Hi everyone

The Moomin characters are topical this year because of the 100th anniversary of their creator Tove Jansson.
She is quite widely known for these characters while she also made a career as a visual artist, illustrator and author. She wrote in Swedish, her own language, but she was Finnish, the most translated Finnish writer ever.

This animated feature film is based on her original strip cartoon from the year 1957 and the style looks a bit different from the well known Japanese animation series.

So nice to have Nat as Moominpappa! Although I`m not able to hear that myself without a DVD.
This reminds me of the still lacking DVD of the Alfie Atkins series which I keep waiting for since the autumn 2012, apparently in vain.

Wish you all a nice and sunny autumn!
Marja

Hejsan, Marja!

This news about a new animated film is exciting, not least for getting to know a new Muminpappa. For me Nils Brandt is forever Muminpappa since the TV-series 1969. And of course Lasse Pöysti as Mumin himself. Here he sings the Mumin song for Tove Jansson


We were glued to the TV-set every night the series was on. Fortunately the first series is available for viewers in Sweden on www.svt.se open archives. The topics covered are still relevant these days, especially as they often go along the discussions in preparation for the upcoming elections here. I've really enjoyed watching some episodes.

I really hope we get to see this new movie and I'm also waiting for the English Alfie Atkins DVD. I've already seen the Norwegian and Swedish versions.
Have a relaxed Sunday in Mumin style!

Nenne

Tack så mycket Nenne!

This is really something, makes me smile! Spent all evening with these clips - thank you for your wishes!
I didn`t know anything about this fascinating acted version of Moomins - about Nils Brandt as Pappan, Birgitta Ulfsson as Mamman, Lasse Pöysti as Mumintrollet and Elina Salo as Lilla My. Even this song wasn`t familiar to me.

Thanks to my grandchildren I`ve seen lots of episodes of the Finnish speaking Japanese animation, where Elina Salo still speaks Little My.
I`ll probably not go and see this Riviera-film in a theater, I`ll wait for the English version with Nat.

Thanks to my grandchildren I`ve also seen Alfie Atkins in our TV with Finnish narration. I like Alfie = Alfons Åberg = Mikko Mallikas, it`s clear and simple style. I did also read many of those books to my children years ago - and they liked them , too.

And now back into those clips given by you, still have plenty of them saved!

Although it doesn`t make any difference I can tell that I`ve now watched all the episodes, most of them more than twice, and enjoyed them enormously - I still seem to be childish enough.

I may have missed some finer points but the Moomin philosophy became altogether pretty clear.
The King recovered from his hay fever and learned how to roar like a lion after having visited Moomins for some days. ( Never thought the heads and noses were filled with hay! )

The 13th and last episode "The Dress Rehearsal" was just lovely. The funniest scenes were perhaps in the 4th and 5th episodes where Moomins visited the King : the fate of the Kingdom`s Apple, the gift of Moomins to the King, the dinner and the dancing exercise.
I didn`t quite understand, from the moral point of view, how they could steal the jewels from the crown and replace them with trouser buttons!

I liked Gösta Ekman playing the King.
Lasse Pöysti is one of our most beloved and appreciated actors.

Once again I thank you for these clips. While some episodes were missing I managed to find them from Youtube.

The opening weekend of Moomins on the Riviera here in Finland was a great success.
It pulled in by far the largest attendance of the premiere films, nearly 30000 spectators.
Well, the Moomins are very popular here.

Our main newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, published this news yesterday:
Moomins on the Riviera will be premiered in the US in March. It`s been chosen to take part in the New York International Children`s Film Festival.
I wonder - it must be this English version, or might they make another with the American accent?