Disney Memory-Holes ‘Willow’ Erasing Another of Its Failed Woke Experiments

Disney’s deleted streaming series Willow (2022) reportedly carried a staggering $17 million per episode price tag, amounting to a total of $136.3 million, according to a recent Forbes report. The data comes from filings by Barking Lion Production, a Disney subsidiary. While that budget was cheaper than Marvel and Star Wars productions, it did little to save the project from being quietly erased from Disney+ after just one season.

The cancellation came in 2023 during a wave of content removals that signaled a shift in Disney’s streaming priorities. Records indicate that a second season was planned but later abandoned. By now, the entire series has been scrubbed from the company’s platform, leaving no official way for fans to watch it again.

The show’s demise reveals more than just financial strain. Many viewers and analysts argue that Willow suffered from a creative identity crisis. Instead of focusing on the adventure and the title hero that defined George Lucas’s 1988 classic, Disney’s revival put modern identity politics front and center. The story often sidelined Warwick Davis’s returning character, choosing instead to highlight new teenage leads and a same-sex romance that critics said felt forced and agenda-driven. What was once a fantasy epic about courage and discovery became yet another attempt to retrofit an older property to fit contemporary cultural messaging.

The critics loved it. Fans of the original? Not so much.

Even those involved in the production later voiced their frustrations. In a September interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ruby Cruz, who played Kit, defended the show but admitted mixed feelings. “Willow existed in its own little bubble of time and space, and it reached the people it needed to reach,” she said. “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.” Her comments reflect an awareness that the show’s audience was much smaller than Disney had hoped.

Warwick Davis, who originated the role of Willow Ufgood in the 1988 film, was more blunt on X. He accused Disney+ of putting “shareholders over subscribers” in its content decisions. Yet for many fans, it wasn’t corporate priorities that doomed Willow, but a refusal to deliver a straightforward adventure story free from social lecturing.

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

Forbes also reported that Disney’s push into streaming accelerated during the 2020 lockdowns, when high demand made large budgets appear sustainable. But as normal life resumed, many viewers drifted away. The overproduction of expensive streaming series left the company with billions in losses. The Direct to Consumer division has already recorded shortfalls topping $10 billion, forcing executives to slash content and reevaluate their strategy.

Shooting in Wales and other parts of the United Kingdom helped Disney claim tax credits that reduced the overall cost from more than $170 million to about $136 million. Even so, the savings were not enough to offset the show’s disappointing performance.

By pulling Willow entirely, Disney can write off the loss for tax purposes while also distancing itself from a crappy product. In effect, the company is treating the series like a mistake best forgotten. Given the backlash and its low viewership, erasing it may be one of Disney’s most practical decisions in recent years.

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