5 Heartwarming Animated Films and Series Perfect for Chilly Fall Family Nights
Brothers lost in the forest, bear and mouse who became friends, and secrets of the dark woods.
In the fall, the mood gets worse: there is eternal grayness outside the window and endless rain. But we have a recipe for beating the blues: warm drinks, cozy blankets and, of course, colorful animations to watch with the whole family.
1. Ernest & Celestine, 2012
Celestine is a mouse that grew up in an orphanage. All her life she has heard stories about how dangerous bears are. Celestine loves to draw and dreams of becoming an artist, but like all rodents, she has to study to be a dentist. Everything is decided by chance when she meets Ernest while looking for bear teeth.
Ernest is a bear who lives in poverty. After meeting Celestine, he tries to eat her, but the mouse manages to dissuade him. A series of events leads to the two being forced to hide from the police of both worlds in Ernest's forest hut, and this event becomes the beginning of their friendship.
2. Wolfwalkers, 2020
The director Tomm Moore is one of the most important modern animated storytellers. In his works he usually turns to folklore and Irish history.
In Wolfwakers the action takes place in 1650 in the Irish town of Kilkenny. The main character, Robyn, is the daughter of a hunter who moves to Kilkenny from England with her father. The man protects Robyn by forbidding her to leave the house because there are wolves around the town. And not just wolves, but rumored to be real werewolves.
But Robyn is not one to sit idly by. The girl herself is quite good with a bow and arrow. So as soon as she gets the chance, she sneaks off into the woods.
3. Hilda, 2018-2023
The animated series is based on the comics by illustrator Luke Pearson and is inspired by Scandinavian mythology. According to the plot, the curious Hilda lives in the forest with her mother and her pet Twig. She spends her days exploring the area and communicating with various magical inhabitants: elves and giants.
One day, her mother decides to move to the nearby town of Trolberg so that Hilda can have a normal childhood: to go to school and make friends. Although Hilda resists her mother's idea at first, she eventually accepts it. After all, magic and adventure are not going to disappear from her life.
4. Over the Garden Wall, 2014
A melancholic story about two brothers, Wirt and Greg, who get lost in the woods and try to find their way home. In each of the ten episodes, the boys travel around the world they find themselves in, meeting locals and helping them solve problems.
A mysterious Beast that lives in these places and terrifies the inhabitants follows them like an unseen shadow. Wirt and Greg will have to meet it face to face.
5. Little Nicholas: Happy as Can Be, 2022
Nicholas is a cult character among French children, and more than one book has been written about him. The authors are the writer René Goscinny and the artist Jean-Jacques Sempé.
The movie tells the story of how Goscinny and Sempé invented the stories of Nicholas, but it also shows the everyday life of a boy who goes to school, communicates with his parents and friends, and talks to the authors themselves about his life.