The 2025 New York International Children’s Film Festival (NYICFF) becomes the stage to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the world created by Swedish-speaking Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson. For decades her novels, short stories, picture books, and comic strips have been animated by hippopotamus-inspired creatures and their friends who invoke Norse mythology.
Moominvalley is the animated feature named after the very fictional place where the characters live, that is the epitome of pastoral aesthetics. This marks season 4 of the series directed by Nigel Davies, with a voice cast starring Rosamund Pike as Moominmamma. The film consists of three separate stories: Moominpappa the Great Explorer, Song of the Groke, Moominpappa and Aunt Jane. Throughout these three animated tales we get to rekindle with the patriarch Moominpappa, the matriarch Moominmamma, the little boy of the family Moomintroll, his friend Snork Maiden, the mischievous little girl Little My, the wise family friend Too-Ticky, Moominpappa’s friend the Joxter, and Moomintroll’s immature friend Sniff.
Space is given also to characters who have appeared less through the literary series such as The Groke, the ghost-like creature that freezes anything she touches; cranky Aunt Jane, who raised Moominpappa when he was an orphan; the small white creatures that resemble worn socks who can cause electrical burns called Hattifatteners. Although we do not see him, there is also a mention of the shaggy troll dwelling in the Moomin family’s bathing house cupboard and stove, that goes by the name of The Ancestor.
In Moominpappa the Great Explorer, father and son sail off to the frozen wilderness to rescue the Joxter. Meanwhile, Moominmamma and Little My try to put together a heater to warm the house, and after several vicissitudes the Hattifatteners save the day. In this episode, the theme of overcoming hurdles, whether they are in faraway lands or back at home, provides an encouraging take away message for the little ones.
In Song of The Groke, Snork Maiden and Little My head to the Lonely Mountains to confront the solitary bogey woman, who enticingly encourages visitors to embrace her, but freezes everyone with her touch. Be aware that she is not evil, because “there are no monsters in Moominvalley,” this is simply her nature. The troublesome situation in which Snork Maiden finds himself is an exemplary reminder that “sometimes the bravest thing you can do is admit when you need help.” The icing on the cake of this episode is how — in an era dominated by digital information with youngsters turning to ChatGTP and wikipedia for their school assignments — it’s refreshing to hear one of the Moomin characters remind us that “when you are unsure of something in life you will find the answer in a book.”
Moominpappa and Aunt Jane is all about family reunions, even when we aren’t inclined to them. In this third segment, Moominpappa receives a surprise visit from his grouchy Aunt Jane, just when he is about to have his book launch party. He has just completed his Memoirs, where he depicts her in an unflattering fashion. As aunt and nephew get to spend time together, he develops gratitude towards the way she welcomed him in her home and raised him when he lost his parents. The moral of the story is that although “family relations are complex,” everything works out when there is a tangible demonstration of love. In this final episode, a 2D animation cartoon is a thoughtful touch that homages the various adaptations of the Mumintrollen (the original name of the novel series).
Moomin fans will relish this new opportunity to experience the delightful world of light hearted joy, where there’s a lesson to learn and a rewarding happy ending awaiting, no matter how bleak things may look to begin with.
Final Grade: B