Hilda and the Mountain King

Coming off the previous two seasons, there were very high expectations for the film, and I believe it's safe to say that they met and exceeded them.

The art matches that of the series, with gorgeously blended pastel colors and that warm soft lighting of which the show is known for. It's difficult to go ten minutes through the film without being presented a spectacle or landscape that leaves you in awe. The animation itself has been given noticeable refinements since the series, particularly in its character movement and speech animation. It's a subtle, but noticed step forwards.

Accompanying the art and animation is, like the series before it, a fantastic soundtrack. While it may have been more restricted this time, when it does make an appearance, it completely clicks with the aesthetic of the show and the plot in an amazing combination.

The film pushes our two main characters, Hilda and her mother Johanna, to their limits. The relationship between them had been growing more tenuous throughout the running of the series, and in the film it gets further attention and development.

Amidst all this, the other sub-plot regarding the threatening buildup of troll activity outside the city gets pulled to the fore within the film, and has its own bittersweet resolution.

Despite tying up the biggest loose ends from the previous two seasons, and the film being based off the final book installment of the same name, there is in fact a third and final season coming! It's uncharted territory, it could go anywhere.

"Our (last) adventure, Twig! Where should we go?"