Norse mythology has never been so adorable

All these trailers for the new Marvel comics movie, the Avengers, make me long for a proper film based on Norse myths. Honestly, try looking for one, there aren't many. You're pretty much limited to Erik the Viking and various takes on the Ring Cycle and that's it. Well, thankfully I stumbled on something a bit more interesting; a Danish animated film from 1986 called Valhalla. It's based on a series of comics that are loosely based on Norse myths and it's clappy-hands-and-make-squeaky-noises adorable. Or rather, it is if you like trickster myths and good old-fashioned animations. It follows two cute but somewhat gullible Viking kids who get caught up in the misadventures of Thor and Loki, and the whole thing's up on youtube with English subtitles. Hurrah!




There. Don't you feel all warm and fuzzy inside now? Admittedly the ending feels a little rushed (are the kids stuck in Asgard? How did the little troll thing escape?) but that might have something to do with the film going grossly over budget (apparently it cost over 40 million kroner. Ouch) and effectively bankrupting the company that made it. Which is a shame, because according to Wikipedia, the film was a hit and it would have been fun to see a few more myths get filtered through that charming old-school animation style.

I do like the implication that standing out in the rain is some sort of invitation for an Aesir sleepover, though. Hmm.... if standing around in thunderstorms is all you need to do to get to drink with the gods, I'd better stock up on mead.

Oh and happy Beltane/May Day/whatever-you-want-to-call-it everyone! Hopefully the rain won't spoil too many bonfires... and if it does, well, blame Thor!