In this Netflix movie follow-up to the Hilda series, which is also based on the original Hilda graphic novel Hilda and the Mountain King, the adventurous girl Hilda (voiced by Bella Ramsey) has been turned into a troll and taken to the mountain of the trolls. She desperately tries to get back home while security in her town of Trollsberg has built up due to a wave of anti-troll fervor.
This has that same unique charm and old-fashioned comics-esque feel of the show. Story is well-written. The movie especially does a good job with Hilda's Mum (Daisy Ridley), really selling her desperation for reuniting with her daughter. Hilda's been switched with a troll child, and I'm pleased that this isn't a case of their minds being switched. One's now a troll and one's now a human. Mind-swapping is such a cliche and by avoiding it we don't have to waist time with characters figuring out what's going on. Speaking of the trolls, though they've frequently been shown in the show, this movie really sheds light on the world of them, and I like the imagination and their various designs.
Though you can see some stuff and the ultimate message coming, the movie does it well enough that you don't care. I thought the it did a pretty good job of warning kids of the dangers of fear and intolerance.
If you liked Hilda's friends Frida (Ameerah Falzon-Ojo) and David (Oliver Nelson), don't expect to see as much of them as you'd like. They have roles to play and decent screen time, but they feel like they're going off on subquests. To the best of my knowledge, they were created for the show, so Hilda would have some kids her own age to interact with and you kinda need a bigger cast for an entire season of the show. They're not in the graphic novels. The creators appear to have stayed true to the original story while having the unenviable task of having to incorporate elements from the show, meaning they couldn't have Frida and David do anything to radically alter the story beats.
This is a direct continuation to the season 2 finale cliffhanger. You'll have a lot clearer understanding of what's going on if you watch it.
The animation is just like the show's: colors are a bit muted and odd for my taste, but I love the design and the comic come-to-life feeling to it. The opening credits are a really well done sequence.
Overall, this is a wonderful film. It might be the end of the show. I'm unclear on whether their final third season deal was for an actual season or it was substituted for this film. If so, this was a great place to end on.
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