Hilary - Film Review

“Hilary” is an animation made by Anthony Hodgson whilst in his second year at The Royal College of Art in 1993. It has won several awards around the world because of its unique storytelling and animation.
The opening scene shows a large man playing the piano in a dark and eerie setting. Whilst playing the rather calming melody he keeps getting interrupted by the sound of a xylophone, being hit by the child sitting on the floor. The large man decides to tell the kid a bedtime story about “a fairy princess called Hilary.” The man walks up stairs whilst talking about Hilary’s best friend Linda, who was a toy mouse, which her dad had bought her after her fifth birthday. Hilary always dreamed of being away from people on the planet Mars, as her Granddad was always telling her how she was boring and should be living the young life like he did. Hilary later met a man whom her mother had disapproved of, as she never trusted anyone and taught Hilary the same. She got pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl but her life was being controlled by her husband. One day whilst hiding away from her family, Hilary found Linda the toy mouse, who said, “I thought we were going to Mars”, Hilary replies “oh yes.”
What I particularly liked about the animation was the transitions between scenes. When the man explains to the young child how Hilary dreamt of living on Mars, the door to the attic is opened and they climb out onto the surface of Mars. The granddad tells Hilary how she should live in the fast lane- this is shown by a spinning wheel which comes on screen, allowing a subtle change from one scene to another.
The action on screen ties in well with the story the man is telling. The visuals are not to overbearing to draw your attention away from the story. I also like how the voice sound changes throughout the animation, such as the echo sound heard when the man is in the fiery pit.
My only criticism would be that I had to watch the animation a few times over in order to get the full story, as the man jumps from one subject to another quite quickly. Other than that this film is definitely worth watching as all the elements from visuals, sound and storytelling, intertwine with each other very well, making it an animation to remember.