MR Horus: Prince of the Sun

With this review, I'm gonna start what I've been wanting to do for quite some time now... what we will call the "Studio Ghibli Marathon"!
But instead of going through the usual Spirited Aways and other Totoros right from the start like everybody else, I wanna take a look at the more obscure Pre-Ghibli movies as well.

So without further ado, let's start from the very beginning...

Movie: Horus: Prince of the Sun and also known as The Sun Prince - Hols' Great Adventure  aka The Little Norse Prince or Little Norse Prince Valiant
Directed by Isao Takahata
Release date 1968
Genre Anime/adventure
Country Japan

Started in 1965, Horus: Prince of the Sun's production was finally finished a bit shy in the middle of 1968 only. Why did an old anime movie from the 60s take so much time, which was quite unusual for the time, a simple original movie which wasn't even an adaptation from an important work or manga?

Because of the various troubles that were happening behind the scenes. A conflict arose between the creative team (composed mostly of animation director Hayao Miyazaki and director and producer Isao Takahata) with the producers at Toei.
This was long before they co-opened their own animation company, Studio Ghibli.
It was in fact Isao Takahata's first film debut. Before that he and Miyazaki both worked on television anime series. Several animes, amongst them, the more famous across the world were Lupin III, Heidi or also Future Boy Conan...
Anyway, they had problems over budget disputes.

You see, they wanted to make a movie they'd want to watch themselves, with content and interesting themas to explore. But Toei was only interested in making a cheap movie for kids.
Takahata and his crew were also quite demanding regarding to the quality of the final product.

This movie marks the starting point, for Japanese animation, when creators (writers, artists, directors,..) took the reins behind the direction of their movies from the hands of producers and companies.

It also united for the first time Isao Takahata, Hayao Miyazaki and Yoichi Kotabe who would go on to make their own studio, leaving Toei, becoming independent and making such movies as Panda Ko Panda. [Eyz note: we'll see this one later!]

Our hero begins a journey the same way King Arthur did... errr...not quite though..

The story opens with Horus!
[note: "Hols" in some American releases..]
Horus is a young boy. He is first seen fighting against a pack of "silver wolves".
In the middle of it all, Horus wakes up an ancient stone giant nammed Moog. [or Mogue]
After helping this giant pull out an horn from his shoulder, which turns out to be a mystic sword, the gentle giant makes a pact to Horus. He will leave this Sword of the Sun in his hands, if he promises to forge it (the sword is all rusty and old..), in return Moog will return to aid him that day and Horus will be hence known as "Prince of the Sun" according to an old legend.

Returning to his home, Horus finds out his father died in the meantime...
Horus ends up swearing a second oath that day. He will return to his father's old village, in the north. It was destroyed many years ago by the evil sorcerer Grunwald.
Horus promises to avenge his village.

Horus goes on a journey to the northern villages, accompanied by his friend Coro, a bear cub.
There, Horus finds Grunwald quite easily. Grunwald, in true evil sorcerer fashion asks him to join his side...to become his "brother", so he'll take care of him and will help Horus become powerful and feared like him...but Horus refuses...

Finally, Horus finds an inhabited fishing village. He helps out the village, takes care of an enormous monster that was terrorizing the lake nearby and finally settles in.
He ends up meeting a lone girl wandering around in the remains of his father's old village. This girl, called Hilda, is brought back to the same fishing village. She spends her days singing for the villagers.

Everything was going fine, right? All's well in the end...but the chief of the village starts resenting these newcomers, Horus' popularity amongst the inhabitants is annoying the chief. His deputy Drago starts spying on our hero and planning a way to kick the intruders out.

In the last act, things get going badly, Horus finds out Hilda is Grunwald's "sister" (or is she...?), the village gets attacked on all sides and from withing, and Grunwald makes his presence felt....

This movie was produced by the animation studio Toei Doga.

The story, if a bit straightforwad, seems pretty rushed. Takahata and co were used to the television format, and such the structure you'd find in an episodic series is sort of felt through the movie.
But as forward and rushed the story seems, it still is a pretty good movie.
The art and animation isn't 100% consistent all the way through, but I think it makes the charm of a 60's anime movie.
It still is of great quality. And the voice acting or music only helps make this movie come to life even moreso.

The story takes place in the Scandinavia around -500 (BC). The whole movie reflects this "Viking era", without resorting to clichés or your classic elements you would find in stories taking place during that age.

It's a great movie, if a bit less known from Miyazaki and Takahata's other productions.

Overall, a great movie.
Simple, but fun. The characters come out a bit sketchy at first glance, but they're properly developed over the course of the movie.

Grunwald is specially a good villain even if he comes out plain "evil". He is quite mysterious in the end, he seems to be a normal man that has turned to evil and who's promised himself to get rid of all mankind. Using animals (giant fish, wolves, etc..) to help him on his devilish quest.

The movie explores some similar themes to the later Ghibli movie Laputa. Even some characters like Pazu or Sheeta seems based on these earlier characters Horus and Hilda who probably served as protypes for them. (even in their designs)
The story seems to draw a lot from the novels of Ursula K. Le Guin, the tales from Earthsea from 1964 (published from '68 to 2001), which Miyazaki admitted being a big fan many times. He wanted to make a movie based on Earthsea for many years, until his own son ended up being the one to direct an adaptation in 2006.

Anyway, it's a good movie. Give it a try if you found yourself interested in it!

I give it:

2 / 3 DonPatchis!