Only the brave dare to cross the desert wasteland to find the Moon, and what we get to see is a truly fantastical tale to marvel at. The title sets the tone of this South Korean animated film, and when it borrows heavily on local folklore to tell its tale, I was hooked!
At the same time, the Western tropes used include fantastic backdrops to show the maddening chaos which is still to come. For example, there’s shades of Van Gogh’s Starry Night whenever Muju makes its presence known and I think the producers wanted to inejct some HP Lovecraft style omniscience too.
Elsewhere, the royal court can’t spend the time to deal with every problem that arises. Here, the evil Count Tar wants the throne and if he’s to to have it, Princess Navillera has to agree to marrying him. But as the last of the bloodline, she’s not ready to taint it. Also, she knows who killed her parents, and she’s not ready to marry anyone who comes courting! Instead, she’d rather choose who will be her husband instead. When she runs away and meets Janggu and his band of merry men–Sogo, Kkwaenggwari, Haegeum and Buk. it’s easy to see she can pick who she likes the most. The instant chemistry she has with the leader shows the inevitable.
Thakfully, this group agrees to help her, and like most classic adventures, the threats they have to face together help them bond. Although everything is neatly packed into this film before meeting the boss, I’d rather see this tale as a long running television series than as a film.
That way, the tale can spend the time needed to bring the folklore to life. The fantasy is okay, but I wanted more backstory to make the world come to life.
As for the meaning of why this lunar entity is important, there’ some exposition so viewers can understand this Korean world. Water is life, and what this story does is merely skim the surface (pardoning the pun) on what it means from a spiritual context. Also, not everybody will understand the significance of the bunny.
In Asian traditions, the rabbit is connected to not only the moon but also the sea. This creature is not an astrological symbol. The mountain to which this kingdom lays has an underground river and not everyone knows about it! When Count Tar holds the key to this important resource, nobody is the wiser. He’s causing the citizens in the lower regions of the kingdom to suffer. Because they lack access to the most essential element to their well being, they’re starving!
Thankfully, a prophecy about a forgotten moon princess and a knight helps lift the people’s spirits. But as for how much hope they have, I thought what’s presented in this film was quite limited. Had The Moon in the Hidden Woods been expanded to a television series, I’m sure more could be said. Also, the bits of character development can be expanded upon. After all, Navillera and Janggu are a lovely couple; more could’ve been done had this presentation been given a longer run time.
3½ Stars out of 5
This movie played at Fantasia 2019, on Sun July 28, 2019 at the Salle J.A. De Sève