Willow Filming Locations Revealed: Where Is the Disney Show Filmed?

We know for a fact that the Willow storyline was continued by Disney by bringing a Willow series that is set to star new characters but still feature Warwick Davis’s Willow as a central figure. Of course, the filming for the series already wrapped up months ago as we are only days away from the release of the new show, which will be released at the end of November. So, where was Willow filmed?

Like the original 1988 movie, the Willow series was filmed in places around Northern Wales in the United Kingdom. On top of that, Willow was also filmed in Dragon International Film Studios in Bridgend, which has four soundstages that the crew could use to shoot different scenes in this much-awaited series.

The fact that Willow was also filmed in locations that were found in the original movie means that the series stayed true to its roots. In that regard, the nostalgia will be strong in this one as fans will be excited to see familiar places that were present in the movie. So, with that said, let’s get to know more about the filming locations of both the Willow movie and the Willow series.

Where Was The Willow Movie Filmed?

Back in 1988, a classic film called Willow was released, as Lucasfilm tried to do something different by bringing a dark fantasy adventure movie to life after seeing a ton of success with the Star Wars trilogy. While Willow didn’t reach the height of success that Star Wars reached, it still became a classic that a lot of young audiences during the 80s and 90s loved.

Of course, we all know that this series is going to see a continuation of its storyline because Disney decided to produce a Willow series that is, of course, the continuation of the movie version. In that regard, we are going to see Warwick Davis’s Willow coming to life on the screen once more as he goes on a new adventure with a new generation of heroes.

Going back to the 1988 version of the storyline, we know for a fact that it was a fantasy adventure film that saw Willow and his friends going on a grand adventure to stop the evil Queen Bavmorda. As such, it was normal for him and his friends to move from one place to another in a world called the Mother World, which is home to different villages and kingdoms. But where was the Willow movie filmed?

The Willow movie was mostly filmed in the northern areas of Wales, as most of the scenes were shot in the Dinorwic Quarry. However, there were also a lot of scenes that were shot in New Zealand, especially in places like Fiordland National Park, Queenstown, and Tongariro National Park. Still, plenty of the scenes in the original movie were filmed in Wales and in other parts of the UK, like Ireland.

Of course, it was understandable to use such places for the movie because of the fact that this film is a fantasy adventure that involves a lot of different places that are medieval-like. As such, sceneries like mountains and castles were important to use for Willow, and that’s why its budget was even bigger than Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.

Where Was The Willow Series Filmed?

As mentioned, Disney picked up the chance to bring Willow back to life when it produced a series that is based on the original movie that was released in 1988. Of course, because this series is a continuation of the movie, we know for a fact that Disney was going to try to bring back the same kind of environment and scenery that was present in the Willow movie. So, where was the Willow series filmed?

Warwick Davis, in fact, has been seen filming in a lot of different locations that we are going to detail in this article. Of course, he is the central character that will be working with a new cast of emerging characters, and that means that he is going to have an active role in almost all of the important scenes in this upcoming series. 

In that regard, the production crew actually went to Dinorwic Quarry to film a lot of the scenes there, as we know for a fact that plenty of the scenes that were filmed in the original movie were also shot in this very same place. And the fact that Bavmorda’s castle was located in the very same area suggests that it will also return in the Willow series.

Warwick Davis himself confirmed that they filmed the Willow series in the same place where the Willow movie was filmed.

There are also locations that were filmed in the Dragon International Film Studios located in Bridgend in Wales, as this location isn’t a stranger to fantasy adventure movies and series. There are different soundstages in this studio, and that means that a lot of the different scenes were likely filmed in them. In that regard, we can expect a lot of CGI scenes filmed in Dragon International Film Studios.

There was also a village set that was constructed at Dragon Studios, which means that one of the villages that will be portrayed in the series was shot in this location. Of course, the village is quite medieval in terms of its appearance, and that means that the series is truly going to stay true to the fantasy roots of Willow. 

Of course, there were also other areas that were used to film different scenes in Willow. For one, Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire, was used as a filming location as the crew stayed around a month there. In fact, this is an extremely scenic area that has been known to be a tourist attraction.

There were also locations that were filmed at Mynydd Llangynidr Quarry in Brecon Beacons and at Pontsticill reservoir, which is located in the southern part of Wales. As such, we know that the crew has been quite active in using different locations to bring the Willow series to life.

Things didn’t stop there because filming was also done in places like Morlais Quarry, which is located in South Wales. It is possible that this location includes a burnt castle in the events of the series, as there is a good chance that one of the castles in Willow will be burned due to some sort of a fight involving the different forces that will be shown in this new adventure.

All that said, we know for a fact that the series is going to stay true to the roots of the 1988 movie, as the locations that were used in the Willow show are similar to the places that were used in the original film. Of course, because the budget of this series is likely higher than the movie and because technology is now better than it was more than 30 years ago, a lot of the scenes were also filmed in dedicated studios and soundstages that allowed them to bring the medieval appeal to life without having to build actual medieval villages and castles. Still, we are more than happy that Disney rode the nostalgia train by bringing back familiar places that only true Willow fans will recognize.