JacobsonCinemas

This review is dedicated to

Jerry Jacobson

Hilda is a Netflix animated show based on the children’s graphic novel series by Luke Pearson. It is not only my favorite Netflix show but one of if not my favorite show of all time. It has such a cozy feeling thanks to the amazing characters and gorgeous animation. If you want to hear more about my thoughts on this amazing show, click here, here, here, and here. You can also check out my episode ranking list here, here, and here. Today marks the 5^th anniversary of the 2nd season of Hilda which has not just my favorite episode of Hilda but also one of my favorite episodes in all television, The Deerfox. 

This review contains SPOILERS for this episode so if you haven’t seen it, please watch it first before reading. The Deerfox focuses on Hilda’s animal companion Twig who is part deer and fox. After being neglected and seeing mysterious visions in his sleep runs away one night. Hilda wakes up the next morning and worries about her animal companion. The episode cuts back and forth to Hilda and her Mum Johanna trying to find him, Twig surviving in the woods, and flashbacks to how Hilda and Twig met. Twig’s backstory and where he came from was never addressed in the graphic novels, the show however goes into full detail on that. This is an episode that has emotionally resonated with me more than most episodes from other shows. Some have come close such as On the Run from Steven Universe, True Colors from Amphibia, and even the series finale the Fairy Isle, but the Deerfox is a whole other level. There are so many things in this episode that many people including me can identify with, such as the loss of a pet. I remember many years ago one of my cats got lost (we found him btw) and seeing Hilda worry for him hits right at home for me. What makes this episode work is that the friendship between Hilda and Twig is one of the strongest relationships in the whole show and the fact they both saved each other when they first met makes their connection even stronger.

In the end of the episode Hilda manages to find Twig and apologizes for taking him for granted, but then finds out that the mysterious light that she saw when she was younger was the pack of deerfoxes that Twig belonged to. Hilda realizes that his is Twig’s home and allows him to return to his parents but not before sharing an emotional goodbye. What happens next is not just my favorite scene of the whole show but one of my favorite scenes in all fiction and it is a scene that absolutely broke me and brought me to tears the first time I saw it. Hilda realizes that everything has changed and Johanna tells her that it is the way of the world to change but they’ll always have their memories. What Johanna says speaks so much volumes because this came out in 2020 when the world changed because of COVID. They speak even more volumes to me as my world changed a lot after this episode premiere. My mom went through a serious surgery, me and my brother rented our own house, our cat that I mentioned earlier passed away along with our aunt, and both our grandfathers. Hilda points out that everything such as their house, their life in the woods, and now Twig is gone and then completely breakdowns and runs back into the woods sobbing. She see’s the deerfox pack light go dim and realizes that Twig is truly gone forever. This is Hilda at her absolute lowest point and Bella Ramsey’s phenomenal performance really shows how torn apart she is. While crying Hilda feels someone licking her tears and realizes who it could only be, Twig. He realized that Hilda and Johanna are his family and decided to stay with them. Hilda and Twig share a joyful hug and return home with their friendship stronger than ever.

Famous animator Don Bluth said that you can show kids intense and dark moments as long as there’s a happy ending and the same can be said here.Hild ff Ryan Carlson’s music here is absolutely beautiful (especially the chorus) and it transitions from heartbreaking to joyful flawlessly. I also want to praise Andy Coyle for his amazing directing here as every shot is wonderfully animated. The Deerfox is as perfect an episode as you can get. Everything that made Hilda such a great show such as the characters, animation, music, and emotional story beats is all here. There’s a good reason why this episode won the Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Animated Series and the Annie Award for Best TV/Media – Children. Thank you, Luke Pearson, Andy Coyle, Ryan Carlson, Bella Ramsey and everyone else who worked on Hilda for making this masterpiece of an episode. Happy 5^th anniversary to the Deerfox!