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The Tide
Mice
Raising stakes is a great way to make an animated work an
unforgettable experience. It gives a
variety of feels that use heavy and life-threatening moments to make happier moments
meaningful. To do it well, I believe
that one must have it naturally build up through a character doing something
seemingly innocent only to realize the truth of actions later. Not to mention, it gives a major edge through
showing what happens when morals aren’t followed.
It’s for these reasons why this episode is especially strong.
Hilda, a well-known loyal friend to those she
knows, innocently wants to help them achieve their dreams. David is talented at singing, but every time
he tries out for the Sparrow Scouts chorus group, the Warblers, something happens
to embarrass himself and ruin his audition.
In addition, Hilda’s mother, Johana, can’t get a big break as a graphic
designer in Trolberg and has to take up menial work at a hardware show. Both cases feature believable goals that seem
unattainable, so Hilda has a believable cause to take action.
By chance, the local library has a vast
reference section, and one of the books contains a section on what sounds like
the perfect way for Hilda to help her friend and mother. There’s a simple, yet creatively structured
spell involving offering their items to a tide, saying a chant, and getting a
mouse to bring them good luck. Both
David and Johana finding success in their respective goals thanks to the mice
brings a suggestion that Hilda brought the right solution. Subsequent montages of things going great
because of their successes further suggest this.
However, since all this happens in the first
half of the episode and that Hilda getting that book was quick to get the
attention of that mysterious librarian, you feel there’s a catch. It’s soon discovered when Frida apparently
notices something about David. It seems
Hilda was never around to see him, or her mother for that matter, acting weird
with glowing eyes and other anomalies.
This is all an after effect of the tide mice spell where at the end of
30 days, Hilda will possess the souls of those she offered the mice to. Hilda didn’t know this because she didn’t
bother to check the suggested footnote in the book she read.
It’s at this point where the stakes are
raised, and the story is not so innocent.
Hilda, as an adventurer always keen to discover, was in too much of a
rush to get all the facts. Now she’s
made herself a witch, and the lives of two good people are at stake. It’s by far one of the biggest scopes her
adventures have had. There is an
antidote to the spell that Hilda only has one night to enact. During a Warblers concert where David steals
the show, Hilda has to break the act and hurry to get him and Johana to the
tide to lose their mice and reobtain their souls. There’s a scramble to get the mice that cause
a panic followed by a climactic drive as they head to the tide pool as Hilda
starts absorbing the souls. It’s very
suspenseful that they all have to rush to a designated place while the victims
are losing their life forces.
They get
to where they need to be, and all is well with the right steps, but the brink
of death for those involved is seen as so major, it cannot be brushed off
afterwards. To balance things out, it’s
nice that Hilda’s intentions are understood, and it feels like she’s learned
not to overlook important details again.
I imagine anyone watching will see the good reasons of adhering to
certain policies since this lesson has near-death involved.
This episode is one of
the works that defines this series as a modern animated achievement. The bravery of the story through its
willingness to get dark is a testament to its genuine sense of adventure and
appeal to all ages.
A+
The Ranking
- The Nightmare Spirit
- The Tide Mice
- The Bird Parade
- The Midnight Giant
- The Hidden People
- The Troll Rock
- The Lost Clan
- The Sparrow Scouts
The next Hilda review tests Hilda's friendships with a messy room and the presence of a ghost.
Next time on MC Toon Reviews is the DuckTales episode, "Once Upon a Dime."
If you would like to check out other Hilda reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.
