And, just like that, Hilda’s in Trolberg, where she’s about to face all sorts of new problems and dilemmas in the big city. As always, beware of spoilers throughout this recap of Hilda‘s “The Bird Parade.”
1. The City, the City
As “The Bird Parade” begins, we find Hilda has turned insular, sequestering herself in her room and reenacting adventures from the wilderness. “The city’s so cold and dull,” she tells her mom. “There’s nothing to do out there.” Even Alfur, who’s chronicling his experiences, is like, “The elves don’t really care about Trolberg, they just love reading reports.”
Hilda, however, never presents the city with the same derision. In fact, Hilda has the same wonder and romanticism for the city as something like Hey Arnold! From its first frames, this is a place brimming with life and possibility. It’s a myriad of colors and designs, of styles and textures. There’s something mystical about the woods, sure, but there’s also something magical about all the people, about everything they’ve managed to build.
2. Hilda’s Disastrous Day
Of course, any appreciation for the city is going to be hard won for Hilda. When walking with her mom, she refuses to see any of the shapes around her. She doesn’t understand why she has to wait for a light to tell her to cross the street. And then, when Hilda’s Mum pushes her in the direction of some neighborhood kid, it’s clear their games do not register with her. She’s put off by Ding Dong Ditch. But she’s really irritated when they start throwing rocks at some birds just peacefully hanging out in a nearby tree. Especially when she learns the raven one of the boys hits is the Great Raven, who’s supposed to bring good luck to the city every year.
As bad as it is for Hilda here, the show does continue to give us more peeks at the kids who will undoubtedly be her friends. They’re Sparrow Scouts, no less, playing in the annual Trolberg Bird Parade. What’s more, Hilda’s Mum was a Sparrow Scout, so I think that little detail will eventually come back around.
3. Hands Together for the Animators
Let’s take a moment to hand it to the animators for their work on the Great Raven. Okay, yeah, the moments where he’s soaring through the clouds is cool. When we learn he’s actually a thunderbird and he sends seismic tremors across Trolberg makes for a fantastic visual. But it’s the moments when he’s in his smaller form, when he cannot recall anything and grows increasingly worried that offer the most humor. There’s a great flow to his motions. An overdramatic flailing that makes him all the more enduring. “The Bird Parade” is worth watching for that scene alone.
4. City Myths
In the previous two episodes of Hilda, we were given a small taste of some of the legends and the myths in the surrounding wood. There were giants, elves, trolls, and flying creatures. Hilda filled up her notebook with all sorts of sketches and observations about all these. As “The Bird Parade” starts, we don’t see her working in that book much. However, as the story unfolds, she learns more and more about what the city has to offer, about how all the people are truly responsible for these situations becoming legends. The big moment, of course, is the the Great Raven. Years ago, this raven perched atop a statue of a local Trolberg hero. People claimed it was a sign as they had a particularly good year, harvest wise. It became an event, a thing in celebration and honor of the raven, who would fly across the city and bless it or whatever. But the Great Raven claims it was only passing through and paused to take a rest. And, as the years went on, he saw how important his presence was to the city, so he made an effort to soar over at least once a year.
Hilda, meanwhile, sees stories that are alive and bristling within the Trolberg gates. We, in turn, see her hardness toward the place soften.
5. Hilda and Hilda’s Mum
All that is well and good but the real heart of the episode comes when Hilda sees her mom in her element. Hilda’s Mum has a deep knowledge of the city, it’s shortcuts and byways and hidden places. She can zip through alleys without losing her breath and knows the best vantage places in any given area. There’s a moment later on where the creators show Hilda’s realization that the city meant the same thing for her mother as the wilderness did for her. Her face softens and she’s all the more open to embracing the place. And understanding her mom.
