the mistakes made by more “prestigious” fantasy projects. Where Prime Video is The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power subvert themselves with frustrating mystery boxes and unnecessary backstories, pasture gets straight to the meat of the story. Spoilers, but we’ll find out what became of Elora Danan pretty quickly. And because pasture Faces that show up early, we can watch the characters sit with the emotional implications of that knowledge.
Aside from that, pasture is able to honor the world of 1988 pasture while we invite new fans. When we learn more about Bavmorda’s backstory or Deathreaper culture, it’s to complicate what we know about our younger heroes and what they know about themselves. And something like that pasture While itself made progressive advances for its time, the show doesn’t shy away from how cultural mores have changed over the past three decades. (Um, yes, there’s explicit gay romance on this show!) As Graydon Kit wisely says in Episode 1, “One day you and I will call the shots. And when that day comes, we won’t have to do things like our parents did.” pasture stays true to the 80’s movie while bringing a 2022 attitude to the big screen.
Another one of pastureThe strengths of are the ensemble cast. original pasture Star Joanne Whalley dazzles as an older version of warrior princess Sorsha and Christian Slater mix up the scenery in his stint towards the end of the season. But the real stars are the new kids in this magical world. Ellie Bamber is absolutely lovable as the muffin maestro who pushes herself too far, and Dempsey Bryk is perhaps the most likeable himbo since Noah Centineo’s starring role To all the boys I’ve loved before. Amar Chadha-Patel offers great sarcastic and cocky comic relief as thief Boorman, while Ruby Cruz and Erin Kellyman effortlessly sell Kit and Jade’s connection as something soulful and special. And of course, Warwick Davis does a great job of mentoring.
pasture It might not be the most sophisticated fantasy series of the year, but it’s the outrageously cheerful one. Disney+’s pasture is a perfect storm of new and nostalgic, full of characters that will tug at your heart and set pieces that will leave the whole family breathless with laughter.
The first two episodes of pasture Premieres on Disney+ on Wednesday, November 30th. New episodes premiere weekly on Wednesdays.
