As the famous vine went: “Lookit! It’s frickin bats! I love Halloween.” This Halloween, Luke Pearson gift­ed us with Hilda – an animated series about an adventurous teal-haired girl and her deerfox, Twig. It sounds weird, it gets weirder, and that’s what makes so charming and entertaining.

Netflix’s Hilda: The Basics

Wait, we’re talking cartoons now? Before talking about what makes Hilda different, it might help learning about the show in general. The Netflix Original series had come courtesy of Mercury Filmworks and Silvergate Media. Perhaps more interesting is the fact that Hilda is based on an actual graphic novel, also named Hilda, created by Luke Pearson.

The series officially launched on Sept. 21, 2018 as part of Netflix’s Originals lineup. A month later, the streaming service renewed the show for a second season. So what does a 13-episode Season 1 possesses that merited another season?

Hilda doesn’t have a complicated premise to begin with. Hilda, alongside her mom Johanna and the deerfox Twig, move to the city of Trolberg. However, unlike usual moves, the blue-haired Hilda’s stay in Trolberg has a weird twist. Hilda lives in a world populated not just by people, but also supernatural creatures from various mythologies. Whereas usual stories with these creatures often end up… bad, Hilda’s bravery always transforms otherwise scary encounters into interesting stories.

It’s A Spooky Cartoon, Now What?

Hilda features many of the popular folklore in myths and legends we’ve been introduced to as kids. I don’t want to spoil anything too much, but it involves some magic and maybe some elves here and there. Watching some of the creatures you’d hear about in your bedtime stories come to life through this animated show brings about a good kind of nostalgia.

Whenever a creature I recognize comes up in the story, I go “Oh hey, my mom told me about those. I hear they don’t like salt.”

Hilda definitely keeps audiences of all ages on its toes with how they use these characters in their stories. You start the show with curiosity, and you stay with commitment. Various elements of various stories affect characters in a way to keep you invested. And I wish I could’ve had some shows like these back in the day. Kids need their fix of refreshing, optimistic, and complex characters.

Making the Spooks for Younger Audiences

Fans can commend the production team behind Hilda for doing justice with designs, especially with the cast and the creatures. Not only does the team do justice with these creatures, but the animation itself appears very fluid and lively.

What blew me away were the backgrounds – my god. The show manages to bring together such a great and entertaining story, alongside the scenic beauty of nature, in an animated television series. Colors themselves appear warm and homely, which helps keep the look of the show less scary for younger viewers.

A Not-So Usual Animated Take on the Supernatural

You don’t necessarily need an overcomplicated premise or special effects to tackle matters of the supernatural. An animated-spooky show like Hilda proves itself worthy to be an addition to anything you plan on bingeing for the spooks.

If you’re an animated-spooky-story junkie like me, you should add Hilda to your Halloween marathon list along with the great animated-spooky shows, classics or otherwise. These include Coraline, Gravity Falls, and even Paranorman. You know which franchises I’m talking about.

And who knows, maybe you’ll find your next Halloween costume based on the characters from Hilda. It’s never too early to look for inspiration for Halloween, and I’m about 99.9% positive you’ll find some kind of magic on this charming and well-written show.