The new Willow series is kicking off on Disney+ this week, and it’s based on the 1988 movie of the same name. The original is a fantasy adventure film that was thought up by the sci-fi king George Lucas and directed by the great storyteller Ron Howard. It definitely fits in with the greatest fantasy films of its time, but one movie the new series is now connected to in a roundabout way is the supernatural comedy sequel Ghostbusters II.
In a recent interview with /Film, Willow series showrunner Jon Kasdan talked about the fact that Ghostbusters II was a big inspiration on set. He explained:
“I had a producer named Max Taylor who I worked with pretty much every day on the show. And I don’t think one of those days went by where we didn’t reference Ghostbusters II as a stalwart.”
Kasdan explained that the plot even now is considered one of Ghostbusters II‘s strong points. In fact, Kasdan found the plot so instructive, it became a “point of reference” for him and his producer in almost “every element” of making the Willow show.
The report goes on to say that Harold Ramis took a surprisingly metaphorical approach when honing the script for Ghostbusters II. Ramis and star Dan Aykroyd envisioned the film’s river of slime, which builds beneath New York’s surface, as literally and metaphorically representative of the general toxicity brought about by negative emotions, and as Ramis told Rolling Stone, inspiration to prompt people to “come up with humane solutions.” This is a pretty deep look at the silly sequel! In the case of Willow, it seems they’ve also gone in a deeper metaphorical direction.
I can’t wait to see how it all pans out! Willow is debuting this week on Disney+. Are you pumped?!