Hugo the Hippo 1975

In the bustling harbor of Zanzibar, a dangerous problem surfaces as a gang of vicious great white sharks makes docking nearly impossible for trading ships. To fix this, the Sultan tasks his advisor, Aban-Khan, with a bold plan: bring twelve hippopotamuses into the harbor to deter the sharks. At first, the idea works, and the hippos become a curious, feeding spectacle for the locals. But once they are no longer a novelty and the people stop feeding them, the hippos begin to starve. In a brutal turn, Aban-Khan slaughters all the hippos except one, a baby named Hugo, who somehow escapes across the sea to Dar es Salaam on the African mainland.

A group of children, led by a farmer boy named Jorma, find Hugo and do their best to hide him, building a garden to feed and care for him. Yet the plan hits a harsh barrier when Hugo is discovered, and the garden is burned by the angry parents who fear their children’s studies are being neglected. As a result, Hugo is left to scavenge from nearby farms for food, surviving on the margins of village life. When Aban-Khan learns of the incident, he travels to Dar es Salaam and, with the aid of the Sultan’s court wizard, the Royal Magician, he transforms Jorma’s family farm into an enchanted garden filled with gigantic fruits and vegetables. The trap works to lure Hugo in, but the plants twist into monstrous forms thirsting to kill both Hugo and Jorma, who has come to Hugo’s aid. Despite their best efforts to escape, the duo is overwhelmed and captured.

Hugo is put on trial for the damage caused by his nightly raids, and the case is brought before the Judge. The Sultan makes a powerfully impassioned speech in Hugo’s defense, arguing that the hippos were mistreated through neglect and unfair culling, which makes Hugo the true injured party. The crowd’s sympathy shifts, Aban-Khan’s authority crumbles, and Hugo is ultimately released. The judge’s ruling charges the people, and the remaining guardianship over Hugo is entrusted to his young allies—the children—for the rest of his days.