Film Review - Moomins on the Riviera (2014)

Moomins on the Riviera (2014) sees our hero Moomin (voiced by Kristofer Gummerus), along with his parents Moominpappa (Mats Långbacka) and Moominmma (Maria Sid) and a group of his friends, go on holiday to experience the exotic delights of the French Riviera. Hardly have they arrived however before they discover that reality is not like it’s depicted in the glossy magazines: they soon find themselves questioning whether the lifestyle of the rich and famous is really that appealing after all.

The Moomins – the hippopotamus, troll like creatures who live in an imaginary valley somewhere in the vicinity of Finland, have always split public opinion: either you love them or hate them, without much room for middle ground. If you’re feet are firmly planted in reality, these strange creatures and their bizarre adventures will most likely not be to your taste. To fully appreciate them and their wide circle of freaky friends, you have to have a taste for the strange, as happy living in the realms of make-believe as you are in the everyday world.

Saying that, even those who love them frequently it to being unsettled by them as well – they have an element which is just that little bit ‘creepy’. It’s this side though which has made Moomintroll and his acquaintances – including his parents, his girlfriend Snorkmaiden and their friends – so appealing, since their initial appearance in the bestselling books by author Tove Jansson which first appeared in 1945. The best characters from children’s literature and those which stand the test of time, often have an ‘edginess’ to them. Jansson’s characters – who lived in a magical land called Moominvalley – were no exception, frequently at their best when facing dangers within the boundaries of their own wild and beautiful homeland.

Which is where the animated big screen adventure Moomins on the Riviera slips up. The strongest aspects take place at the outset and close of the film, bookending a sometimes slow and less imaginative middle section which chronicles the family’s trip to the play-land of the rich and famous in the South of . Don’t be mistaken, there is plenty of fun throughout the film: though clearly aimed at younger audiences, the humour is sophisticated enough to appeal to older viewers as well – the characterisation of the arrogant residents of the Cote d’Azur is marvellously realised and, one imagines, probably surprisingly true to real-life. The opening scenes however, which – other than acting as an introduction to the imp-like Little My, who featured frequently in the Moomin adventures – seem to have little or nothing to do with the central story, are also the most intriguing and memorable, particularly for any who want to watch the film purely for nostalgic reasons.

The animation – beautifully and sparsely rendered by production companies Handle Productions, Pictak and Moomin Characters – lends itself perfectly to the darker aspects of the story. Overall though Moomins on the Riviera is too rooted in reality to capture the true essence which lent Jansson’s creations their timeless magic.