Cinema Reviews
Moomins On The Riviera Review
Moomins hit the screens in their third outing. Through a series of events Moomin, Moominpapa, Moominmamma, Snorkmaiden and Littleme make the trip from Moominvalley to the Riveria, where they are mistaken for rich eccentrics. Snorkmadien and Moominpapa are taken in by lifestyle of the rich and famous, but the others in the group are not so easily swayed.
The film is mainly based on the comic strip “Moomins On The Riveria”, but also incorporates other plot lines and characters from Tove Jansson’s famous strips. The film plays out like a comic strip. One event leads to another and another and another, but with surprising twists and turns. A surprising moment for me is when a character steps out of the film to pursue his own goals and has a family relative step in to replace him. Very clever.
The hand drawn animation is gorgeous, especially with it’s use of single colours to represent backgrounds. An inspired choice that will make it stand out from the crowd.
The only criticism is that the film plunges you into their world with little introduction, so if you are new to the Moomins or returning to them after a long time, like me, you are going to be a little lost at first. But give a while and will you get into the story. It will certainly make you come back to watch it again.
The Moomins On The Riveria is a charming film and will appeal to fans and non fans a like.
Simon Aitken