Director: Xavier Picard & Hanna Hemila
Cast (Voices): Tracy Ann Oberman, Nathaniel Parker, Russell Tovey
Certificate: U
Running Time: 77 minutes
Synopsis: In search of adventure, the Moomins, Snorkmaiden & Little My set sail for the French Riviera.
Hailing from Finland, the moomins is a long-standing cartoon series/phenomena. The Scandinavians are madder than the mad hatter about those weird hippo-esque creatures, they even have a whole land devoted to them (for even more fun moomin facts check out our feature here).
When this writer was a child the moomins had a weekly spot on CBBC, back when children’s programming featured on BBC One and not on another channel. Despite being the show’s target demographic I never quite connected with it. Yes the titular characters were all cute, but everything was just a little too crazy for my younger self to follow.
Now as adult watching the film, I’m still just as bemused as to what exactly happens in Moomin land. For a film/series aimed at children there seems to be a lot of misbehaviour displayed; Moomin Papa is clearly a functioning alcoholic for example. Within the first five minutes he has a drink in his hand, a drink that never seems to empty the entire run time, and is seen throwing precious alcohol onto an open fire to cause a high blaze. He also has a penchant for setting off fireworks, and doesn’t adhere to the firework safety rules. The film should really come with a do not try this at home warning.
The target demographic being children, and with the film receiving a U certificate, the film’s plot is very flimsy with a rather watery through line. The story is a little schizophrenic, leaping from one scene to the next, with some odd little asides. Children will cope with this fine as each new setup will stop them getting bored and maintain their attention. I saw MOOMINS ON THE RIVIERA with a friend and her toddler-age daughter who was quiet and entertained from start to finish. Adults may struggle more with the scattered story, but they will enjoy the animation which is very Ghibli-esque.
Overall, fans of the Moomins both young and old will find plenty to love about the latest version of Tove Jansson’s strange beasts. Those that have grown up without being touched by the weird and wacky world of Moomin Valley may find themselves struggling to connect.
MOOMINS ON THE RIVIERA opens in cinemas across the UK on Friday 22nd May.
