History Literature / TheWonderfulAdventuresOfNils

* JerkToNiceGuyPlot: At the beginning of the story, Nils is lazy, selfish and cruel to animals. Over the course of his journey, he becomes a much nicer person with a lot of respect towards animals and nature.

* NiceHat: Nils wears an iconic red hat.

The story follows a mischievous 14-year-old boy named Nils Holgersson, who lives on a farm with his parents in Scania, the southernmost part of Sweden. As a punishment for his bad behavior, particularly his habit to abuse farm animals, a ''tomte'' (a small magical creature resembling a gnome or an elf) puts a curse on him that turns Nils into another ''tomte'', becoming only a few inches high, but capable of talking to animals. To escape the animals that want to take revenge on him, Nils leaves the farm on the back of a white gander named Mårten Gåskarl, joining a flock of wild geese who are traveling to their breeding grounds in Lapland, the northernmost part of Sweden. What follows is [[TitleDrop a wonderful journey across Sweden]] where Nils learns valuable life lessons.

* ArchEnemy: While he only appears a few times in the book, Smirre still is the most recuring antagonist, and has a personal grudge against Nils due to being humiliated by him twice. In the anime he makes even more appearances.

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: In order to escape his curse, Nils has to find someone who'd be willing to become a ''tomte'' in his stead. He finally encounteres a volunteer - a student who landed into a terrible predicament (he accidentally scattered the manuscript of his friend's brilliant novel across the city) and would welcome any escape, even such a bizzare one. But Nils refuses to take advantage of his distress and instead helps him recover the manuscript.

The story follows a mischievous 14-year-old boy named Nils Holgersson, who lives on a farm with his parents in Scania, the southernmost part of Sweden. As a punishment for his bad behavior, particularly his habit to abuse farm animals, a ''tomte'' (a small magical creature resembling a gnome or an elf) puts a curse on him that turns Nils into another ''tomte'', becoming only a few inches high, but capable to talk to animals. To escape the animals that want to take revenge on him, Nils leaves the farm on the back of a white gander named Mårten Gåskarl, joining a flock of wild geese who are traveling to their breeding grounds in Lapland, the northernmost part of Sweden. What follows is [[TitleDrop a wonderful journey across Sweden]] where Nils learns valuable life lessons.

* CunningLikeAFox: Smirre the fox. He only appears a few times in the book, but becomes a recurring antagonist in the anime, constantly stalking the geese.

The book has been adapted to screen multiple times, including a 1955 AnimatedAdaptation from Soviet Russia and a 1962 LiveActionAdaptation from Sweden, but it's probably best remembered from the 1980 {{anime}} [[TheShowOfTheBooks series]] by Creator/StudioPierrot (which aired in Canada in French on [[Creator/((CBC}} Radio-Canada]]). Nils has become a cultural icon in Sweden, even appearing on the back of the 20-crown note (until he got replaced by another Swedish children's icon, Literature/PippiLongstocking).

The book has been adapted to screen multiple times, including a 1955 AnimatedAdaptation from Soviet Russia and a 1962 LiveActionAdaptation from Sweden, but it's probably best remembered from the 1980 {{anime}} [[TheShowOfTheBooks series]] by Creator/StudioPierrot. Nils has become a cultural icon in Sweden, even appearing on the back of the 20-crown note (until he got replaced by another Swedish children's icon, Literature/PippiLongstocking).

* ShesAManInJapan: In the Hungarian dub of the anime series, Akka is voiced by a man.

''The Wonderful Adventures of Nils'' (original title: ''Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige'', literally "Nils Holgersson's wonderful journey across Sweden") is a [[UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} Swedish]] children's book, originally published in two parts in 1906 and 1907, written by [[UsefulNotes/NobelPrizeInLiterature Nobel Prize]]-winning author CreatorSelmaLagerlof. She wrote the book with the intention to [[EdutainmentShow teach children about the geography and natural history of Sweden in an entertaining way]].

''The Wonderful Adventures of Nils'' (original title: ''Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige'', literally "Nils Holgersson's wonderful journey across Sweden") is a [[UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} Swedish]] children's book, originally published in two parts in 1906 and 1907, written by [[UsefulNotes/NobelPrizeInLiterature Nobel Prize]]-winning author Selma Lagerlöf. She wrote the book with the intention to [[EdutainmentShow teach children about the geography and natural history of Sweden in an entertaining way]].

* VengeanceDenied: Smirre never gets his revenge on Nils. In the anime, he meets with a vixen he falls in love with. It is implied that he realises how pointless his revenge is and stop pursuing Nils to starts his own family. In the book, he is captured by humans and released in a distant island as part of a reintroduction program.

* RevengeDenied: Smirre never gets his revenge on Nils. In the anime, he meets with a vixen he falls in love with. It is implied that he realises how pointless his revenge is and stop pursuing Nils to starts his own family. In the book, he is captured by humans and released in a distant island as part of a reintroduction program.

* ArchEnemy: While he only appears a few times in the book, Smirre still is the most recuring antagonist, and has a personal grudge against Nils due to being humiliated by him twice.

* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe; Gorgo, as a baby eagle, was raised and taken care of by Akka after his real parents died, and came to consider her as a mother figure. As a result, he makes himself a rule of never attacking or devouring geeses out of respect for her.

The book has been adapted to screen multiple times, including a 1955 AnimatedAdaptation from Soviet Russia and a 1962 LiveActionAdaptation from Sweden, but it's probably best remembered from the 1980 {{anime}} [[TheShowOfTheBooks series]] by Creator/StudioPierrot. Nils has become a cultural icon in Sweden, even appearing on the back of the 20-crown note (until he got replaced by another Swedish children's icon, Literature/PippiLongstocking). The book is in the PublicDomain now; the English translation can be read online [[http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10935 here]].

'''Tropes in the book and its various adaptations include:'''

* WhatYouAreInTheDarkness: In order to escape his curse, Nils has to find someone who'd be willing to become a ''tomte'' in his stead. He finally encounteres a volunteer - a student who landed into a terrible predicament (he accidentally scattered the manuscript of his friend's brilliant novel across the city) and would welcome any escape, even such a bizzare one. But Nils refuses to take advantage of his distress and instead helps him recover the manuscript.