Remembering ‘Willow’: Val Kilmer and Warwick Davis reminisce about the ’80s fantasy film

OK, children of '80s and '90s, it's time to feel old: Director Ron Howard's 1988 swashbuckling fantasy adventure film "Willow" turns 25 this year.

For those of you unfamiliar with the film or in need of a refresher, "Willow" is a classic sword and sorcery tale about Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis), a small man with a big task. With the help of a disgraced warrior Madmartigan (Val Kilmer), Willow must protect a baby destined to overthrow the evil Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh) and her army.

Written and produced by George Lucas (back when such a distinction was still a selling point for a movie), the film borrowed heavily from J. R. R. Tolkien's "Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" books, as well as Lucas's own "Star Wars" trilogy. An unwilling hero thrust into an adventure, a dashing rogue and a beautiful princess, a prophecy, and an evil force threatening the land -- "Willow" was classic fairy tale stuff!

See also: Warwick Davis talks to Yahoo! Movies about the legacy of 'Willow'

To promote the 25th anniversary Blu-ray release of "Willow," stars Warwick Davis ("Return of the Jedi," "Life's Too Short") and Val Kilmer ("Top Gun," "Batman Forever") recently sat down to reminisce about the movie.

It's hard to tell if Davis was inspired by friend Ricky Gervais (the two produced the "Office"-style comedy series "Life's Too Short") and made the sitdown intentionally awkward for laughs... or if the awkwardness was the real deal. Kilmer ended up marrying and subsequently divorcing co-star Joanne Whalley, so perhaps that experience was colouring his memories. Either way, the video is a funny little trip down memory lane for fans of the movie.

"Willow" was a modest success (both critically and financially) at the time of its release, but it helped further cement former actor Ron Howard ("Apollo 13," "The DaVinci Code") as a respected filmmaker in Hollywood. For his own part, writer/producer Lucas -- who was more wealthy than some small countries, thanks to "Star Wars" -- used "Willow" as a visual effects test bed for his company Industrial Light & Magic. (Among other groundbreaking effects, the movie featured the first ever use of digital morphing.) Lucas also filled "Willow" with nods to (or perhaps shots at) several famous movie critics. The evil skull-wearing General Kael was named after late New Yorker critic Pauline Kael, while the film's terrifying two-headed dragon was named Eborsisk, a reference to Chicago-based critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel.

See also: Val Kilmer unrecognizable as Mark Twain

As for "Willow's" cast, sadly many of them have passed away since the film's release. Patricia Hayes who played sorceress Fin Raziel died in 1998, Pat Roach who played General Kael (and big baddies in two "Indiana Jones" movies) died in 2004, while Billy Barty, David Steinberg, and Mark Northover (who played High Aldwin, Meegosh and Burglekutt) died in 2000, 2010, and 2004, respectively.

Of the surviving cast members, most, if not all, are still working regularly in movies and television. Davis appeared in various roles in every "Harry Potter" movie and in his own HBO comedy series, while Kilmer recently filmed projects with auteur Terrence Malick and longtime George Lucas pal Francis Ford Coppola. Whalley and Marsh have both had recurring roles on television in recent years, appearing on shows like "The Borgias" and "Upstairs Downstairs." However, despite long and successful careers for all of them, many will likely always remember the actors for their roles in "Willow."