First airing in 2018,Hildaquickly became one ofNetflix’s most critically acclaimed shows. Based on the graphic novel of the same name byLuke Pearson- who even wrote several episodes of the show - it followed Hilda (Bella Ramsey), a young girl who has just left her home in the wilderness for the city of Trolberg. After making some human friends, she is happy to discover plenty of adventure and magic lies in and around the city if one has the bravery to seek it out.
One of the many reasons for Hilda’s success is its wide cast of lovable characters. Thanks to talented voice actors and colorful designs, each character managed to stand out, and the writers did an excellent job expanding on their unique personalities through personal arcs and fun quirks.
A fearless blue-haired girl named Hilda leaves the forest to go to town and find new friends, great adventures, magic and mysterious creatures who might be dangerous.
Voiced by Miriam Margoyles
Introduced in season three, Astrid (Miriam Margoyles) is the aunt of Hilda’s mother, Johanna (Daisy Haggard), and raised her in Tofoten after the disappearance of her parents. She nurtured Johanna’s adventurous spirit. Unfortunately, Astrid kept plenty of secrets from Johanna, and ultimately couldn’t convince her to stay in Tofoten when she grew older and hada bad experience with fairies.
Astrid makes a very strong introduction despite her handful of episodes. She encourages everyone to explore and learn from the natural world, and though she keeps her secrets, it’s always with the best of intentions. Margoyles captures her wisdom and sharp wit perfectly, the latter of which comes out when she has to deal with her annoying neighbor, the shapeshifting Pooka (Philippa Rice).
Voiced by Kaisa Hammarlund
As Hilda and her friends began to frequent Trolberg’s library to learn about numerous monsters and mysteries, they befriended a librarian named Kaisa (Kaisa Hammarlund). She’s happy to help the kids with their research but warns Hilda of the dangers of meddling with magic. In season two, the kids learn that she is part of a coven of witches, but isn’t very high ranked due to her difficulty with memorizing spells.
Kaisa was an original character made for the show, and the writers did a great job making her stand out. She usually appears chill and laid back, but this is, in some ways, a mask to hide her insecurities and fears that she failed her witch teacher. As her role gets expanded in the second season, she takes on a big-sister role for the main trio, offering them plenty of magic advice so long as it falls within her boundaries.
Voiced by Rasmus Hardiker
Within every house in Trolberg dwells a nisse: mischievous house creatures who live in Nowhere Space and like to “borrow” discarded items from humans. Hilda ends up meeting one, named Tontu (Rasmus Hardiker), the same as every other nisse, after he is kicked out of his original house. She eventually befriends Tontu and lets him stay at her house, where he forms a fun, if at times difficult, relationship with her and Johanna.
Tontu starts as a cynical and antisocial person and is especially distrustful of his kind. Hardiker’s voice does a wonderful job with his: his delivery is nasally and indignant, which captures his defeatist and snarky attitude. Through his interactions with Hilda and Johanna, Tontu slowly opens up to the idea of helping others, though he never misses a chance to speak his mind.
No Voice Actor
One of the elusive Deerfoxes, Twig, traveled from the Land of Starlight to Earth with the rest of his herd but got separated and trapped under some rocks. He was saved by a young Hilda, and later returned the favor when she almost fell off a cliff. Doing so cost him his chance to reunite with his family, so Twig remained with Hilda and became her best friend and most loyal companion.
Twig might not have a voice, but the animators do a wonderful job conveying his every emotion. He’ll do anything to protect Hilda, even if it means facing off against a larger and more powerful creature that he’d normally cower in fear of. He’s also usually the first member of the group to realize something isn’t right, which has saved his human friends on multiple occasions.
Voiced by Oliver Nelson
Upon arriving in Trolberg, Hilda joined the Sparrow Scouts to make friends. One of these is David (Oliver Nelson), a polite, but easily spooked boy, who always seems to have a bug or two crawling on him. Though not always a fan of running headfirst into one crazy situation after another, David would never abandon his friends when they needed him most.
David’s role from the graphic novel was expanded to give the show more main characters. He is the straight man of the trio and often acts as a mediator between Hilda and Frida (Ameerah Falzon-Ojo), especially during the early seasons. While he’s normally polite, shy, and would rather run away from problems, he also has his limits, and won’t hesitate to stand up for himself, even against his friends.
Voiced by Ameerah Falzon-Ojo
By far the most dedicated member of the Sparrow Scouts, Frida befriends Hilda alongside David, and the three become inseparable. The polar opposite of Hilda in every way, Frida strives for perfection in everything she does, and won’t begin a task until she has come up with the perfect plan of attack. Her thirst for knowledge and ability to compartmentalize tasks eventually gets her chosen to practice witchcraft.
Compared to David, Frida starts rockier, since her personality most directly clashes with Hilda’s, but she gets some great development as the show goes on. She’s quickly confronted by the idea that she might not be as perfect as she believes and learns how to move on and accept herself for who she is, which is a great message for young audiences. This also causes some bumps in her friendship with David and Hilda, but they come out of it stronger than ever.
4The Wood Man
Voiced by Ako Mitchell
While living in the wilderness, Hilda’s house was frequently visited by a mysterious figure known as the Wood Man (Ako Mitchell). Coming and going as he pleased, the Wood Man annoyed Johanna to now end thanks to his rude and condescending remarks. Despite this, he does consider them both his friends and will even help Hilda if he can, albeit in a roundabout way.
The Wood Man is one of the show’s most enigmatic and memorable characters. He always says exactly what he means, and he has a habit of sounding rude and often getting himself and his friends into trouble, but it also works out for everyone in the end. Mitchell’s performance is perfect: most of the time he sounds bored with the surrounding conversations, but he lets subtle inflections in when he tells Hilda about the history of magical creatures.
3Alfur Aldric
Unknown to Hilda and Johanna, an entire country of elves lived around their cottage, and were none too happy with them stepping on their houses. When the elf Prime Minister orders them evicted, one elf, named Alfur Aldric (Rasmus Hardiker), decides to help Hilda, since he knows she didn’t do this on purpose. After helping her fill out the necessary paperwork that lets her see the elves, Alfur accompanies Hilda on her quest to negotiate with the elves, and later to Trolberg, so he can write reports about the city to send back home.
Alfur is the heart of the team: he has a perpetually optimistic attitude and would rather crack a joke or talk things out than fight. Like most of his people, he is obsessed with paperwork and loves to spend his free time organizing and cataloging just about anything. Hardiker might be one of the best voice actors on the show thanks to how infectiously jolly he makes Alfur sound, especially when he gets excited over a new contract.
Voiced by Daisy Haggard
In her youth, Johanna was much like her daughter, going on wild adventures and exploring the wilderness, which helped to influence her career as a graphic artist. After raising Hilda alone for several years in the woods, and their house getting destroyed by a giant, Johanna decides that it’s time to move to the city. While Hilda does make new friends, she continues to explore the city and the wilderness, which causes Johanna no end of stress.
Johanna is a phenomenal addition to the list ofgreat animated mothers. She’s always there to support her daughter and provide her with help and wisdom when applicable, but also knows when to put her foot down. Age and maturity haven’t quite dampened her skills either: if Hilda is in trouble, Johanna proves quite apt at helping her get out of it.
Voiced by Bella Ramsey
Growing up in the wilderness, Hilda always felt more at home with nature than people. She delights in exploring every nook and cranny she can find, especially if there is a magical creature to be found within. Though she is forced to leave the wilderness behind after a giant destroys her house, Hilda discovers that the city of Trolberg also has a lot of secrets to uncover, and does what she can to bea bridge between the human and magical worlds.
Hilda is a phenomenal character whose enthusiasm and excitement for adventures are nothing short of infectious. She is an eternal optimist who is always seeking a new thrill but also recognizes the importance of trying to live peacefully with the magical world instead of fighting against it. Ramsey might have come to the public’s eye as Lyanna Mormont fromGame of Thrones, but the energy she exudes as Hilda is thehighlight of her career thus far.
