Film review: Moomins on the Riviera is a throwback to classic 2D hand-drawn animations
In these days of SpongeBob SquarePants and other hip children's characters, it is heartening to see the Moomins on the big screen.
Voiced by: Russell Tovey (English version)
Director: Xavier Picard
Category: I
In these days of SpongeBob SquarePants and other hip children's characters, it is heartening to see the Moomins on the big screen.
The loveable Tove Jansson-created family of white, doe-eyed creatures appeared in London's Evening News in 1954, reaching new audiences in a 1970s television series made in Poland. The epitome of innocence and purity, these cuddly folks are delightfully out-of-step with the digital age.
True, the Moomins have made it to the movies before — most recently in the mildly disappointing 3D effort Moomins and the Comet Chase (as Jansson's niece Sophia said, "the Moomins have a difficult shape for 3D"). But this latest film, directed and produced by veteran French animator Xavier Picard and the Finnish-born Hanna Hemilä respectively, harks back to the original comic-strips, and is all the better for it.
Culled from a series of different Jansson-scripted stories, the plot sees the Moomin family — along with friends Snorkmaiden and Little My — leave Moominvalley and head to the French Riviera in search of adventure. Booking into a plush five-star hotel without realising the cost, they call themselves the "De Moomins" and begin to mix with aristocrats and film stars. Soon, much to Moominmamma's exasperation, they're gambling in casinos, shopping in boutiques and lauding it on sun-loungers.