Watching the 1988 movie Willow scene-by-scene. Why? Because it’s freakin’ Willow! The movie becomes a wacky family sitcom for a few minutes, 8:11-9:48 on the Blu-ray.

We start with Kaiya and the kids at the riverside, all smiling at the baby. Willow storms up and declares that no one in the family is to fall in love with the baby, but his words go unheeded. It’s dad humor! He protests “I will not be ignored!” as his family ignores him, walking off with the baby.

The next shot is Willow outside his farm, two slightly igloo-shaped stone houses and what looks like the stables under a thatched roof. Willow kicks the ground with frustration, showing his frustration is likely more to do with the threat of losing his farm rather than anything having to do with the baby.

Inside, Kaiya and Mims give the baby a bath, where Kaiya (and the audience) sees the mark on the baby, the one referenced in the movie’s opening scene. The symbol is a Y shape, with a third diagonal line and a dot in the center. I’m afraid I’m not knowledgeable enough about symbology to know whether this is a reference to something specific. The best I could come up with is the logo for the Louie Vuitton clothing company:

In the next shot, the camera pulls back to reveal the inside of the house is much larger than the outside. The doors and furniture have been sized for the actors’ heights, but the high roof makes this room twice as big as the igloo-like building seen outdoors. (I know, I know, the sets have to be large to accommodate cameras, lighting, etc.) Kaiya asks if they should take the baby to the village council. Willow says no, arguing that the village council will think the baby is a bad omen, and that he’ll get blamed the next time there’s a flood or a drought. He then launches into another sitcom dad routine, mimicking the panicked villagers saying, “Let’s get him!”

Kaiya tells Willow to calm down, and Willow says he can’t, adding “Tomorrow’s my big day.” Kaiya knows what he’s thinking and adds, “The High Aldwin hasn’t picked a new apprentice in years.” Willow says he believes that tomorrow will be different and the High Aldwin is going to pick him. Even though the audience doesn’t know who or what the High Aldwin is at this point, this dialogue exchange further emphasizes why Willow is stressed, and helping us understand his reluctance to take care of the baby — it’s not that he doesn’t care about the baby, he’s just got his and his family’s future to think of.

While this dialogue has been going on, young Ranon has a bit of business to the left of the screen, where he climbs up onto the kitchen table and starts pulling stuff out of a small black bag. First he pulls out a necklace, and then some feathers. I have no idea what this is about. Is Willow doing magic without realizing it, making stuff appear in the bag, and no one but Ranon notices it? Or is Ranon just being a mischievous kid? They give him a close-up where he has a real devious look on his face.

To put a button on the “it’s okay, Willow’s not a jerk” thing, the baby starts crying, so Kaiya hands her to Willow. Willow doesn’t want to hold the baby at first, but gives in. The baby stops crying immediately, and Willow can’t help but smile. The two kids laugh, with Ranon adding, “She likes you, Daddy,” while Mims laughs.

Next: County fair.

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