Fumito Ueda was inspired by… Willow (1988).
We get a brief backstory at the beginning of Willow with the following text -
'It is a time of dread. Seers have foretold the birth of a child who will bring about the downfall of the powerful Queen Bavmorda. Seizing all pregnant women in the realm, the evil Queen vows to destroy the child when it is born…'
The child that the queen is after, a baby girl who has a distinctive marking on her arm, is placed on a raft to be carried down stream, out of danger. Willow finds the baby and throughout the movie, it's his task to protect her from the evil queen.
When Willow first encounters Madmartigan, a 'Lovable Rogue' who teams up with him, he's been imprisoned the same way as Yorda.
An army arrives with soldiers wearing helmets that made me think of the Shaman's Mask from Shadow of the Colossus.
An interior of Queen Bavmorda's castle and one from the castle in ICO -
At Tir Asleen, trolls climb around the ramparts, chasing after our heroes like shadow creatures.
Madmartigan takes down a two-headed monster in a manner I thought only Wander was capable of.
When Willow and Madmartigan arrive at Tir Asleen they find the people there have all been trapped in stone by Bavmorda. Willow is also in possession of magic acorns that turn to stone whatever they're thrown at. The queen in ICO has the power to turn people to stone.
Apparently, Willow did very well in Japan and I think some brilliant young artists and storytellers were in those cinemas.
