Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms (2006) (TV)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Directors:

Phil Weinstein
Tad Stones

Writers:

Mike Mignola (characters)
Mike Mignola (story)

Release Date:

28 October 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi

Plot:

A professor of folklore opens a forbidden scroll and becomes possessed by the ancient Japanese demons of Thunder and Lightning...

Plot Keywords:

Demon | Folklore | Sword | Hell | Dark Horse Comics

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Ron Perlman	...	Hellboy (voice)
Selma Blair	...	Liz Sherman (voice)
Doug Jones	...	Abe Sapien (voice)
Peri Gilpin	...	Professor Kate Corrigan (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dee Bradley Baker	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Liza Del Mundo	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Keith Ferguson	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Kim Mai Guest	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Michael Hagiwara	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Yuriana Kim	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Clyde Kusatsu	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Phil LaMarr	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Paul Nakauchi	...	Additional Voices (voice)
James Sie	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Mitchell Whitfield	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Gwendoline Yeo	...	Kitsune (voice)

Also Known As:

Hellboy Animated: Schwert der Stürme (Germany) (DVD title) [de]

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Australia:M | USA:PG | New Zealand:M | South Africa:13V | Netherlands:12

Company:

IDT Entertainment

Trivia:

The name that the old man is carving into a cucumber is "Murakami". Director Tad Stones says that this is a shout out to his friend, fellow animator Glen Murakami

Goofs:

Continuity: We see the giant bat creature pin Abe to the ground, then the shot cuts away for a moment and then cuts back to the bat but Abe is now on his feet and several yards away from the creature when there wasn't time for him to get there.

Quotes:

Russell: [eyes closed] Based on the psychic wavelengths of this room, I'd have to say a massive disturbance occurred here not long ago.
[Hellboy glances around the room, which looks like a tornado hit it]
Hellboy: You're good! I mean, I've worked with psychics before but you... are something special.
[aside to Kate]
Hellboy: I hate psychics.
Professor Kate Corrigan: I know, but we have to use them.

Movie Connections:

References Bronenosets Potyomkin (1925)

Really very good, actually

I've been a Hellboy reader from the day the first issue of the comic hit the stands. When the live action movie came out I liked it, but thought it could've been a lot better. This movie, however, gave me the "a lot better" that I was hoping for: really fun and interesting MYTHOLOGICAL story (with interesting little bits of cultural details like the comics always have); interestingly plotted story that cuts backward and forward in time in a smart and engaging way; lots of cool, scary bad guys; and better written dialog than I thought the live action had, including better one-liners from HB.

I watched it with my six year old boy - checking in with him and explaining stuff if I felt nervous that he might be scared by anything in it - and he loved it too. I think it a great HB movie for a wide age range - again, like the comics.

The animation was sharp and detailed, but I kind of wished that the character designs and background work came closer to Mignola's originals. I guess if that were so, though, it would have probably been a much darker, scarier, and more "experimental" looking movie - all of which would have altered it's demographics a lot, and maybe killed it's financing in the process.

All in all I'd really recommend it.