Hilda (TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hilda |
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| Genre |
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| Created by | Luke Pearson |
| Developed by |
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| Written by |
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| Directed by | Andy Coyle |
| Starring |
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| Theme music composer | Grimes |
| Opening theme | "Hilda (Main Title Theme)" performed by Grimes |
| Ending theme | "Hilda's Theme" composed by Dan Mangan (all seasons) "The Life of Hilda" performed by Bella Ramsey (season 2, episode 7) "The End" performed by Greta Kline (season 2, episode 13) |
| Composer(s) | Dan Mangan (season 1) Ryan Carlson (all seasons) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom Canada United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Editor(s) | John McKinnon |
| Running time | 24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Netflix Silvergate Media Mercury Filmworks Nobrow Press Atomic Cartoons Flying Eye Books (season 2) |
| Release | |
| Original network | Netflix |
| Picture format | 1080p |
| Audio format | Dolby Digital 5.1 |
| Original release | 21 September 2018 – present |
Hilda is an exciting animated TV series from the UK, Canada, and the US. It's based on the popular graphic novels by Luke Pearson. The show is made by Silvergate Media and Mercury Filmworks.
The story follows a brave, blue-haired girl named Hilda and her amazing pet, a deerfox called Twig. They move from their quiet home in the wilderness to the busy city of Trolberg. There, Hilda makes friends with all sorts of creatures, even some that seem dangerous at first!
Hilda first came out on Netflix on 21 September 2018. It quickly became a hit and was loved by critics. The first two episodes were shown early at the New York International Children's Film Festival on 25 February 2018.
Because it was so popular, the series was renewed for a second season on 8 October 2018. This second season was released on 14 December 2020. A special 70-minute movie episode is also being made.
Contents
Discovering the World of Hilda
Hilda grew up living with her mother in a cozy cabin near a big forest. As the series goes on, she and Twig, her deerfox, have many adventures. They are later joined by an elf named Alfur and her friends, David and Frida. Together, they meet and become friends with many mysterious animals and spirits. These creatures live both in the wild and around the city of Trolberg.
Meet the Characters
Main Characters
- Bella Ramsey as Hilda: She's an adventurous young Sparrow Scout who loves exploring new places with Twig. Hilda was born in the wild. She wasn't happy about moving to Trolberg at first. But she quickly gets used to city life and becomes very clever.
- Daisy Haggard as Johanna (Mum): Hilda's mother works as a graphic designer and at a general store. She lets Hilda go on adventures but worries when Hilda is in danger. Johanna moved them to the city so Hilda could have a more normal life with school and friends.
- Ameerah Falzon-Ojo as Frida: Hilda's best friend and a top student at school. She's a very organized Sparrow Scout and has earned many badges. Later, she starts training to become a witch.
- Oliver Nelson as David: Hilda's other best friend and a fellow Sparrow Scout. He's scared of insects and often doesn't want to go on risky adventures with Hilda and Frida.
- Ilan Galkoff provides David's singing voice.
- Rasmus Hardiker as Alfur Aldric: An elf who travels with Hilda to Trolberg. He wants to learn all about life in the city.
- John Hopkins as Erik Ahlberg: He's the head of Trolberg's safety patrol in season 2. He often seems clumsy and cares a lot about looking good.
- Lucy Montgomery as Gerda Gustav: Ahlberg's helper in season 2.
Other Important Voices
These actors are listed as "Additional Voices" in the show. They play many different characters.
- Kaisa Hammarlund as Kaisa: A librarian who helps Hilda with her research. In season two, we learn Kaisa is a witch and she becomes more involved in the adventures.
- Reece Pockney as Trevor: A local bully.
- Ako Mitchell as Wood Man: A tree-like creature who often visits Hilda's old home in the forest. He always walks in without knocking!
Episode Guide
Season 1 (2018)
| Overall Chapter | Season Chapter | Title | Written by | Original release date | |
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| 1 | 1 | "The Hidden People" (Part 1) | Stephanie Simpson | 21 September 2018 | |
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Hilda, her mum Johanna, and Twig live in the wilderness. Hilda finds a troll and takes a bell from its nose. Later, tiny invisible creatures attack their house because Hilda ignored their warnings. Johanna wants to move to Trolberg, but Hilda wants to fix things. She befriends an elf named Alfur, who helps her meet the prime minister. Hilda learns only the king can help. Alfur decides to take her to the king, even if it's against the rules.
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| 2 | 2 | "The Midnight Giant" (Part 2) | Stephanie Simpson | 21 September 2018 | |
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That night, Hilda meets a giant who is waiting for a friend. The next day, Hilda still doesn't want to move to Trolberg. The Wood Man gives her a book about giants. Hilda learns the giant she met is Jorgen. Hilda and Alfur try to find the Elf King, but he runs away. Hilda accidentally causes an avalanche, which is made by another giant. Hilda realizes this giant is Jorgen's friend. The two giants reunite. Just as Hilda and Johanna think they can stay in the wild, Jorgen accidentally crushes their house. They realize it's time to move to Trolberg. Hilda, Johanna, Twig, and Alfur move to their new home.
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| 3 | 3 | "The Bird Parade" | Kenny Byerly | 21 September 2018 | |
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Trolberg gets ready for The Bird Parade. Hilda tries to make friends by helping a bird that got hurt. The Bird Parade celebrates The Great Raven. Hilda and Alfur find out the bird is The Raven, who brings good luck to Trolberg, but he lost his memory. Trevor, a kid Hilda tried to befriend, captures The Raven. Hilda reminds him he's The Great Raven, and his memory returns. He explains the parade started by accident. Hilda realizes she might like Trolberg after all.
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| 4 | 4 | "The Sparrow Scouts" | Stephanie Simpson | 21 September 2018 | |
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Hilda joins the Sparrow Scouts and plays a game of dodgeball. Their first task is to clean up Trolberg city park. With her new friends, David and Frida, they start working. Overnight, plant-like creatures called vittra ruin their work. They are angry because their plants were removed. The vittra steal Frida's things. Hilda and Frida chase them into underground tunnels where the vittra live. Hilda stops the vittra and agrees to save their friends. The kids and vittra save the plants from a mulching machine. They don't get a badge, but they had fun.
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| 5 | 5 | "The Troll Rock" | Kenny Byerly | 21 September 2018 | |
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Hilda tries to help David catch a baby troll loose in the school during parent-teacher night. The school has a strict "no-troll" rule. Hilda's teacher used to call her "reckless," but that changes when she sees Hilda's true helpfulness. An adult troll breaks into the school. Hilda realizes it's the baby troll's mother. She returns the baby, saving the day. The troll mother accidentally breaks the school statue on her way back to the wild.
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| 6 | 6 | "The Nightmare Spirit" | Kenny Byerly | 21 September 2018 | |
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David has been having many nightmares. Hilda and Frida try to find out why. They discover a nightmare spirit called a Marra is haunting David. To defeat it, someone must face their worst fears. Hilda, Alfur, and Frida set a trap for the Marra. Hilda lets the Marra into her mind for a moment and faces her own fears. The Marra leaves David alone after he becomes braver.
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| 7 | 7 | "The Lost Clan" | Ben Joseph | 21 September 2018 | |
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Hilda and her friends are trying to get a rare plant for the Sparrow Scouts. They find out that elves live nearby. The elves kidnap David because he kept walking over them. To get him back, Hilda and Frida help Alfur with a contract from a creature called the Lindworm. They need to burn the contract to save David.
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| 8 | 8 | "The Tide Mice" | Stephanie Simpson | 21 September 2018 | |
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Hilda tries to use witchcraft to help David with his auditions and Johanna with her art. She creates a magical Tide Mouse using David's hair. After a few days, it goes wrong. The mouse starts to control her mum and David, making their eyes go blank. Hilda and Alfur must find a way to fix it.
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| 9 | 9 | "The Ghost" | Kenny Byerly | 21 September 2018 | |
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Hilda, David, and Frida try to figure out why Frida's room isn't staying clean. They discover a ghost used to organize her room while she slept. Now, the ghost isn't doing it anymore. The friends go to a graveyard to talk to the ghosts. They find out the ghost was returning to Frida's house for an old book it used to own, which has now disappeared. Frida, who thought she was very organized, feels confused and gets angry at David and Hilda.
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| 10 | 10 | "The Storm" (Part 1) | Luke Pearson | 21 September 2018 | |
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Hilda is stuck at home during a big storm, and her mum is stuck in traffic. To stop the storm, Hilda, David, and Raven visit the local weatherwoman. They find out she stole a baby weather spirit to control the weather. Hilda manages to return the baby to its parents. But then, Hilda gets lost in the wilderness on her way home.
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| 11 | 11 | "The House in the Woods" (Part 2) | Ben Joseph | 21 September 2018 | |
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After the storm, Hilda wanders the wilderness looking for help. Johanna worries about her at home. In the forest, Hilda meets the Wood Man again. They hide in a log cabin after almost being eaten by a giant. They soon discover the cabin can grant any wish, but they can't leave it. Hilda wishes to go home and finds a door in the cabin that takes her back to her house.
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| 12 | 12 | "The Nisse" (Part 1) | Luke Pearson | 21 September 2018 | |
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Hilda tries to help a nisse named Tontu. He was kicked out of his house because the owner thought he was destroying it. Frida starts spending time with some older girls. A monster is seen around Trolberg, but many people think it's just their imagination. Hilda goes on a camping trip with the Sparrow Scouts and finds Tontu in the forest. A monster called the Black Hound is seen, cutting the trip short. Hilda also finds out the girls Frida is with are Marras, trying to make Frida a Marra too. David bravely stands up to them just before the Black Hound appears.
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| 13 | 13 | "The Black Hound" (Part 2) | Stephanie Simpson | 21 September 2018 | |
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Hilda and David make up with Frida. The city worries about the Black Hound running loose. Hilda helps Tontu after learning the Black Hound is actually his pet, named Jelly Bean. Hilda discovers Jelly Bean was the one messing up apartments, not Tontu. Knowing Jelly Bean is innocent, Hilda, her mum, and Tontu try to save him from the city. While driving, the Black Hound briefly sends their car into another dimension, then knocks them back out, destroying Hilda's car. Tontu reunites with Jelly Bean, and things return to normal.
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Season 2 (2020)
| Overall Chapter | Season Chapter | Title | Written by | Original release date | |
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| 14 | 1 | "The Troll Circle" (Part 1) | Stephanie Simpson | 14 December 2020 | |
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Hilda wins a contest for her essay on trolls. She gets to spend time with Erik Ahlberg, the head of Trolberg's safety patrol, in a dirigible above the town. But Hilda soon learns that the safety patrol isn't really making the town safe. When she gets home, she decides to try and show everyone Ahlberg's true nature.
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| 15 | 2 | "The Draugen" (Part 2) | Ben Joseph | 14 December 2020 | |
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After the last episode, Hilda wants to learn more about Ahlberg. She goes to the Rat King and meets the Wood Man at the harbor, leading to a wild adventure.
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| 16 | 3 | "The Witch" | Stephanie Simpson & Luke Pearson | 14 December 2020 | |
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Hilda and Frida go to the library and find a secret witch library. They have to work with the librarian to find a missing book before time runs out.
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| 17 | 4 | "The Eternal Warriors" | Kenny Byerly | 14 December 2020 | |
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David faces his fears on a Sparrow Scout trip into the wilderness. He ends up in a never-ending battle between two Viking clans. They keep fighting each other over a magical amulet that removes fear. A swamp monster brings them back to life each time. David helps the Blue clan win the amulet. But after touching it, he becomes reckless.
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| 18 | 5 | "The Windmill" | Luke Pearson | 14 December 2020 | |
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Hilda, David, and Frida find an old windmill run by Victoria Van Gale, a former weather expert. Frida and Hilda want to trust her, but David is unsure. In the end, it turns out Victoria hasn't changed her ways. Hilda is upset, but Frida and David comfort her with a hug.
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| 19 | 6 | "The Old Bells of Trolberg" | Bryan Korn & Gabe Pulliam | 14 December 2020 | |
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Trolberg becomes chaotic when bells start ringing every hour. The safety patrol put robotic machines in every tower. Hilda, David, and Frida come up with a plan to stop the noise.
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| 20 | 7 | "The Beast of Cauldron Island" (Part 1) | Tim McKeon | 14 December 2020 | |
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Hilda and Frida investigate why boats are being attacked. People blame a fire-breathing dragon on Cauldron Island.
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| 21 | 8 | "The Fifty Year Night" (Part 2) | Kenny Byerly | 14 December 2020 | |
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Hilda learns about time travel after finding a magical magazine. She changes the past to help a friend, but then faces the consequences.
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| 22 | 9 | "The Deerfox" | Luke Pearson | 14 December 2020 | |
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Twig leaves home for his own adventure. Hilda and her mum search frantically for him. Along the way, they remember past moments and learn how Twig came to be.
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| 23 | 10 | "The Yule Lads" | Todd Casey | 14 December 2020 | |
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Naughty kids need to watch out for The Yule Lads! During Trolberg's winter festival, Hilda and her friends help these mischievous little lads in many ways. Andy Serkis guest-stars as Kertasnikir.
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| 24 | 11 | "The Jorts Incident" | Emily Brundige | 14 December 2020 | |
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Hilda and her friends prepare for a mission. They need to reverse a magical spell from tide mice. The spell has taken over the headquarters of Jorts, a snack food company in Trolberg.
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| 25 | 12 | "The Replacement" | Todd Casey | 14 December 2020 | |
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Alfur is questioned by the Elf Kingdom about his reports from Trolberg. Another elf is sent to take his place.
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| 26 | 13 | "The Stone Forest" (Part 1) | Stephanie Simpson | 14 December 2020 | |
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Hilda and her mom try to escape a forest full of trolls. Meanwhile, Frida and David leave Trolberg to try and find them.
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How the Show Was Made
Getting the Idea for Hilda
Luke Pearson, the creator of Hilda, had worked in animation before. He was a storyboard artist for some Adventure Time episodes. At first, he didn't really think about making an animated version of his Hilda books. But he did have some ideas about how Hilda could look in animation.
Before Silvergate contacted him, a few other companies were interested in adapting Hilda. However, nothing was ever agreed upon. Pearson felt that those ideas didn't quite capture the true spirit of the Hilda series.
In 2014, a producer from Silvergate named Kurt Mueller found the first Hilda book, Hildafolk, in a bookstore. The producers at Silvergate loved the book and wanted to bring it to television.
Later that year, Luke Pearson received a special proposal for a Hilda animated series from Silvergate. The proposal was designed like a book from Hilda's own satchel. It even came with a Trolberg library card and a tiny elf letter! It also had a wooden USB stick with the actual pitch. By then, three Hilda books were out, and the fourth, Hilda and the Black Hound, was being made. Pearson liked the proposal, and soon, talks began with Silvergate.
When Pearson and Silvergate started working together, they wanted to build on the original books. They also wanted to keep the same feeling the series had. Luke was especially careful to make sure the show didn't feel "too much like a typical TV show."
Pitching the Show
With help from the head writer, Stephanie Simpson, Luke and Silvergate created a special guide called a pitch bible. This was used to show the idea for the show to different TV channels. Some parts of the books were made bigger to help fill out the show. For example, David and Frida were small characters in The Black Hound. Simpson chose them and made them bigger roles as Hilda's best friends. Netflix eventually decided to pick up the series in 2016.
The Animation Process
Mercury Filmworks, an animation studio known for working on many Disney TV shows, joined the project early on. They created a short animation test to see how the show would move and look. They tried different designs and art styles to find what worked best for the animated version. Atomic Cartoons also helped with the animation for 8 episodes.
Character Design
When it came to designing background characters, Luke would usually draw first sketches. Then, Mercury would turn them into finished designs. Some characters were given simple dot eyes to help them fit the show's style, like David.
The creatures in the show and books are mostly based on old Scandinavian stories. A big inspiration for the show was a book called Scandinavian Folk-Lore: Illustrations of the Traditional Beliefs of the Northern Peoples. Many creatures in the show came straight from these tales.
When Hilda Was Released
The first two episodes of season one were shown early at the New York International Children's Film Festival on 25 February 2018. The first and third episodes of season two also premiered at the NYICFF on 22 February 2020.
The first season of Hilda was released only on Netflix on 21 September 2018. The second season came out on 14 December 2020.
Other Hilda Fun
Mobile Game
A mobile game based on the series, called Hilda Creatures, came out on the App Store on 18 October 2018. It was made by a British company called BIGUMAKU. An Android version was released on 6 December 2018.
Books Based on the Show
Hilda and the Hidden People, a book based on the first two episodes of the series, was released on 4 September 2018. Stephen Davies wrote it, and Seaerra Miller drew the pictures. Two more books based on the first season came out: Hilda and the Great Parade and Hilda and the Nowhere Space. They were released on 22 January 2019, and 21 May 2019, also by Davies and Miller.
Three more books based on the second season were released on 17 November 2020. These were Hilda and the Time Worm, Hilda and the Ghost Ship, and Hilda and the White Woff. Davies wrote these too, and Victoria Evans did the illustrations.
See also
In Spanish: Hilda (serie de televisión) para niños
