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Netflix gave its viewers an early New Year surprise by dropping yet another heart-warming film, Hilda and the Mountain King.
Based on the novel by Luke Pearson, Hilda and the Mountain King revolves around Hilda who wakes up in the body of a troll and needs to go back home and be human again. But she uses her courage and connection to save the city of Trolberg.
Hilda and the Mountain is directed by Andy Coyle and features Bella Ramsey, Ameerah Falzon-Ojo, Oliver Nelson, Daisy Haggard, Rasmus Hardiker, John Hopkins and Lucy Montgomery.
Note: This article contains spoilers and reflects the opinion of the writer.
'Hilda and the Mountain King': Detailed review
Netflix's Hilda and the Mountain King picks off from the finale of Hilda Season 2 where Hilda and Baba's bodies are swapped. Hilda wakes up and finds herself among the trolls, whereas Baba ends up in her house, among her family. She is impatient to go back home and get to her mother. Hilda's mother, Johanna, wants her daughter back upon learning that the baby in Hilda's bedroom is a troll.
What Hilda doesn't know is that the challenges not only lie amid the mountains and trolls but also at Trolberg. The residents of Trolberg fear that the 'mountain monsters' are conspiring with an attack to take over their territory, so their safety patrol officer, Erik Ahlberg, takes matters into his own hands and devises a strategy. He asks people to volunteer to ring the town's bells over the wall, every night when a troll tries to tresspass.
Hilda, who ends up with Baba's mother Trylla, eventually gets used to their lifestyle and starts enjoying it but still wishes to go back home. As for Johanna in Hilda and the Mountain King, every day she goes out and tries to find Hilda among all the stone turned trolls. One day, Hilda encounters the Mountain King while trying to find a way out, who poses as a friend. He is a gigantic and unfriendly troll who indirectly makes Hilda work for the swap, so that he can get out of his prison cell.
Meanwhile, Johanna finally asks Erik to help her find Hilda, who is now a troll. They are successful in swapping their babies back at the end, but this also gives rise to a war between the trolls and humans. All is resolved when Hilda realizes that the trolls only want to go back to their mother, who lies underneath Trolberg and has been calling for her children. At the end, the people of Trolberg decide to host an annual Trolls fest, which lets them inside the town to meet their mother.
Hilda and the Mountain King has a very engaging narrative that does not skip over parts. Hilda's struggle to accept her troll body, her fear of trolls, and her discovery of the truth is very captivating and somewhere real as well. Johanna's failed attempts and struggles to get her daughter back are very much on point to a mother's nature and also seem very real.
The last 30 minutes of Hilda and the Mountain King shows each character's challenges - from Hilda trying to save the trolls, to the trolls attacking the city and them finding their mother. But the film does come to beautiful and loving conclusions.
It is a hearty mix of self-acceptance, love and magic, and compared to the series, Hilda has a lot more to say. While Bella Ramsey as Hilda does an outstanding job with her voice, John Hopkins as Erik Ahlberg lends the necessary humor to the film.
All-in-all, Hilda and the Mountain King gave the series a fantastic conclusion with added surprises. It signifies that there is more to someone than what meets the eye. With its brilliant animation and plot, Hilda and the Mountain King has much to offer to an audience of all ages, especially due to its enduring appeal.
Hilda and the Mountain King is now streaming on Netflix, with its series also available to watch on the platform.
