Hilda and the Lost Ring

"The life of an adventurer will have the adventure of a lifetime."

- Tagline

Hilda and the Lost Ring (also known as Hilda: The Lost Ring in some international releases) is a 2022 2D-animated fantasy adventure comedy-drama film based on the graphic novels and Netflix animated series of the same name. The film was directed by Andy Coyle and was produced by Sony Pictures Animation, alongside Silvergate Media and Mercury Filmworks, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film, considered non-canon by the producers, follows Hilda who, after stumbling upon a ring of great destruction, has to team up with her friends to stop the upcoming catastrophe from happening, escalating from traveling across the world, to even entering an extraterrestrial world.

Hilda and the Lost Ring premiered at the TIFF Bell Lightbox on May 18, 2022, and released in theatres in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom on May 20, 2022. The film received around mixed to positive reviews from critics, praising its dynamic animation, voice acting, soundtrack, and faithfulness to the novels and series, but its plot and script received some criticism.

Synopsis
"The life of an adventurer for 11-year-old girl Hilda is not easy, where she is stuck with a ring containing what seems to be a warning of the future. While having that, she will need to team with her friends and alongside new ones to solve this problem. The only problem is, there are pros and cons to the ring."

-Sony Pictures

Plot
In Trolberg, Scandinavia, Hilda (Bella Ramsey), an 11-year-old blue-haired girl, prepares to start her adventure around the city with her friends Frida (Ammerah Falzon-Ojo) and David (Oliver Nelson). But first, she will need to retrieve a stolen item from a ghost in the woods. Things went smoothly, until a piece of the ground breaks off, trapping Hilda and Twig in the hole. With no way out, Hilda, however, encounters a ring containing supernatural power from an ancient spirit (Keith David). Curious at what it is, the ring somehow gets stuck on her arm, later realizing that it contains the vision of a dangerous future. Alfur (Rasmus Hardiker) warns Hilda about the extremely deadly consequences of the ring. Desperate to seek answers, the group enters a shop owned by Alex (John Hasler). Even though he is not aware about what the ring is and what it can do, he is willing to help them out. While looking around, Hilda spots an old book containing information of the book, and explaining that it was a civilized project, while looking for clues. Though to make matters worse, Hilda's mum Johanna (Daisy Haggard) is furious to keeping the ring a secret, so as to prevent any distress. Wood Man (Ako Mitchell) overhears the conversation and asks why Hilda had argued with her mum.

The next morning, Alex invites Hilda, Frida, David, Twig, and Alfur to a journey on finding a solution to their problem. Their first clue to their problem is to go to a ruin deep inside the mountains, where they will need to look for a piece of a diamond to assist them, while their next clue is to head outside of Trolberg, which meant going to atleast two other cities, though Alex chooses to stay behind to help out with Johanna. However, as they head to their second city, an unknown entity tranquilizes Hilda, putting her into a deep sleep. The entity takes her body into a portal, leading to a different realm.

Waking up from her deep sleep, Hilda finds herself in a realm known as the "Spirit Realm", inside Luke (Anna Akana)'s cabin. Luke tells Hilda that they are in an alternate realm, and that the reason she is there was because of Hugh (Rowan Atkinson), a boss of a secret agency, finding out that a human being (Hilda) had one of their treasures, and that he sent Ryan (Troy Baker) to get her. Hilda tries to prove this wrong by telling her that it was from the human realm, and that she needs to get back. Duncan (David Tennant) doubts it himself, and challenges Hilda to a bet, where if she wins, she will return to the human realm. But if she loses, she will stay in the Spirit Realm permanently. She attempts this herself, but unfortunately, loses first try. Hugh attempts to take care of her to keep her alive during her stay. As she wakes up, Hilda realizes that she has put all the lives of the people in her world at risk, and that it is all her fault. The spirit in the ring begins to control a part of her mind, but she snaps out of it a moment later. While Luke is investigating to what happened in her body, as well as the ring, Ryan tries to help out Hilda into getting back to her home realm, despite what he did to her.

Back in the human realm, Frida tries to get in contact with Alex via a phonebooth in the city. As he answers, Frida asks Alex to get them back to Trolberg quickly as possible, as they confirm Hilda had been taken to an alternate realm. When he hears this, he tries to keep it low from Johanna as possible, so that she does not panic. Alfur attempts to send a message to the Elves, explaining what's to come in the future, but without a post office, he thinks it is impossible for him to send it. At the same time, as Hilda enters a store back in the Spirit Realm, she meets Reginald (Daniel Radcliffe) and Marley (Haley Tju). What makes it even stranger is that the two know what Hilda is trying to do: defeat Duncan as soon as possible, and getting back to the human realm. Despite being confused to what she's doing, Reginald and Marley will still choose to help anyway, as they know everything about the human realm, even saying that they've "been" there before. Also, Ryan and Luke manage to solve Hilda's problem, presenting it to her quickly.

Alex and Johanna encounters Frida, David, Twig, and Alfur back in Trolberg, but without Hilda. Johanna is worried about this, but Frida says that she is doing something very secret that no one else should know about. Alex wants to tell Johanna what's going on, but he doesn't because it won't be the right time to say so. Without telling, Frida and David go to Kaisa (Kaisa Hammarlund) to explain the situation. Kaisa wants to help, but because of strict rules, she is unable to. But after a couple of attempts to convince her, Kaisa decides to do it anyway, but in secret. David gives Kaisa a book named "The Multiversal Vision". They see Reginald, Marley, Luke, and Ryan attempting to work together to get Hilda back to the human realm. One of the obstacles they will need to bypass is Duncan. Because Duncan is very strong, he was able to beat Hilda in a matter of minutes. But while planning out, Hilda's mind is once again controlled by the ring for a brief moment. Kaisa notices it, and tells Frida and David what happened to Hilda for a second.

Duncan is waiting at a line, and is suddenly tapped on the shoulders by Hilda. She tells him that he wants to do another bet, and Duncan chuckles to himself. They begin their battle, and thanks to a bit of practice, Hilda manages to defeat Duncan. Being granted a portal to the human realm, she thanks everyone and offers Reginald, Marley, Luke, and Ryan, but they decline the offer. Luke explains that they cannot go because it will break the laws of their universe, making this their final meeting. Hilda runs back to them, giving them one last goodbye, as she enters the portal. As she lands on the mountains, she sees an overlook of Trolberg. Knowing that she's back in her human form, Hilda runs off. But in a stunning turn of events, the ground begins to shake, showing that the vision she saw in her dream days ago had begun to come true. The spirit had begun his attack. As she runs to Trolberg, Hilda finds Johanna, Twig, and Alfur stuck in a building. Remembering what she practiced for, she dodges the incoming debris and comes to help her mum. After that, she attempts to save Frida and David, who were trapped in the library. The spirit inside the ring breaks free from Hilda, and congratulates her for doing what he has tried to do over the years: taking over the world. Now, he is ready to kill her. He starts by using a sort of telekinesis to Hilda, taking her at a very high altitude. He then drops her, but is saved by a miracle. Starting with a very long fight, after managing to get ahold of the ring, Hilda uses all her power left to defeat the spirit forever. She does this in success, but with the cost of her own life.

In what appears to be the afterlife, Hilda walks through a forest, and into her old home in the woods. She meets who appears to be the creator of the ring (Billy West), in his young form. Baffled by all of this, Hilda tries to question what was going on, but the creator decides to save her question for later. He thanks Hilda for destroying the spirit in the ring for all eternity, and tries to explain that the ring was society's hope, but Hilda shushes him, saying that she already read the bio from a book. Impressed with what she did, the creator, who still has the power of a god, offers to bring Hilda a second chance in life, which she gladly accepts. Sent back, Hilda's friends, Johanna, Twig, and Alfur celebrate in joy after being resurrected.

Two weeks later, the world is being rebuilt. Johanna walks to Hilda, asking what she'll be doing next, but says that it'll be a secret for now.

Post-credits scene
After the credits roll, a post-credits scene plays. In a small forest outside of Trolberg, it shows that a part of the spirit has survived, and possesses an animal, turning it into a supernatural creature.

Voice Cast

 * Bella Ramsey as Hilda
 * Ammerah Falzon-Ojo as Frida
 * Oliver Nelson as David
 * Rasmus Hardiker as Alfur
 * John Hasler as Alex
 * Keith David as the spirit in the Ring
 * Daisy Haggard as Johanna
 * Anna Akana as Luke
 * David Tennant as Duncan
 * Haley Tju as Marley
 * Rowan Atkinson as Hugh
 * Daniel Radcliffe as Reginald
 * Kaisa Hammarlund as Kaisa
 * Ako Mitchell as Wood Man
 * Troy Baker as Ryan
 * Billy West as the creator of the ring
 * Ed Sheeran as a UK citizen; cameo
 * Teresa Gallagher as UK Newscaster
 * Paul Reubens as US Newscaster
 * Fred Tatasciore as additional voices
 * Frank Welker as additional voices
 * Joseph May as additional voices
 * Rob Rackstraw as additional voices
 * Stefan-Ashton Frank as additional voices
 * Dee Bradley Baker as additional voices
 * David Schneider as additional voices
 * Simon Greenall as additional voices
 * Christopher Ragland as additional voices
 * David Menkin as additional voices
 * Dan Russell as additional voices
 * Ben Small as additional voices

Development
Plans for a theatrical Hilda film have surfaced since early 2019. Series creator Luke Pearson had pitched to Sony Pictures Animation an early script of the film, and was accepted. The film had suffered three different script changes, with the third being used as the final script. Despite advantages to the film, there were a couple of financing problems, even to the point where the film had almost gotten canceled. Fortunately, New Heights Capital and Walden Media stepped in and both gave around $60 million dollars for the film's budget.

In October 2019, the film was announced at New York Comic Con. The scheduled release date at the time was in early to mid 2022. However, in December 2019, Sony had acquired Silvergate Media for $195 million, removing the film from the release schedule.

When production began in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, production had suffered many delays, even to the point where everything had to be shifted to remote work. The voice actors in the film had to do their voice lines at their homes, and sent their recorded lines to Sony. Animation had also been suffered, where animators had to work remotely at their homes. Though they managed to get half the animation finished on time, production had been delayed for two months. Animation production resumed shortly afterwards when film animation companies reopened.

Casting
At the announcement in New York Comic Con, it was also confirmed that the voice actors in the TV series would reprise their roles, with the addition of new cast members such as John Hasler, Troy Baker, Keith David, Anna Akana, and David Tennant. In January 2020, Billy West, Rowan Atkinson, and Mark Rylance confirmed to join the cast as well. The next month, Mark Rylance had left the film due to scheduling conflicts, with Daniel Radcliffe replacing him. Haley Tju had announced she would lend her voice as well. In around April of 2022, Ed Sheeran confirmed he had given a minor cameo in the film.

Writing
The script of the movie was co-written by series writers Luke Pearson and Stephanie Simpson, with Rebecca Sugar also writing. Alex Hirsch was given story credit.

Animation
Animation was done at Mercury Filmworks, using the Sony Pictures Imageworks engine, keeping the animation look in 2D animation with adding some new 3D elements. Additional animation was also done at Atomic Cartoons, though they went uncredited.

Music
The score of the film was done by composer Ryan Carlson, who also worked on the series.

Soundtrack
In March 2022, a soundtrack album of the film was released digitally via Columbia Records. The album contains songs played in-film from many artists, such as The Who, Electric Light Orchestra, and Soft Cell. The album also contains an original song performed for the film by American indie artist Greta Kline (also known as Frankie Cosmos).

Release
Hilda and the Lost Ring was delayed two times. Its original release date was April 15, 2022, but was removed from the schedule when Sony acquired Silvergate Media. On June 29, 2020, its new release date was February 25, 2022, but was also removed in November of the same year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, on July 1, 2021, the third and final release was confirmed to be May 20, 2022.

Thereisnoanswer.org
Before its reveal in October 2019, the film was promoted via an international alternate-reality game (ARG) titled Thereisnoanswer.org. In this ARG, fans who attended this promotion were to solve the meaning of the film's plot device.

Fruit of the Loom
Sony Pictures Animation and Fruit of the Loom announced that they will be collaborating with each other to manufacture T-shirts promoting the film. Production began on February 20, and were released on April 14 to many clothing outlets such as Old Navy, Hot Topic, and the online Fruit of the Loom website.

Graphic novel
Also promoting the film is a graphic novel based on the film. It is the same as the film, but the only difference is that it is in book form. This 125-page novel was co-published on May 6 by Flying Eye Books and Nobrow Press, two weeks before the film's theatrical release.

Hasbro merchandise
As well as the Fruit of the Loom collaboration, Hasbro announced they will manufacture minifigures based on the characters to promote the film. This included characters such as Hilda, Twig, Alfur, etc.

Home media
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the film on digital on July 5, 2022. It was later released on both DVD, Blu-Ray, and 4K UHD on August 2, 2022. The Blu-Ray and 4K UHD formats contain behind the scenes footage, deleted scenes, and two short films released for the formats titled Troll Trouble and The Great Escape, which were also released on DVD and online. They both also contain a CD of the soundtrack album. Netflix released the film on their streaming platform on July 4, 2022, 45 days after its theatrical release, as part of the Sony-Netflix deal.

Box office
Hilda and the Lost Ring released alongside Men and Downtown Abbey: A New Era in the United States. It received $27 million on its first opening weekend in the US and Canada, and continued to gross up to $105 million.

In the United Kingdom, it grossed $31 million USD in its opening weekend as well, making the US, Canada, and UK box-office opening weekend results $58 million. It continued to soar up to $128 million USD. In other territories, it grossed $224 million, making it a box-office success.

Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 71% based on 152 reviews, with an approval rating of 6.52/10. The critical consensus reads, “As the life of an adventurer risks herself on this dangerous mission, Hilda and the Lost Ring proves this as not only the adventure of a lifetime, but also the most perfect animated international adventure flick.” On Metacritic, it surveyed 40 reviews with a metascore of 60 out of 100, indicating “mixed or average reviews”, while on CinemaScore, audiences polled an “A” on an “A+ to F” scale.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Warren Lorens gave the film a 9/10, writing: “As an 11-year-old girl to trolls and spirits, Hilda proves herself to be the supernatural girl she’s always been, but this film takes it a step further, where she not only travels to two other real-world cities, but also enter a whole new world. Hilda and the Lost Ring is a must-see for kids, especially if you have those who love nature.” The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw gave the film a 4 out of 5 stars, writing: “One of the most perfect 2D-animated adventure films, Hilda and the Lost Ring’s high-tech 3D-like animation dominates this film’s good side. The soundtrack is another important factor here, showing off its 80s style music. In other words, Hilda and the Lost Ring will make you have a futuristic folk-like feeling.”

Ian Freer of Empire gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, stating “While it is a lengthy-filled action pack adventure, Hilda unfortunately flops herself into this animation film, unlike many other cartoon characters. However, that doesn’t mean that she can’t be saved from this one. Her heroic actions and quick thinking skills are what this movie needs for an 11-year-old. As compared to Sony Pictures Animation’s other movies like The Smurfs and The Emoji Movie, Hilda and the Lost Ring proves itself to be a much, much better film than the latter combined.”

Possible sequel
At the premiere of Hilda and the Lost Ring at the TIFF Bell Lightbox on May 18, Luke Pearson confirmed that Sony Pictures Animation and Silvergate Media are already working on a draft script to a sequel of the film. He said that it will have something to do with even more fantastic creatures around the North American and European continent, such as the Griffin and the Jersey Devil. And also new sea creatures such as Mermaids, and a new species known as the Water Witches, as well as also having a time-loop related element. It was also said that David, one of the friends of Hilda, would have a very important role in this one. And Luke also confirmed that if the first film does well in the box office, this would be turned into a trilogy of movies.