(Xavier
Picard/2014/France & Finland)
The
Moomins, in what is essentially a reboot, go sailing, get hijacked by
pirates, shipwrecked on an island and eventually make their way to
the Riviera where they encounter a variety of characters that intrude
upon the equilibrium of the Moomin family. Driven by Sophia Jansonn,
the niece of Moomin creator Tove Jansonn and daughter of Lars
Jansonn, the original animator of the comics this production captures
a lot of the originals straight forward storytelling and quiet
morality. For someone who grew up with the Polish stop motion
adaptation, broadcast with narration by Richard Murdoch in Britain in
the 80’s, there did seem to be something missing. The soundtrack
was frequently intrusive and I hankered for the fluted theme tune and
more prominent ambient sounds of the TV version. But it’s unfair to
compare it to childhood memory; this film stays true to the original
story and is a pleasant, innocent way to pass an hour or so. The
Moomin universe has always been a wonderful and surreal place to
visit and if this film opens it up to a new generation of fans more
power to it.
(2.5/5)
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