
A new Moomins movie is on the way.
Those loveable Finnish trolls are coming to the American movies! Writer and artist Tove Jansson created the Moomins in the 1940s and the characters have since become a global phenomenon, appearing in books, comics, TV series, movies, and theme parks in Finland and Japan. Now, as Variety reports, Rebecca Sugar—of Steven Universe fame—will be bringing the first American adaptation of Jansson’s world to life.
For the uninitiated, the Moomins are cutesy, hippo-like trolls that get into fairy tale adventures. Or to use Variety’s description, which sounds like a line of testimony delivered in front of a Senate subcommittee: the Moomins are “gentle, rotund trolls who live in Moominvalley, a magical place where adventures are always waiting around the corner and the values of friendship, bravery and respect are ever-present.”
Jansson’s book series has the Moomins navigating natural disasters, allegories for WWII’s violent disruptions, or more contemplatively adjusting to life on a deserted island. The stories have a subtle strangeness and wit that I remember finding fascinating as a kid, and I’m sure I’d still find interesting now that I’m older.
So much to say, Sugar and the Moomins is a smart pairing. Jansson wrote gentle and offbeat kids stories, but with enough depth and stakes to hold an adult reader’s attention. Sugar’s Steven Universe seems to have the same appeal, as a kids’ show with enough there for grown-ups to get into.
It’s going to be a while before this new movie hits the screens. But if you’re looking for a Tove Jansson cinema fix, the new adaptation of The Summer Book is really touching, and captures a lot of what makes the novel so wonderful.
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James Folta
James Folta is a writer and the managing editor of Points in Case. He co-writes the weekly Newsletter of Humorous Writing. More at www.jamesfolta.com or at jfolta[at]lithub[dot]com.