Tanya Guryel, Elnaz Nasehi
Tanya Guryel, Faculty of Communication, Arkin University of Creative Arts and Design, tanyaguryel22@hotmail.com
Asst. Prof. Dr. Elnaz Nasehi, Department of Film Design and Directing, Arkin University of Creative Arts and Design, Elnaz.nasehi@arucad.edu.tr
Abstract:
The current research offers a textual analysis on the animation series, Hilda, through an eco-critical lens. Hilda is a children’s animated series by Luke Pearson which aired on Netflix in 2018. The first two seasons are chosen for the purpose of this research. Hilda tells the story of a young girl, who moves from the wilderness to the city of Trolberg with her mother Johanna. The series focuses on the way Hilda adapts to moving from the wilderness to the city. The series raises concerns about natural spaces, humans/non-humans and anthropocentrism. The current research dissects narrative events, characters and settings of Hilda to explore its perspective on environmental concerns. The focus is on human/non-human relationships and how space is navigated. As the series is heavily inspired by Scandinavian folklore, which is rooted in Paganism, this research concludes that the series’ perspective on human/non-human relationships is rooted in the Pagan value that everything has a spirit and all is connected in a non-hierarchical way. In addition, the series emphasizes that regardless of how many barriers human tries to create between humans and non-human species, all species and spirits live and are able to traverse all spaces, again reinstating the connectedness of all living and non-living things.
Keywords: Eco-criticism, Eco-toon, Hilda, Animation, Paganism, Textual Analysis.
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