Horus is a boy that one day, hunted by silver wolves, found the sword of the sun. The day his father died he left his home to find the people from the town his father told him. Together with a small bear named Koro he starts the journey and runs into a great adventure fighting against Grunwald and his subordinates who want to rule the world.
(Source: AniDB)
Nenhum episódio encontrado.
Comentários
cobrascope
Technically this film is leagues away from the quality of films later produced by Takahata and Miyazaki at Studio Ghibli. Still it's a great little film with more depth than is first apparent. It's a shame Takahata encountered such resistance and lack of backing from the studio when making this film. It could have been so much more. At one point still frames replace the animation becuase they ran over budget in production! A landmark in anime nontheless.
Scallion
I saw this movie on a whim while I was looking for episodes of the live-action TV show "Firefly", which I've been meaning to watch for years, and was pleasantly surprised. Horus/Hols:Prince of the Sun (localized under several other titles in other countries) has an amazing pedigree-directed by Isao Takahata , animation credits by the famous Hayao Miyazaki, among other famous names in Japanese animation, and is considered to be the first modern anime film, as it broke away from the typical Disney movie fare that they saw in anime. That being said, the movie still looks, feels, and sounds like Disney animated classic, which isnot a bad thing at all. While it's obviously a children's movie, it doesn't pull too many punches. While both Hols and Arthur from the Disney movie "The Sword in the Stone" get their magic weapons in the same way, Prince of the Sun isn't all kids' stuff. The opening sequence is actually a pretty taut action sequence: Hols, the courageous Norse hero, defends himself from a pack of evil wolves with an axe on a rope. It's very well-choreographed and animated, but doesn't manage to be too violent, or gruesome in any way. Not only that, but the antagonist, Grunwald, wants to rule the world by killing off the human race, which has been forced into a tiny fishing village on a northern fjord. Some of the themes of the movie, like Socialism and xenophobia might be lost on children too.
Another Disney-like quality of Prince of the Sun is the music, it's damned great. The soundtrack has a beautiful and rousing score, and most of the background music follows the motif of the awesome main theme, which basically sings about how awesome Horus is. There's some more singing later on in the movie, but it's not obtrusive and fits the scenes rather well. You won't have to worry about a spontaneous dance number, but the singing that's there is rather beautiful, if mournful at times.
And like any good Disney film, the movie looks gorgeous. While they don't have the same detail as say, a modern Chibli movie, they're still very pretty, and make the movie even more worthwhile. According to the wikipedia, it was behind schedule, and over 30 minute of film had to be cut, and replaced with still images. It's a bit jarring to go from fluid-looking movement to still frames, but it doesn't happen too often, and the rest of the visuals make up for it. The characters have this soft, rounded look to them, but that doesn't make Horus look any less the hero, and some of the enemies he faces, like a giant fish monster with a death beam would probably be nightmare fuel for a little kid. Speaking of Horus, he makes the movie. He has the qualities of any good shonen hero, but with more resolve, and less stupidity.
I'd say that even if you're not a fan of older anime, you'll be enchanted by Prince of the Sun. It made me feel all fuzzy and nostalgic inside, and I can easily see my younger self falling in love with it, and scrambling over the couches with a toy axe to imitate Horus' heroics. If I'm ever dumb enough to have children, I'll be certain to show them this film. It's a piece of anime history, and a great one at that. I totally recommend it.
angelsreview
Well, this is a really really old video and let’s say that for its time, it might have been very high class but now, it feels like it lacks a lot. The animation is low quality and the voices feel forced and scripted. Horus seems to not think about what he is about to do, his heart being in the right place but his head just doesn’t seem to be happening there. He was made to be the purest of the pure but they made him come out as a rather young child, younger then he should be. Other characters randomly sing and makes itfeel like we are in a old Disney movie.
The animation is really old and they cut corners constantly. They reuse clips a lot and also jump around without any explanation on why they are except that they are travelling. Both people and animals look rather blotchy and not a lot of detail. In order to not animate some of the faces, they are covered in thick bushes of hair from eyebrows and beards.
The script sounds cheesy in the English version, where the voice actors feel as though they are just reading lines. It’s rather narrative and descriptive in the beginning and then loses a lot of that as the story goes on, not explaining enough when it needs to later on. It feels like it should have been much shorter. They did do a good job matching the voices though so it does get some props for that.
eyerok
"Be brave and fight with all your strength son. You have nothing to be afraid of" (NOTE: Source for history and background: http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/otherfilms/) When modern anime connoisseurs make their own lists of the most influential anime classics, they miss the name of Horus: Prince of the Sun. This one movie was groundbreaking in many ways. At the time it was released in 1968, animation projects were led more by the parochial philosophy of production companies wanting to market safe animations for as wide an audience as possible. Although Hols could not completely break free from the reins of the production company, it was one of the firstinstances where the artists attempted to wrest control and create something that was a step above what the industry was doing at that time.
Horus (or Hols) was the first major project for Ghibli co-founders and anime legends Takahata Isao (Director) (Grave of the Fireflies), Hayao Miyazaki (Concept Artist and Scene Design) and their mentor and colleague, Yasuo Ohtsuka (Animation director) of the Lupin III fame, among others. It is an important milestone in anime history, and not just because it launched the careers of Takahata and Miyazaki. Although the immediate impact of the movie was negligible, the long-term results were many and far-reaching. Hols was the first major anime to break free from the ‘animation-for-kids’ Disney mindset that was accepted as the norm at that time, and inspired as well as influenced a whole generation of artists and auteurs. After this movie, the industry gradually shifted away from the producer-centric trend to an approach where the artists would have more freedom and say. The change was slow, but the seeds were sown with Hols. For that reason, this movie is considered as the first modern anime by many anime history buffs and critics.
Hols was a project marred with difficulties throughout its production period; many Toei Doga artists were embroiled in a union tussle with the company and management, and the fallout resulted in numerous problems and disagreements between the management and the team of artists. The paltry budget was not enough to satisfy the movie’s ambitions, and it took three years to complete the movie when its schedule was only 8 months. Toei refused to grant the budget to complete two action sequences and decided to pull the plug soon after release, and kept the movie in the theatres for only 10 days; the movie bombed at the box office, but was a hit with the critics, students and aspiring artists who had not seen anything like it before. Many who worked on the project were singled out by the company and ostracized, including director Takahata Isao who was demoted and was never allowed to direct a project for Toei again.
Hols may be garbed in Scandinavian and East European culture, but it is in fact based on a puppet-theater drama written by script writer Kazuo Fuzakawa, which in turn is based on the ancient legend of aborigines of North japan. The producers at Toei Doga company changed the setting to make it more acceptable internationally, especially to the western audience, and they attempted to tone down the content to make it more ‘safe’ for the intended audience (i.e. children), but the young,and rebellious team of artists made sure that the management would not succeed completely in that endeavour.
The movie’s concept of a chosen hero and the fight between good and evil was in vogue back in the late 60’s, and had not yet become a cliche. Yet the film was ahead of its time in handling the concept, because it not just explored the external concept of the struggle, but also the internal psychological aspect of it. It does this by exposing the depth of cruelty and deceptiveness that even the most well-meaning human beings can fall to, and how xenophobia and fickle-mindedness can degenerate and lead astray even the most amiable and harmonious of people.
This psychological phenomenon is best represented in Hilda, the lone survivor of a massacre, and the movie’s tragic female lead. Her schizophrenic, inner psychological and moral conflicts throughout the story is perhaps the most striking part of the movie, and the one thing that probably stands out the most after the credits stop rolling. The sheer depth of her character overshadows even the protagonist, Hols, and the villain, Gruinwald, and sets Hilda apart from all the ‘heroines’ of not just her own time, but many female leads of today as well. Miyazaki himself acknowledged the character as a breakthrough, and some believe that it influenced his female characters.
There is more to Hols than meets the eye. Despite its outer simplicity and kid friendly tone, Its treatment of such themes as Good and Evil, morality, unity among people, psychological realism etc is such that can only be appreciated by greater minds.The importance of community and rebellion against authority are also among the recurrent themes of the movie, poignantly reflecting the disagreements between the Toei team artists and workers against the company.
However, a warning is due for modern viewers. In all its aspects, whether it be animation, sound, story, direction or pacing, Hols reflects the sensibilities of its times, even if it is superior to most animation projects of that period. This one is mostly for old school fans, or for fans of early Takahata/Miyazaki movies. Age may not have been kind to Hols, but it is so far ahead of its time that more informed viewers would be surprised that this movie was made in 1968 in spite of the production woes and a low budget.
comiclove
This was a rather pleasant surprise, honestly. 'Horus/Hols' may not be the most elegant film, but it is certainly a testament to the sheer amount of talent found within the development team. With surprisingly fleshed-out characters and plotlines, accompanied by pretty competent artwork + sound, this relic will be sure to last in your mind for a bit. [Story - 7] The first 10-or-so minutes are pretty basic, admittedly: boy finds sword, is told of a demon, then is sent off to kill it after his father dies. After that, however, it takes a turn: he's almost immediately defeated by the demon, and is informally saved +adopted by a village by the river. Here, he makes a little home for himself after slaying some beasts and whatnot.
Still sounds tame? I don't blame you, it definitely feels like that. However, then comes the second half of the movie: While out on a hunt, our protagonist Horus encounters a mysterious girl named Hilda. At first, she just seems like a plain love interest who can sing and whatnot, but she is soon revealed to be something of an anti-villain.
After subtle sabotage that causes a storm to blow over, Horus finds his resolve and goes off to slay the demon. And, of course, he does and there is a happy ending. However, the road leading to it is teeming with themes of struggling with social dynamics, against fate, and with your own desires. It's pretty solid for a kids' movie, especially from the late 60's.
[Art - 8]
The art is also rather intriguing, and probably the reason most of you will go and watch this. It might not have aged as well in terms of animation (there's one notable action sequence where it's a minute of freeze frames), but everything else remains timeless. The colour palette is mostly based in 'nature'-types, while the character design gravitates more towards an earthy-type of tone. The setting is also pretty convincing as a 'nordic'-type of fantasy world. The animation isn't even that bad save for that sequence: for the most part, every action is pretty fluid, and some (not all) of the lip syncing is on point. Truly impressive to see.
[Sound - 8]
The audiowork is also rather competent. The music can be rather melodramatic and Disney-esque at times, but it does the job well. I especially liked the 'village songs', as they really do suit the vibe that those scenes were going for. The SFX are also rather well-timed and consistent, and I failed to notice any noticeable mistakes. The voice-acting is pretty solid - while Horus sounds like a stereotypical shonen protagonist, Hilda has a rather haunting voice (both in song and speech). Grunwald and Drago sound like standard villains, but I'll let it pass since they didn't get a lot of screentime.
[Character - 7]
Definitely the most surprising aspect of the film. It might not be the precursor to 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' or whatever, but for what it represented during its time, the characterization is great. Horus is certainly not a deep character, or even /that/ interesting, but he does somewhat serve as the audience's proxy during the film: we share in his feelings and reactions to the plot twists, and to a noted degree. Grunwald and Drago are rather flat characters, but I can see how they helped influence the succeeding generations' villains: cunning, but ultimately lonely due to the weight of their power.
The most iconic character, however, is the previously-mentioned Hilda. She's astonishingly well-written: as she struggles a lot with her own will to live, her want to socialize normally, her relationship with the antagonists, and so on/forth, you can see her breakdown happen over the course of the film. Of course, her betrayal of Horus is what pushes her the farthest into this, and even towards the end of the film, it influences her every action. Her fate at the end may not please everyone, but I found it rather heartwarming.
[Enjoyment/Overall - 8]
Ultimately, this was pretty fun. May not be the most polished thing, of course, but I'll blame that on the time period and standards of that period. Otherwise, it's a stellar movie that both children and adults can enjoy. I would recommend this to anyone, ESPECIALLY Miyazaki groupies.
LightScaryRobo
An average story, but not a bad one. You follow a young over-powered boy as he goes on a journey to defeat a big enemy terrorising the world - you know the deal. Even for the time, this art style was not great. Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi - they all came out about 20 years earlier but felt incomparable for how enjoyable they were in animation. Even previous Toei movies are much better than this. Possibly Hayao Miyazaki's worst animated feature. No matter where the characters were on screen, they all sounded the exact same distance away as each other, and a lot of the voice acting feltvery... lazy? It felt like it was strung together quickly and it didn't sound like any effort was put into the voice acting/editing the voice acting.
Hilda - A young girl who you dislike the first time you see her... as well as to the last time you see her.
Horus - A young boy who strangely has the strength and skill of a grown man, and has killed a lot of wolves with barely any difficulty, even in large groups.
Xai16
I Love Studio Ghibli and this was CLEARLY one of their more earlier films. I give them credit for a movie of that time period because it REALLY look like anime was just starting to make aname for itself and the few elements that hold it back are a product of that era in animation and story telling. As far as classic anime goes, it wasn't that bad. The chorus of people every few minutes got terribly annoying and some of the character were bland but the story had a very classic theme to it; slay the demon, save the maiden, win the hearts of thepeople. None of that was easy considering the only weapon that could slay the demon was unusable until about the third act. Also, the maiden not only had to be saved from the demon but also herself as she's feeling the evil in her own heart growing and it tore her between clinging to life and clinging to her humanity. And finally, as Horus was a newcomer to the village, he not only had to earn their trust (especially against a power-hungry man of the village) but also prove that they were in danger as he was the only one who could see it.
Where the characters were uninteresting, the story somewhat made up for it. The animals looked like they were drawn by an elementary schooler but agaiin that was a product of the times. Anime was just starting out and the detail we see in scenes and characters weren't yet realized. Still, this is a classic and I have to say as hard as it was finding this in english sub, it's worth a see...if you can find it or if you understand japanese.
TheWiseChampion
It has great animation and characters, but doesn't fully beat the "Japanese Disney" feel that anime had trouble escaping in its beginning years. There's quite a few terrible singing scenes that seemed tolerable at first but got old really fast and broke the pacing. There are times where this became an absolute chore to watch. There are other times where this became an absolute joy to watch. Where this movie really shines is the action sequences. They might not be anything you haven't seen today, but they are ahead of its time. The opening sequence and the final 25 minutes are stunning in this regard.I also enjoyed watching the characters and all their schemes. In particular I enjoyed Hilda's plot line. Horus is a bit one-note and standard as a protagonist. I feel like to the average person this movie won't make much of an impression but hardcore anime fans, especially Ghibli fans as this marks the first collaboration between Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki, should check it out at least for the history and impact.
