Fans of Willow are protesting the show’s potential removal from Disney+.
They cite its popularity, quality and important representation of people with dwarfism. #KeepWillow, #SaveWillow and #RepresentationMatters hashtags are being used on social media sites like Twitter and TikTok.
Willow is a TV show sequel to the 1988 film of the same name. We recently learned that dozens of shows are being pulled from Disney’s streaming platform on May 26th, 2023. Willow is on the unconfirmed list, even though it only finished airing on January 11th, 2023.
@DisneyPlus 👀 see this?#Willow is trending in Canada.
It’s not too late to reverse your decision and #KeepWillow on your streaming platform. 6 months is not enough. Be respectful to the fans and to the people who worked hard on the show. #SaveWillow #RepresentationMatters pic.twitter.com/iA50rYpqao— Klouny ⚔️ (@Klouny_1692) May 22, 2023
Fans have cited the representation of little people as an important reason the show should stay. One video by a disability advocate, @hi.itsvi, gained substantial attention on TikTok. It pointed to a petition to stop Willow from being removed.
“[Willow is] one of the only series on the platform to feature a lead with dwarfism and a cast of little people,” @hi.itsvi said. “Unfortunately, dwarfism representation is already scarce enough as it is in media.”
https://www.tiktok.com/@hi.itsvi/video/7235113806446284038
The petition was started by Aubrey Smalls, a 26-year-old filmmaker and TikToker with dwarfism.
“Representation is important because it educates, it inspires, and it shows people what the world around them looks like,” Smalls said. “It seems like Disney does not care about little people at all. They’ve removed us from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, which is coming out next year, and now a whole show featuring little people is being yoinked from the platform.”
Disney has been accused of removing these shows during the ongoing writer’s strike in the United States to avoid paying residuals.
Cool Disney. Thanks for not only canceling one of my kids’ favorite shows but erasing it so they can never watch it again.
The “vault” isn’t “buy the dvd or else” anymore. It’s “this story will only exist in your memory” because you don’t want to pay residuals? #Willow pic.twitter.com/vUZrAOWNuv
— Capital Chick (@acapitalchick) May 18, 2023
“I believe that the power of social media is strong and we’ll be able to save it,” said @hi.itsvi.
Image credit: Lucasfilm
MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.
