Horus, prince du soleil

This was one of the first movies that legends Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata worked on, and probably the first movie that suggested animation might be more than just for children. I understand a copy of the video is not easy to find. I was lucky enough to see it at Anime Society last night at the local university.

The film is important for its place in anime history. As a story, it's slightly weak (there are several subplots that didn't quite seem to fit), but nevertheless very enjoyable. This was partly due to the fact that the fansub I watched was, um...rather poorly translated, and some of the subtitles caused me to break into fits of hilarity. The animation itself seems mediocre nowadays, but must have been exceptional for the time. There's a slightly Disney look to it, but the anime style is definitely there...and the film is much darker than anything Disney could come up with. I mean, there's an Ice Demon whose dream is to kill everyone in the world. ! I'm thinking also of the part when Hilda's squirrel companion says something like, "But Hilda, if you save this girl she will live a life of rejection and hatred! Just like your whole life has been!" (That's nowhere near an exact quotation, but it's as close as I can remember.) And then there's the scene when Horus enters the Forest of Delusion...

It's fun to see the early development of Takahata and Miyazaki. You can see ideas just forming that would manifest in their later films. The film in itself is quite good, and in fact one of the better anime (animes?) I've seen. [Certainly it was better than the other feature at Anime Society that night, an inexplicable, boring, badly animated mess about a detective who is his own client and airplanes turning into fish and a two-year-old who is God...no, I didn't get it either.]

In conclusion, if you ever get the chance to see "Horus, Prince of the Sun", don't hesitate. I just wish there was a way I could see it again...

Although it was made in 1968, this fascinating animated film feels more like it came out a few years before Nausicaa in the early 1980s; fans of Studio Ghibli will recognize all of its distinctive calling cards. One of these calling cards is the feeling of being totally immersed in an alternate world, which, in this case, is achieved through cultural ambiguity. The odd title, Horus: Prince of the Sun, suggests a pseudo-Egyptian setting, but that couldn't be further from the truth: it is instead vaguely Scandinavian, with its focus on northern villages, but drawing on the culture and mythology of the Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido, Japan's northern island. There are relatively few people, and they are barely surviving given the harsh environment and the evil demon Grunwald, who wants to eliminate humanity; in fact, the isolated village recalls in many ways the post-apocalyptic world of Nausicaa.

While this movie is usually heralded as an auspicious beginning for Japanese anime and Studio Ghibli, I noticed the strong influence of one of its forebears: Lev Atamanov's Snow Queen. In particular, the dark and cold Grunwald is very much like a male version of the Snow Queen, including his appearance. Horus and Hilda recall Kay and Gerda, except that here it is Hilda who is under the spell of the Snow (King). Hilda, like Gerda, is guided by a bird, this time an evil owl. I could go on, but the influence is real, and significant, as acknowledged by Miyazaki. The major difference is that, unlike the later Ghibli films (and Atamanov's Snow Queen, for example), it is the male rather than the female who is the lead.

Was this the start of anime as we know it? I'm not versed enough in the history of Japanese animation to make such a bold statement, however what I can tell you is that with the creation of this film we have derived many classic, awe inspiring and moving stories from Studio Ghibli. As some may say with no Akira there would have been no Matrix, without The Little Norse Prince, there would have been no Nausicaa, Laputa, Princess Mononoke, Grave Of The Fireflies, Spirited Away and many more. While The Little Norse Prince may not be as grand as the fore-mentioned it is an emotionally captivating fairytale whose importance transcends the 81 minutes it runs for.

Set within the medieval ages of Nordic Europe, The Little Norse Prince tells the tale of a young boy named Hols embarking on a journey to find his kinsmen and restore peace to a land taken by a devious sorcerer named Grunwald. Isao Takahata's film is an innocent telling, yet harbours some severely darker moments (for the younger viewer), as our hero ventures through a blend of myth, legend, swords and magic, showing the courage and bravery that have become the hallmark for the protagonists at Studio Ghibli.

While Disney were creating gimmicky films like The Sword In The Stone, Takahada filled his film with the truest essence of humanity, as Hols must not only fight The Frost King, but must also deal with peoples misconceptions, stubborn attitudes and discriminatory views. The Little Norse Prince is deeper than fighting shape changing witches and squirrel romances, and in its purity is so awe inspiring. It has the ability to turn you into a child again, and view it with the eyes of an innocent as he manages to remind us what is noble about humanity and what we sometimes lack in ourselves. The Little Norse Prince is by no means a classic in the grand sense of cinema, but has an undeniable ability to transport us to a time and space when the world seemed a better place and life was worth fighting for.

Takahada laid the foundations with The Little Norse Prince for some remarkable and simply brilliant films, and it is quite easy to see how he and Miyazaki (who was an animator on this production) found the inspiration to be able to take the essence of Norse Prince, elaborate and expand on the settings and morals. One of the notable aspects is how exceptionally refined the imagination of Takahada is, as this film just exudes originality and feels completely different and fresh next to its contemporaries, and indeed the same can be said of the more recent Ghibli films compared to talking fish and super hero families. The Little Norse Prince may not be the greatest anime ever created, but it certainly is true to itself and the messages it wishes to deliver us as an audience and can only be praised as an effective means of emotive story telling which can and does not only appeal to all ages, but speak to all ages.

It's impressive what this guys managed to create 1968. Only Disney movies have been on a similar level back then. The drawings have been beautiful, it was full of amazing action, great characters (especially Hilda impressed me) and a captivating story. Also worth mentioning is the music. The music was totally unusual and impressive.

Sadly the story doesn't make fully sense. Some characters aren't designed as well as they could have been. Especially the evil demon didn't look impressive at all - not even slightly scary. Also the drawings lacked detail all together. But that is all understandable, since "Anime" has been in it's children's shoes.

I don't know why, but Isao Takahata movies are the emotionally most touching movies for me. Hotaru no haka (Grave of the Fireflies) has been the most extreme cinematic experience for me. I am almost crying remembering this movie. And it's almost 10 years ago since I watched it the last time. Horus is different. It's not a sad movie, like Grave of the Fireflies is. I'ts quite cheerful and optimistic. It's one of the movies that is so warmhearted, that it makes you feel like a child again.

Before My Neighbors the Yamadas, before Pom Poko, before Only Yesterday, and before Grave of the Fireflies. There was Little Prince Horus(USA Title). This was the first Movie Isao Takahata directed.

He and legendary Anime maker Hayao Miyazaki and some other animators who were still in their early years in animation industries made this film possible.

It's nothing like Isao Takahata's other works. This one is about an Alternate Viking/Scandinavian Time Period about a boy named Horus who receives a sword from some Earth God, and is sent on a quest to defeat an Ice Demon(who's pretty cool looking) meets a group of village locals and a mysterious Girl who has the key to restoring peace to the land.

It took 3 years for this film to be made. Animation is well done even if this was made 38 years ago. Back when Anime was still primitive. It's interesting to watch. Too bad it didn't do well when it was in Japanese Theatures. But what's cool about it is it became known as the earliest forms of modern anime.

In other words it's anime that doesn't have to be made for kids to watch.

I'm not sure when it'll get licensed to get it's own English Debut. But worth seeing for those who are interested in Animes that broke the rules. I'd recommend this film for Ages 12 and up contains cartoon violence and a split second of nudity.