Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms (2006)

Movie Info

I always find Rokurokubi creepy…

When Professor Mitsuyasu Sakai accidentally releases the demons Thunder and Lightning from the Sword of Storms, Thunder and Lightning threaten to destroy the world.  It is up to BPRD to stop the threat, and Hellboy, Kate Corrigan, and Russell Thorne try to find a way to unlock the power of the Sword of Storms.  Meanwhile, Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman discover that Thunder and Lightning are causing havoc and must be stopped as an old legend plays out in real life.

Directed by Phil Weinstein and Tad Stones, Hellboy Animated:  Sword of Storms is a feature length animated comic book adventure film.  Following Hellboy in 2004 by Guillermo del Toro (who helped produce this film), the movie brought back the cast of Hellboy to voice the characters.  The film was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming One Hour or More).

Boy, Hellboy goes away for one second and Abe Sapien makes his move

Hellboy was good, but I was on the fence about the character in general.  The tone and feel of the movie was hard to nail down.  Hellboy Animated:  Sword of Storms carries the tone of the film, but in doing so, it helps solidify the feel and style of Hellboy, and the story it is trying to tell.

Though I like Japanese myth, Hellboy:  Sword of Storms’ story left me a bit empty.  I don’t think it did the best job of tying the elements of the story together, and it drags at points.  Still, the film is quite strong and better than most animated features in a similar vein.

The best aspect of the animated film is the return of the cast.  It makes it feel like a true sequel to Hellboy, and it fleshes out the characters more.  You get to see Liz Sherman, Abe Sapien, and Hellboy in action and not just moping about their situation.  It also brings in new characters to show that BPRD functions with more than just three members.

Thunder, Lightning…the way you love me is frightening. I think I’ll just knock on wood

The art is also a welcomed addition.  Mike Mignola has a really distinct style, and it doesn’t seem to be the type of art that can be translated to animation.  Despite that, the art for the film mimics Mignola’s look and it does seem functional.  I’d like to see it developed more and see if some of Mignola’s other stories could be brought to life in his style.

Hellboy Animated:  Sword of Storms is a good addition to animated superhero films and a good supplemental to Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy films.  If you like Hellboy, you should check out the animated film that followed it.  The film was followed by Hellboy Animated:  Blood & Iron in 2007 which I think is actually a actually a slight step up from this entry.

Related Links:

Hellboy (2004)

Hellboy Animated:  Blood & Iron (2007)

Hellboy II:  The Golden Army (2008)

Hellboy (2019)