Where was Willow filmed? Guide to all the Disney Series Locations
Posted by Ra Moon
At last, more than three decades later, the 1988 cult comedy-fantasy movie gets a sequel as a Disney+ show.
The new Willow series was entirely filmed in Wales, in contrast with the original movie, featuring superb locations all over the world.
The new Willow series was entirely filmed in Wales, in contrast with the original movie, featuring superb locations all over the world.
Joanne Whalley and Warwick Davis lead the returning cast as Sorsha and Willow respectively. Unfortunately, Val Kilmer, recovering from throat cancer, was unable to reprise his unforgettable role as Madmartigan.
The story picks up two-hundred moons after Sorsha defeated her mother, Bavmorda, when her son Airk (played by Dempsey Bryk) is kidnapped by another evil sorceress.
Sorsha's daughter, Kit (Ruby Cruz), is sent to rescue his twin brother, along with the sarcastic warrior Boorman (Amar Chadha-Patel), her lover Jade (Erin Kellyman), Airk's girlfriend Dove/Elora Danan (Ellie Bamber), and Prince Graydon (Tony Revolori).
Welcome to Tir Asleen and our spoiler-free guide to the filming locations of Willow.
Willow Filming Locations
The series opens with Kit and Jane training their fencing skills in a scene filmed at Morlais Quarry.
This is one of the four limestone quarries located north of Merthyr Tydfil in County Borough.
Wales has plenty of stunning medieval castles. However, the set of Tir Asleen was built in a backlot of Dragon Studios in the southeast of the country.
You can still see the layout of the courtyard and the town outside the walls of the castle in Google Maps, next to the studios.
The Willow Castle design is the same as in the 1988 movie (lower picture), which in turn was inspired by classic medieval European castles.
The central tower resembles that of Segovia Castle in Spain. The 80s blockbuster was filled with amazing, vintage special effects, both practical and digital.
The green pasture rolls around the castle were filmed at Brecon Beacons National Park.
Located only 30 miles north of Cardiff, this splendid mountain range has been featured in many productions including the series His Dark Materials and A Discovery of Witches.
Image courtesy of Disney - Map
Among the gorgeous landscapes that the members of the rescue mission pass through is the Ffynnon Llugwy lake within the Carneddau mountain ranges in Snowdonia National Park.
Image courtesy of Disney - Map
According to Visit Wales, the lush woodlands of the Taf Fechan Forest (Owl’s Grove) near Merthyr Tydfil served as the scenic forest that appears in many scenes.
There is a network of beautiful trails surrounded by delightful waterfalls in this area located in the heart of the Brecon Beacons.
Image courtesy of Disney - Map
The Battle of the Slaughtered Lamb was also filmed at the Morlais Quarry near Merthyr Tudful in southeast Wales.
The Quarry is made up of a series of four limestone quarries located on Morlais Hill.
The entrance to the underworld is the Morlais Castle dungeon.
Image courtesy of Disney - Maps: Morlais Quarry / Morlais Castle
The ruins at the beginning of chapter five, "Wildwood", were filmed at the atmospheric remains of Neath Abbey.
Once the largest abbey in Wales, this monastic complex established in 1129 was dissolved and abandoned in the 16th century.
Image courtesy of Disney - Map
Wildwood was filmed in Puzzlewood near Coleford, in the Forest of Dean (Gloucestershire).
This ancient woodland, which seems out of a fairy tale, features many scenic spots including lush vegetation and peculiar rock formations covered by moss.
Image courtesy of Disney - Map
The beach in the seventh episode, "Beyond the Shattered Sea", is the lovely beach on the shores of Carmarthen Bay, Pendine Sands.
The sky reflected on the Shattered Sea's surface is reminiscent of the unique Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia.
Image courtesy of Disney - Map
The former quarrying village of Penwyllt, in the upper Swansea Valley, was also featured in some scenes.
Image courtesy of Disney - Map
More confirmed filming locations include the tiny Merthyr Mawr settlement in Bridgend and Margam Country Park, one of the locations where the fictional town of Moordale is located in Sex Education.
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1 comment:
1- Anonymous - Jan 1, 2023, 7:29 AM
In episode three, the entrance to the underworld of Slaughtered Lamb is the Morlais Castle dungeon.
The Wildwood episode was mainly shot on Puzzlewood's old iron working mine and attraction Milkwood Glos England.
1- Anonymous - Jan 1, 2023, 7:29 AM
In episode three, the entrance to the underworld of Slaughtered Lamb is the Morlais Castle dungeon.
The Wildwood episode was mainly shot on Puzzlewood's old iron working mine and attraction Milkwood Glos England.
Ra Moon
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