Jon Kasdan, as it turns out, is a big fan of the original 1988 movie, and ’80s movies in general. And it’s that love for both “Willow” and that era’s style of filmmaking that propelled him to push forward with the sequel series. Far from simply wanting to capitalize on the original movie’s cult following, which seemingly grew exponentially since “Willow’s” initial release, Kasdan is clearly passionate about the material and wanted to use “Willow” as a way to evoke that sense of excitement that so many seem to recall feeling in the pre-internet age. “Ghostbusters II” played a large role in that effort. As Kasdan explained:
“I had a producer named Max Taylor who I worked with pretty much every day on the show. And I don’t think one of those days went by where we didn’t reference ‘Ghostbusters II’ as a stalwart.”
Why that particular movie? Well, Kasdan highlights the plot, which even now is considered one of “Ghostbusters II’s” strong points. In fact, Kasdan found the plot so instructive, it became a “point of reference” for him and his producer in almost “every element” of making the “Willow” show.
Harold Ramis took a surprisingly metaphorical approach when honing the script for “Ghostbusters II.” Ramis and star Dan Aykroyd envisioned the film’s river of slime, which builds beneath New York’s surface, as literally and metaphorically representative of the general toxicity brought about by negative emotions and, as Ramis told Rolling Stone, inspiration to prompt people to “come up with humane solutions.” Pretty deep stuff for a comedy horror sequel, but effective nonetheless — and in the case of “Willow,” seemingly bodes for some deeper metaphorical underpinnings to the show’s plot.
