Disney’s deleted series Willow (2022) was revealed to have a budget of $17 million per episode, according to a recent Forbes report by Caroline Reid. The author cites filings from the Barking Lion Production studio, a subsidiary of Disney, in order to back up its claims. Being more economical than its neighbors at Marvel and Star Wars, the total cost for Willow came to $136.3 million.
The show only aired for one season before Disney pulled the plug in 2023, along with several other series on Disney+. Filings from the studio indicate that a second season was in production, but has been abandoned.
(L-R): Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) and Boorman (Amar Chadha-Patel) in Lucasfilm’s WILLOW exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
These cancellations didn’t slip quietly into the night, however, as Tony Gilroy alleged that Disney appeared to have lost faith in streaming. Simultaneously, former Willow actors have publicly shared their candid opinions regarding the company’s actions.
The Mouse Deprives Actors of Their Cheddar
In September of this year, The Hollywood Reporter released an interview with Ruby Cruz who portrayed Kit in the series. During their conversation, the actress was prompted to give her thoughts on Disney ending the niche fantasy saga prematurely.
“[Willow] existed in its own little bubble of time and space, and it reached the people it needed to reach,” the actress shared. “Of course, I also feel conflicted about it. It breaks my heart that people can’t watch it anymore, and I support people in wanting answers.”
The article states that Cruz was “upset at the time,” but that she is now grateful for the character’s public impact.
Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) in Lucasfilm’s WILLOW exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
On the other hand, Legendary actor Warwick Davis has been much less restrained in his response. Taking to X, he accused Disney+ of valuing “shareholders over subscribers” when it comes to creative decisions.
This image just came up as a photo memory. A BTS shot from the #Willow Series. 😃 It’s a travesty that @DisneyPlus value shareholders over subscribers in their creative decision-making. #Justsaying
I only ever saw each episode once!😡 pic.twitter.com/lA49jObIyd
— Warwick Davis (@WarwickADavis) December 11, 2024
One can understand his perspective, as all episodes from Willow have been deleted from Disney’s platform and never had a home video release.
Disney’s Deletion of Willow appears to be Motivated by Money
Forbes states that a massive influx of viewers seen during the 2020 lockdowns pushed Disney to commission an excess of shows. Allegedly, numerous streaming companies actually followed suit in order to remain competitive.
By the time these shows had actually gone on air, though, public restrictions were already being lifted. As the argument goes, this lead to a decline in overall viewership and streamer subscriptions.
Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) in Lucasfilm’s WILLOW exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Due to decreased revenue and the massive cost of these various productions, Disney’s Direct To Consumer division has seen losses of up to $10 billion. Shows like Willow could only draw in a small amount of cash to make up for that.
The writer points out that countries within the United Kingdom, particularly Wales, offer tax credits to companies that choose to film within their borders.
(L-R): Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) and Elora (Ellie Bamber) in Lucasfilm’s WILLOW exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Due to these incentives, Willow’s production costs saw a decrease from over $170 million down to $136.3 million, as previously stated. These savings were, of course, not substantial enough to justify the series’ continuation.
By removing shows from public consumption on the platform, Disney is able to claim a loss on the balance sheet, which alleviates their tax burden. Other platforms have followed a similar strategy, though they sometimes license their shows off to free-with-ads streamers.
What are your thoughts on Disney’s $17 million per episode budget for the deleted series Willow? Did the company make the right call in removing it? Let us know in the comments section below!
I honestly don’t think they made the right call here. The show is niche, yes, but by deleting it completely they’ve cut off any chance of anyone ever discovering it down the line and thus any potential revenue it could have made. This is why video sharing platform advocates tell their clients *not* to delete videos that don’t gain much initial traction. Who knows when something will happen to suddenly draw a lot more attention to that old video?
We’re talking about………. willow?
Never even saw the first.
Never will see the first.
Never met a dude, in my life that has ever mentioned…… willow.
Are we really hitching Disney’s lack of a star to…. willow.
You have to admit. This is creepy funny. Like pining for a Power Pack movie.
I grew up with Star Wars and never saw Leia, sexually. Plenty of other flicks satisfied that need.
There is a very palpable push to fetishize everything now.
Another reason I reflexively shun this current wave of perversion.
I’m so disgusted that my initial peeve of greedo shooting first has led to this gammoroh existence.
AI slop.
This is either terrible planning, or The Establishment had hoped to make the fascist(LEFT wing) Lockdowns last for years. The Covid Chinese (gain-of-function) Bioweapon evolved quickly to be mild, and so they had to end the Lockdowns sooner than they had planned.
The most expensive fertilizer ever.