Hilda

“The one where a girl and her magical friends try to survive a terrifying world that no one in their right mind would ever want to live in.”

~ Narrator

Hilda is a critically acclaimed animated series based on the graphic novels by Luke Pearson, who apparently just wanted to make a show where a tiny girl in a blue sweater gets into way too much trouble. The show is set in a world filled with dangerous magical creatures, horrifyingly cute animals, and about as much reality as a caffeinated rabbit on a trampoline. Hilda, a fearless and borderline reckless blonde with a love for forest creatures, is basically the human equivalent of an overly-optimistic horror movie protagonist.

The show is often described as "wholesome" for about three minutes before a bloodthirsty, shape-shifting giant crashes the party. Hilda teaches viewers that the world is full of terrifying and sometimes absurd things, but if you keep a positive attitude and a large stick, you can probably make it through.

Plot

Hilda, a young girl whose parents clearly weren't paying attention when they let her wander into the wilderness at age six, embarks on adventures in the city of Trollberg. In this charming urban area, inhabited by humans, trolls, elves, and various eldritch horrors, Hilda manages to almost die on a regular basis. She befriends a large, blue fox (because why not?), narrowly survives encounters with unpredictable creatures, and somehow manages to avoid being arrested for public disturbance despite her constant antics.

While Hilda’s greatest skill is her ability to not die, she also spends a fair amount of time getting into emotionally tense situations with people who are just trying to live normal lives. Her best friend, the perpetually anxious, science-minded boy named David, serves as the ultimate foil to Hilda's reckless optimism. Together, they take on whatever magical monstrosity happens to be wreaking havoc that day, usually without any concern for how many city laws they break in the process.

Main Characters

• Hilda – The protagonist. A 12-year-old with zero regard for personal safety, Hilda’s primary goal in life seems to be discovering every single dangerous thing in the world and then making it her new best friend. She is mostly immune to the concept of "danger" and often uses this to get herself into trouble.

• David – Hilda’s long-suffering best friend, who, if he had a dollar for every time he asked Hilda to stop messing with mythical creatures, would be able to afford some therapy. He’s a realist, which means he’s constantly freaking out, which, in turn, makes him completely unprepared when things go horribly wrong.

• Twig – Hilda’s loyal pet fox, because why not? The fox is a monster in its own right, capable of terrifying feats of strength, inexplicable loyalty, and, oddly, appearing in places where it definitely shouldn’t be able to fit.

• Johanna – Hilda’s mother, who somehow survived raising a child who insists on giving a 20-foot troll a hug every week. Despite her patience and sense of reason, Johanna is eventually worn down to the point of asking, "What did you do this time, Hilda?"

• Alfur – A tiny, anxiety-ridden elf who is always trying to solve problems in the most diplomatic way possible. He is constantly horrified by Hilda’s lack of common sense but remains a loyal ally. When not in panic mode, Alfur is occasionally a source of ancient wisdom—mostly stuff like "Don’t get eaten by a gigantic bird."

Themes

1. Childhood Imagination

Hilda is like the embodiment of every child who has ever believed in magic. The show will make you nostalgic for those times when you thought the trees were alive, the moon had a secret society of talking owls, and that your stuffed animal was just waiting for you to fall asleep so it could take over the world.

2. Existential Dread

Behind all the cute creatures and magical creatures is the unsettling reality that the world is full of terrifying and largely incomprehensible forces. Hilda often confronts bizarre, world-shattering events with little more than an impish grin, leading the audience to question how much courage it really takes to avoid becoming an ancient and forgotten legend.

3. Responsibility and Friendship

The show has a solid core message about responsibility, mostly in terms of how Hilda constantly should be responsible but just isn't. Nevertheless, through her absurd friendships with elves, trolls, and giant birds, viewers learn that even in the most chaotic and dangerous world, having a couple of good friends (and maybe a few monsters) by your side is the best thing you can do.

Magic and Monsters

Throughout Hilda, magic is just a regular part of life, despite the fact that everyone seems mildly terrified of it. Here are a few of the more notable magical creatures:

• Trolls – Trollberg is apparently infested with these gigantic, lumbering creatures, and for some reason, the city has decided that the best way to handle them is to pretend they don't exist and hope they go away. Spoiler: They don't.

• The Raven – A giant bird who shows up for no particular reason, destroys a few things, and leaves. It’s likely the bird is a metaphor for whatever your biggest fear is, because it seems completely indestructible and completely arbitrary.

• Witches and Elves – Hilda gets involved with both of these groups, mostly by accident. Witches are highly territorial and extremely prone to misinterpreting casual curiosity as an act of war. Elves are tiny, fussy, and full of ancient wisdom…that no one ever seems to want to hear.

Reception

Critics have praised Hilda for its incredible animation, stunning world-building, and thoughtful exploration of childhood, imagination, and fear. Children, however, have praised it for the explosions and giant monsters that seem to pop up every ten minutes.

Some viewers, however, are left wondering if Hilda has an undisclosed death wish, given the way she regularly walks directly into mortal danger with nothing more than a cheerful "Let's go, Twig!" In summary: A fun, terrifying, and occasionally traumatic show that somehow manages to have a heart of gold.

Memorable Quotes

“What's the worst that could happen?”

~ Hilda

“You know… a lot of things could happen, Hilda.”

~ David

“Hilda, for the love of all that is sacred, please, just stop climbing the giant!”

~ Alfur

In Conclusion

Hilda is a magical rollercoaster of wonder, fear, and questionable decision-making, with a healthy dose of cute animals and not-so-cute giants. It serves as a reminder that sometimes, the best way to approach life’s countless dangers is by screaming "Let's do it!" and charging in headfirst.