‘Willow’ Fans Campaign to Save Their Show From Disney+ Removal Like ‘Howard’

in Disney, Entertainment

Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) unleashes his power.

Credit: Lucasfilm

After Howard Ashman fans and LGBTQ+ activists succeeded in their fight to save the documentary Howard from being removed from Disney+, fans of the fantasy series Willow are hoping to do the same for their show.

Willow is a fantasy series based on the 1988 film of the same name. The series picks up where the film left off, bringing back the main character along with a slate of all new friends – including a queer couple that was centered in the series.

Twitter user @likemfatherb4me said:

I have no words for how truly special this show is and how much joy I’ve gotten from it. @RobertIger and @DisneyPlus are making such a mistake removing it. All you’ve done is alienate me from wanting to watch any streaming originals for fear they’ll vanish forever. #Willow

The show was cancelled after the first season, although originally series creator John Kasdan indicated that it would be more of a pause than a true cancellation – season 2 had already been written, and they simply wanted to release the actors for other opportunities while they waited for LucasFilm to get their production ducks in a row.

Now, however, that cancellation feels much more final, as Willow has been included in a list of properties to be permanently removed from the Disney+ app.

Fans of the series are outraged, especially LGBTQ+ fans, who were quick to point out the irony of erasing queer representation from their platform just days before the beginning of Pride Month – and just following the movie’s 35th anniversary.

Related: Huge Blow To LGBTQ+ Community: Disney Removes Howard Ashman Documentary From Disney+

This outraged campaigning worked yesterday, when there was major blowback from the announcement that the documentary Howard, about the life of legendary gay Disney composer Howard Ashman, would be removed as well.

Many pointed out that in a climate in which Disney is facing off against Ron DeSantis, in part in support of the LGBTQ+ community, removing representative content is not a good look.

Now, Willow fans are hoping that taking the same tack will work to save their show.

User @queernerdy said:

Apparently being loud and speaking up can still change the list of titles removed – so let’s be loud and show @DisneyPlus that removing #Willow is a huge mistake and hurtful to so many people. #RepresentationMatters

An all-out campaign has begun online, with #Willow trending high in Twitter’s Entertainment tab all day. Fans of the show do not plan to take this blow lying down, and, like the scrappy crew depicted in the show, are showing that they have much more power than Disney may have bargained for.

User @DoctorLongscarf said:

We used to campaign to beg for a renewal. Now we’re campaigning for them to just keep the series on the platform. Feels like a step in the wrong direction … #Willow #KeepWillow

Likewise, user @David_Leavitt said:

Cancelling a show is one thing, but it makes no sense to me for a digital platform to remove a show made exclusively to be on it. First #Westworld on HBO now #Willow on Disney+ This is a huge blow to everyone who worked on these. At least release dvd/blu ray versions.

User @bensolohope said:

Idk maybe instead of trying to make headlines for every “first gay Pixar character!” in the background you could actually promote a show that has well-written gay protagonists during Pride month? Instead of being afraid to and leaving promotion in the dust? Just a thought #willow

Related: ‘Willow’ Just Made Lucasfilm History

The good news is, this removal is very much not set in stone. When Disney+ walked back their decision to remove Howard from the platform, they told Deadline that their list was “still being finalized,” so this campaigning could very much convince the platform that it is worth it to keep the series.

This mass dumping of titles is part of an effort, not just on Disney+, but across streaming in general, to cull rising residual costs for titles that live on the platform, but don’t generate enough revenue through views to be justified. This, however, makes far less sense for content that is original to the platform, like Willow and Howard are.

Removing content from the public eye entirely is not likely to curry goodwill with customers, especially when the content serves as important representation to a marginalized group.

If you are a fan of Willow – or simply support those who wish to see it remain available – you can join this campaign simply by tweeting with the hashtag, and showing Disney that the show has numbers on its side.

User @SWSplashPagePod also suggested writing feedback directly in the Disney+ app, if you have it – they are more likely to listen to people who they know are paying customers.

Bummed by news about #Willow leaving @DisneyPlus so we let the streamer know. You should, too.

Related: How ‘Willow’ is Forever Linked to ‘The Last Of Us’

The removal of content from streaming platforms who initially promised an “any program, any time” deal is a big experiment, and may prove to backfire in the faces of large streamers who have steadily been increasing prices over time.

If the loss of content does not also come with a reduction in price, many may feel the need to cut ties with these platforms entirely – especially now that there is no shortage of sources for people to get entertainment.

What do you think of the removals from Disney+? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments.

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