Finally, some really really really really good news: Tove Jansson’s beloved Moomins are coming to a theater near you! The round, marshmallow-like friendly trolls will be transformed into an animated feature courtesy of Rebecca Sugar, the creator of Steven Universe, and Annapurna, the studio behind Nimona, Booksmart, and Sorry to Bother You, among other excellent films.
If you have not yet encountered the Moomins, I am both very sad for you (as you’ve been missing out) and very happy for you (better late than never). They look something like a cross between a hippo and a marshmallow; they are perfect, wonderful, sometimes very sweet and sometimes very strange, depending on which bit of Jansson’s work you’re reading. They exist in novels, picture books, comic strips, and uncountable merchandised forms.
There is a primary family of Moominmama, Moominpapa, and Moomintroll; there is also Little My, a delightfully peculiar and chaotic girl who lives with the Moomins. Other characters, all charmingly named, include the Snork Maiden, Snufkin, the Mymble, and Sniff. All of these characters have adventures, arguments, encounters, and so on, and they are all perfect. For example, the synopsis of Comet in Moominland, the first Moomins novel, is simply this: “When Moomintroll learns that a comet will be passing by, he and his friend Sniff travel to a mountain observatory to consult the Professors. Along the way, they have many adventures, but the greatest adventure of all awaits them when they learn that the comet is headed straight for their home in Moominvalley.”
As Variety points out, the Moomins are quite popular: “The Moomins books, on which the film is based, have been published in more than 60 languages, with TV adaptations in 120 countries. A ‘Moomin’ comic strip drawn by Jansson was syndicated in 40 countries.” There are multiple Moomin theme parks in Finland and Japan.
One certainly wonders whether Sugar will be adapting a specific Moomin book, or combining a number of adventures. Perhaps we could have more than one Moomin film? If we’re very good?
