Moomins on the Riviera

Sixty years ago, when Finnish author and illustrator Tove Jansson launched the Moomin comic strip, little did she know it would reach 20 million daily readers in more than 40 countries. In celebration of her 100th birthday, French director Xavier Picard brings Jansson’s carefree and adventurous Moomin family to life, with delicately animated characters set within beautifully designed and colored backgrounds, and the comic’s traipsing storylines translated to the screen with just the right amount of absurdity and humor. As the story opens, disruptions in the tranquil world of Moominvalley prompt the Moomins to take a trip to the French Riviera for some much needed rest. Upon their arrival, they are introduced as “De Moomin” and taken to the fanciest hotel in town, where they are treated like royalty. Exposed to the luxurious life for the first time, Moomintroll’s beloved Snork Maiden becomes seduced by the lure of fashion and celebrity, while Moominpappa begins to hobnob with high-society art collectors. But the rest of the family seems less impressed by this superficial world and longs to return home.