Hilda
Hilda is an animated fantasy-adventure series on Netflix, adapted from Luke Pearson's graphic novels. It chronicles the escapades of a fearless blue-haired girl, Hilda, who, along with her deerfox Twig and her mother Johanna, relocates from the wilderness to the bustling, folklore-filled city of Trolberg. The show is geared towards children, typically rated TV-Y7, and follows Hilda as she befriends various mythical creatures and navigates a world brimming with supernatural elements, including elves, trolls, and spirits. While lauded for its beautiful animation, imaginative storytelling, and positive themes of friendship, curiosity, and courage, parental reviews highlight a significant presence of pagan and occult themes, as well as some intense or scary sequences that may be unsuitable for very young or sensitive viewers.
Concerns
Witchcraft & Occult
HighWitchcraft and occult themes are central and recurring elements throughout the series, presented within a Scandinavian folklore context. Characters actively engage in spellcasting, communicate with spirits, and explore a world where magic and pagan concepts are normalized and depicted explicitly.
The series 'heavily relies on objectionable pagan concepts,' including 'witchcraft, messing with ghosts, and on screen (though bloodless) mutilation'. Hilda's friend Frida becomes a 'witch in training,' studies witchcraft, reads spell books, and uses spells. Hilda's Aunt Astrid is also portrayed as a witch who 'creates charms and practices her witchy beliefs'. In one episode, Hilda botches a 'charisma enhance' spell on David and briefly 'harvests his soul' before reversing it.
Anti-Christian Themes
HighThe series presents a worldview heavily influenced by Norse mythology and pagan beliefs, explicitly incorporating witchcraft, necromancy, and interactions with spirits as normalized elements. This consistent portrayal of alternative spiritual practices is identified as a significant concern for Christian parents, despite no direct mockery of Christian tenets.
Movieguide states that 'HILDA leans on pagan ideas with a smidge of Christian ideals,' and 'heavily relies on objectionable pagan concepts,' including 'witchcraft, messing with ghosts,' and 'necromancy'. Plugged In further notes the show is 'steeped in Norse mythology and pagan beliefs' and 'makes light of serious pagan practices, such as witchcraft, necromancy and other supernatural elements,' which is explicitly flagged as a spiritual issue for parents.
Violence
MediumThe series includes instances of mild to moderate fantasy violence, which is generally bloodless but can be visually impactful. This includes confrontations with various creatures and some cartoonish depictions of injury that, while not graphic, can be startling.
In one episode, David joins a Viking cult and is depicted getting his head 'chopped off' in a mannequin-like fashion, only to reattach it later with 'magic glue'. Hilda also engages in 'bloodless mutilation' when dealing with supernatural beings. Additionally, Hilda frequently encounters and 'fights a squad of pirate ghosts' and 'wrestles several spirits at a graveyard'.
Scary & Intense Content
MediumDespite its cozy art style, 'Hilda' features several scary and intense moments, including jump scares and threatening fantastical creatures. These elements can be frightening for younger viewers, especially as content intensifies in later seasons.
The show 'sneaks in a few jump scares' and Hilda is 'jumpscared by Trolls, giant krakens, and a bloodthirsty hound'. The 'time worm' is depicted consuming Mr. Austinfeld, a scene described as not 'skimp[ing] on the brutality'. Additionally, Mara, who are 'nightmare spirits,' actively invade people's dreams, causing distress to characters like David.
Disrespect & Rebellion
MediumWhile the series emphasizes positive values like friendship and curiosity, Hilda exhibits traits of stubbornness and impulsiveness that can lead to minor acts of defiance or conflict with her mother and friends.
Hilda is often characterized as 'stubborn and impetuous' and occasionally 'lashes out at her friends'. In one storyline, Hilda actively recruits a team to 'sabotage' Trolberg's bell system against the city's Safety Patrol, an act of defiance, albeit for a positive outcome.
LGBTQ & Gender Identity
LowComprehensive searches for LGBTQ+ representation, characters, or themes within the 'Hilda' TV series or statements from its creator, Luke Pearson, yielded no explicit results. The show does not prominently feature LGBTQ+ characters, relationships, or gender identity discussions.
No specific examples of LGBTQ+ characters, relationships, or explicit discussions of gender identity were found across all conducted searches related to the 'Hilda' television series or its creators' statements regarding the show's content.
Romance and Sexual Content
LowThe 'Hilda' series contains no discernible romance or sexual content. Reviews indicate a notable absence of modern sexual narratives.
Plugged In explicitly states that 'modern, sexual narratives and profanity. Neither of those exist in this TV-Y7 show'. No specific examples of romantic gestures beyond platonic friendship or any sexual content were found.
Profanity
LowThe show is reported to be free of strong profanity or curse words, aligning with its TV-Y7 rating.
According to Plugged In, the series does not include 'profanity'. No specific instances of profanity were found in any reviews or content warnings.
Substance Use
LowNo instances of substance use, including alcohol, drugs, or smoking, were identified in the content analysis.
There are no specific examples or mentions of characters engaging in alcohol consumption, drug use, or smoking across the available parental reviews and content analyses.
Other Notes
Target Demographic
Ages 8+ with parental guidance. While officially rated TV-Y7, the consistent and prominent inclusion of witchcraft, occult practices, and occasionally intense or frightening scenes featuring fantastical creatures warrants a recommendation for slightly older children, or younger children only with active parental discussion and discernment.
Additional Notes
The visual appeal and engaging narrative style of 'Hilda' may make the embedded pagan and occult themes seem less impactful to younger viewers, potentially normalizing these concepts. Parents should be aware that the intensity of certain themes, particularly scary and occult elements, can evolve across seasons and the associated film 'Hilda and the Mountain King'.
Related Reviews
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