REVIEW: DVD Release: The Little Norse Prince

Film: The Little Norse Prince
Release date: 17th October 2005
Certificate: U
Running time: 82 mins
Director: Isao Takahata
Starring: Yukari Asai, Mikijiro Hira, Etsuko Ichihara, Masao Mishima, Hisako Ohkata
Genre: Anime
Studio: Optimum
Format: DVD
Country: Japan

One of the great advantages to the success of Studio Ghibli films such as Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle is that it has ignited Western interest in many of Hayao Miyazaki’s earlier films and that of his colleague, Isao Takahata (Grave Of The Fireflies). The Little Norse Prince (or Hols: Prince Of The Sun) was Takahata’s directorial debut in 1968 and follows the folk tale style of its later ancestors.

The Little Norse Prince is set in Iron Age Scandinavia and follows the quests of Horus (or Hols in alternative translations). The story begins as Horus (Hisako Ohkata) fights off a pack of silver wolves with a small hatchet. During this battle, he accidentally wakes a stone giant named Mogue who is bothered by a ‘thorn’ in his shoulder. Upon offering to extract the ‘thorn’, Horus discovers that it is in fact the ancient ‘Sword of the Sun’. The giant tells Horus that should he re-forge the battered blade he will forever be known as the ‘Prince of the Sun’.

Horus is soon summoned by his friend, Coro (Yukari Asai), a small talking bear, who tells him that his father is on his death bed. Upon returning to his father, Horus is told of how they used to live in a sea-side village which was attacked by a wicked sorcerer known as Grunwald and that the fisherman and his son were the only survivors. Before his death, Horus’ father urges him to return to the village and avenge its devastation.

On his journey to find civilisation, Horus encounters Grunwald (Mikijiro Hira) who urges him to serve him as his ‘younger brother’. On refusing, Horus is pushed from a cliff, but survives and is rescued by the villagers of a local fishing community.

Horus soon becomes renowned among the villagers when he destroys a large pike that had been afflicting the local fishing supply. It turns out that the pike was a ploy of Grunwald’s to starve the village and, in his rage at the pike’s death, he sends a pack of silver wolves to attack the village. Whilst chasing the wolves, Horus comes across a mysterious girl named Hilda (Etsuko Ichihara) who lives in a deserted village and sings haunting songs whilst playing her harp. Horus returns to the fishing village with Hilda and she is welcomed. However, the chieftain of the village, urged on by his deputy Drago, grows jealous of Horus’ popularity. Drago conspires with Hilda, who is actually Grunwald’s sister, to destroy Horus’ reputation and together they frame him for the attempted murder of the chief.

After his consequent banishment from the village, Horus and Hilda confront one another and Horus is plunged into an enchanted forest from which there is apparently no escape. Meanwhile Grunwald attacks the village with the spectral silver wolves and a giant icy mammoth, which brings frost and snow to the land. During this time, Horus receives visions of his father and the villagers and soon realises the only way that he can escape the wood is if he re-forges his sword and becomes the ‘Prince of the Sun’…


Despite its age, The Little Norse Prince still holds much of the charm and beauty of modern Japanese animation. The background detailing and painterly landscapes are forerunners of the Oscar nominated films we see from Studio Ghibli today. Miyazaki, who worked on this film as an animator, was obviously inspired by the mixtures of the classic realism of natural scapes and the stylized cartoon of the manga human figure.

The Scandinavian influence is well portrayed, from the language of the names, e.g. ‘Grunwald’ (from the German for ‘green forest’); to the artwork of Mogue, who resembles a Scandinavian troll or Earth Spirit with his large nose, obscured eyes and mound of foliage for hair. The colours are fresh blues and greens, depicting the cold environment of its setting, often acting as juxtaposition to the reds and blacks of the evil sorcerer’s spells and manifestations. The juxtaposition between the ‘Prince of the Sun’ hero and the sorcerer of ice and snow likens it to a traditional folktale of summer versus winter with ancient elements such as the warrior; feats of bravery; the bardic element of Hilda and legendary weaponry.

Even with its simple plot of a young hero versus an evil sorcerer, the film is rich with character. This is most notable in Hilda, who struggles with her desire to live forever through the evil power of her brother or to live a mortal, human existence. During a scene where the women of the village are preparing for a wedding, Hilda is affected by the importance they lay upon one day, having no concept of love or living for every moment. Due to her immortality, she cannot see the importance that humans place on the little things in life, such as children playing, making a beautiful piece of craft or celebrating a wedding, as she does not need to live every day as if it is her last. This is beautifully highlighted when the village is attacked by rats and the injured bride requests that her husband take her to their marital home so that she can at least see her final moments as a wife.

Despite its fast paced and dynamic opening scene, many of the action sequences in this film are muted by the fact that they are portrayed through montage. The rats attacking the village, as well as other battle scenes, are shown through a series of stills which jars the flow of the film and disconnects the audience from the action. Although the stills themselves are beautifully drawn, it can seem a shock to a first time watcher when the beautiful flow of the film is interrupted in such a way. The final action sequence, however, is breathtaking. The animation of Grunwald’s ice mammoth, as well as the addition of Mogue to the battle, adds an epic scale to the final scene.

Many of Takahata’s later full-length animations, such as Grave Of The Fireflies, Pom Poko and My Neighbours The Yamadas, deal very much with Japanese life, tradition and folktales. The Little Norse Prince, however, seems to compare more to Miyazaki’s forays into cinema, which take elements from other country’s lore and history to create a world that is essentially his own.


Despite the fact that the animation may seem old fashioned to some, this is a beautifully crafted film with a surprising amount of depth and character. Though it may be perceived as a children’s story, the action and themes are universal and thoroughly entertaining with a mature edge that makes it enjoyable for adults whilst not patronizing children. ANC

REVIEW: DVD Release: The Little Norse Prince

Film: The Little Norse Prince
Release date: 17th October 2005
Certificate: U
Running time: 82 mins
Director: Isao Takahata
Starring: Yukari Asai, Mikijiro Hira, Etsuko Ichihara, Masao Mishima, Hisako Ôkata
Genre: Anime
Studio: Optimum
Format: DVD
Country: Japan

Developed and created in 1968, Isao Takahata’s first feature-length outing fuses Japanese and Norse philosophies and mythologies into the charmingly grown-up children’s tale that is The Little Norse Prince.

Having lost his father to illness, Hols must journey across treacherous terrain and return to the village of his people, who were wiped out because of the wicked sorcery of the evil Grimwald, and avenge their deaths.

While fleeing a group of marauding wolves, Hols accidentally awakens the stone giant Mogue who helps him defeat his beastly assailants. Hols in return serves the gravelly behemoth by climbing his gargantuan frame and removing what appears, at first, to be a thorn lodged in his shoulder. Upon its release Mogue reveals the thorn to actually be the Sword of the Sun, yet due to the rusted and decrepit condition of the weapon, it must be reforged to regain its former powers. If Hols manages to achieve this feat, Mogue promises to acknowledge the young boy as the Prince of the Sun and be of service to him whenever he may need assistance.

Accompanied by his bear companion Coro, Hols travels with nothing more than the unforged remains of the sun-sword, and his own throwing axe, through rugged landscapes in search of his lost kinsmen.

Trying to traverse the peaks of a snowy mountain range, Hols is confronted by the warlock Grimwald who offers the young warrior the chance of joining him and becoming his brother. But having his offer rejected, Grimwald hurls Hols down the mountainside into a raging river - he eventually washes up at a small fishing village.

After being nurtured back to health, Hols wishes to show his thanks and gratitude toward the villagers by slaying a mammoth pike that is infesting the nearby waters and making fishing impossible. Hols sets out to kill the beast, yet the pike may prove to be just a diversionary measure, as Grimwald masterminds an even more deceitful plan to destroy both the villagers and the potential sun prince...


This is not the kind of storytelling you’d be likely to find in any modern Pixar film, nor any Disney film at the time of creation. Takahata’s creations may have that slightly antiquated and familiar western feel to them, and the animal sidekicks, who are cute and cuddly, yet the socio-psychological thought patterns he endows his characters rationales with provides that dark tinge of realism, giving the film an almost dystopian feel. Hols must not simple battle the Frost King but tackle the misconceptions, stubbornness and often discriminatory views of the villagers who have put only temporary trust in their young charge. Characters suffer from jealousy and spite: inhabitants resent the popularity of the young hero and seek to undermine him where possible: Takahata does not deal in light-heartedness for the sake of it.

Perhaps one of the most unique and equally disturbing moments of the film is after having chased off yet another gang of silver wolves, Hols stumbles across the secluded and almost apocalyptic remains of a fishing village, not dissimilar to the one he is now protecting. Ruined by the cruel magic of Grimwald, it is deserted but for an eerie song that drifts along the stagnant winds. Hols discovers the source of the haunting melody, which turns out to be a mysterious girl named Hilda who proves to be the crux of Takahata’s political subtext. He looks at the preconceptions of a community who isolate the strange young girl purely on the basis that she is different from they are, yet seek to take pleasure from her singing – which subsequently has the worrying side effect of all the villagers ceasing to work. When the villagers manage to fend off the onslaught of yet another array of malicious animals, it is themselves they praise, despite Hols being the one to instigate the need to build defences and doing the majority of the fighting. These underlying leftist ideologies are not only derived from early Soviet cinema, yet can be found in all his subsequent works where a person or persons come into contact, or conflict, with a community and how the will of that community can be collectively used for good or ill.

However, Takahata’s creation has a greater importance and lasting legacy that transcends the mere eighty minutes of its duration. The Little Norse Prince is revered as the template in terms of style, content and tone that many anime directors subsequently have sought to replicate. Takahata himself has used this template to create, develop upon and mould into contemporary classics such as the fantastic Grave Of The Fireflies or the zanily charming Pom Poko. Also, if you look at the team of animators that worked alongside him, names that include Yoichi Kotabe, Yasuo Otsuka and Hayao Miyazaki, who went on to found the renowned Studio Ghibli, you can trace their subsequent achievements and successes to this film. If there would have been no Matrix without Akira, there would have been no Princess Mononoke or Spirited Away without The Little Norse Prince - it is that important.

Takahata’s debut is an even more an impressive feat when you realise it is a minor miracle reels of this film lasted long enough to transfer it to a digital format. The Toei studios had little time for Takahata, and even halted funding of the project with two scenes left incomplete. They also mercilessly slashed the films duration by thirty minutes, pulled the film from theatres after a meagre eleven days, and subsequently demoted Takahata, who was to never again direct at Toei Studios.

While the impact of The Little Norse Prince resonates even in today’s modern anime, as an individual film, it is a triumphant hallmark of sublime animation and an adult story with genuine heart, warmth, danger and menace that the talking squirrels of Disney’s preceding ‘60s sword film (The Sword In The Stone) could only dream of achieving.


The originality that The Little Norse Prince exudes is nothing short of impressive, as his anti-aging formula transports us back in time to makes us feel young and vulnerable. While it may not be the greatest anime of all time, it is nothing short of being the most important. BL