Review: An old Hungarian play becomes a fresh fairy tale remix in The Quest

I love when I get to watch an animated movie from a country that doesn't necessarily produce a lot of animation (or, at least, where their animation doesn't make it to the States). That's the case with The Quest, which I think might be my first-ever Hungarian animated feature. And a very fun one to be my first.

Adapted from a 19th-century Hungarian play called Csongor és Tünde (that's the film's original title, too) that has been likened to A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Quest feels like an odd fairy tale remix. There are lots of characters and tropes that feel familiar, but they're squeezed and twisted and combined in ways that are unexpected and delightful. It's kind of funny that a film based on a play from the 1800s ends up feeling quite fresh today, but here we are. 

Csongor is a prince who dreams of a golden-haired beauty running toward a magical apple tree. Said tree can be seen from his bedroom window, looming over the woods in the distance. The prince is tired of being cooped up, and eager to fall in love, so he decides to venture off to that tree, in the hopes that the (literal) girl of his dreams might be there. 

It ends up that she is, but unfortunately, she's not the only one. Tünde, the fairy princess from the dream, planted that tree in the hopes that it would help her find love, and she's delighted that it's worked by attracting Csongor there. But also present is the wily swamp witch Mirígy, who's the absolute star of this show (and, I suppose, the Puck-type figure within the drama). Mirígy has a bone to pick with just about everyone and everything she comes across, including her daughter, the magical tree, Csongor, the devil cubs (more on them later), and on and on and on. Honestly, I don't blame her, as she's been dealt a pretty rotten hand. And, honestly, I was pretty much on her side for this movie. Csongor comes across as a bit of a selfish jerk, so quick to criticize his allies and maybe too focused on his quest for love. Mirígy has legitimate beef with the king and just wants to get some of her power back. We stand a girl boss who knows what she's worth!

Anyways, Mirígy is determined to make sure Csongor and Tünde don't fall in love, so she can trick the prince into marrying her daughter instead, and thus claim some power in the kingdom. The Quest is, at its core, a sort of episodic march through Mirígy's schemes to keep the lovers apart. If she can manage to do it until at least dawn break, she's in good shape: at that point, Tünde will be turned into light by the Queen of the Night, who kind of looms in the sky like the eyes of T.J. Eckelberg. (I didn't completely understand why the Queen of the Night made this ruling, but I was willing to roll with it).

Each little scenario that plays out is a lot of fun, throwing various schemes and fairy tale tropes into different combinations. There are magical items with difficult-to-parse instructions, cases of mistaken identity and silly disguises, and some magical transformations. And lots of spells and curses courtesy of our swamp witch baddie. At every turn, I was simply having a really nice time, wondering what would tumble of of Mirígy's sleeve next, and how Csongor and his sidekick Balga would manage to sidestep it.

And, in classic fairy tale fashion, there's a nice romantic thematic undercurrent at work. At a couple points in the film, Csongor encounters a trio of (imagined) characters who represent the various pursuits a man might take on in life: seeking out riches, power, or wisdom. Each comes with a cost, and none last forever. At the end of the day, The Quest seems to be saying that love is the only pursuit that's really worthwhile, and maybe the one that has a chance of never ending.

With its classic-feeling romance, absolute banger of a score (a lot of fantastically twangy and lively compositions), and odd twist on fairy tale expectations, The Quest is an enjoyable bit of escapism that both introduced me to a classic text while also hitting me as something quite new.