Netflix's 'Hilda' is the cozy winter binge you've been looking for

When sweater weather is in full effect and all you want to do is stay inside by the fire, Netflix's new animated series Hilda brings the magic of exploring the wilderness to your couch.

Based on the acclaimed British graphic novel by Luke Pearson (an Adventure Time veteran, as you might be able to tell from the animation style), with a synth pop intro written by Grimes, its the kind of cartoon that's as much for millennials as it is for kids.

But there's an unwavering sincerity to Hilda that makes it stand out from the other shows of its ilk, like Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, and even Steven Universe.

A fearless explorer, Hilda lives in the woods with her mom, along with an ever-expanding cast of folklore creatures and legends. Until, that is, a neighborly mishap forces them to move to the nearby city of Trolberg. And metropolitan life turns out to be the only beast Hilda can't tame.

Watching Hilda feels like going back to that time in childhood when you only needed your imagination for company. You'd play outside with nothing but the intent of fun, only to come back several hours later thoroughly spent and covered in dirt. The world felt big and scary, you tiny and defenseless. But confronting that thrill of the unknown is exactly what made you feel invincible.

With a backdrop of Scandinavian myth and and scenery, it creates a universe where fantasy and reality exist side by side. And nobody questions it. From giants to elves to thunder birds, the fantastical is commonplace -- but feels no less magical.

Elves are sticklers for bureaucratic paperwork, for example, but how else are they supposed to protect their invisibility spell without all those forms? And granted, the ill-mannered Wood Man barges into the house uninvited at all hours of the day to use your fireplace without asking, but at least he brings his own wood.

Every rock left unturned in the world of Hilda feels like a new wonder waiting to be discovered -- or most likely, a troll baby who'd rather be left alone. Every episode exudes so much warmth and life that you can practically envision Twig, the deerfox, curled up next you.

Without a doubt, Hilda is an ode to the weird kids. You know, the ones who never quite figured out the whole people thing but knew every possible fact about frogs and their social habits.

Like every great fairytale, the stories in Hilda teach important lessons you can bring into the real world without beating you over the head with it: about the value of all life, the magic in the mundane, the power of perception.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

One visual and narrative theme the show often returns to is the question of scale, showing how the world looks so different to an elf versus a human versus a giant. The things that loomed so large and important in your life become indistinguishable dust to a giant. Meanwhile the behaviors you never thought twice about can be experienced as acts of terror to an elvish town.

Hilda is as powerful as it is simple, as fierce as it is gentle-hearted, and as extraordinary as it is ordinary. It's a quiet adventure. And it rings with all the more resonance for it.