Moominvalley

Having seen the first half of the first season, I am really happy about this. I feel the totality of what I've seen is good - animation, storytelling, visuals, dialogue. It respects the work of Tove Jansson and hits the nostalgic buttons by not being too different from the japanese series, but still it is not a copy but its own version of the stories. I feel this is great for kids, and most of the episodes are great to watch as an adult too. This will never be the same as the original series, but I think expecting that wouldn't be reasonable.

I grew up with the 1990 version and i rewatched it recently for old time's sake. It still hit me with the feels and I will love it till the day I die. This one didn't really do that for me.. I mean it's pretty to look at but why turn Moomin and Snorkmaiden into angsty teenagers, Snufkin to an irritable and arrogant sociopath and Little My seemed overly pushy.. The only one who behaved somewhat consistantly was Sniff. The humor is too dry and simple. I don't really know what they were trying to accomplish with this production. Seems cheap to me.

To be honest, I kinda like this. The story is interesting in my opinion and Little My gets much more screen time than in the Tanoshî Mûmin ikka. Still there's something that's irritating. Like the good moomin adaptations from Japan are anime, this one is 3D-animated. Anime gives the series much more life, because the original moomin were illustrations. Honestly anime makes it much more better, but this is plot wisely good. The good idea would have been this: same plot and anime. They sadly didn't do this and... I don't hate it or love it.

This version really depicted the Moomin Books and cartoon series very well with respect on Tove Jansson. Characters is well crafted, like it jumps out from the books. This made it for the kids and they are really enjoy it. And also adult like me.

I'm an avid fan of moomins, by which I mean I have been raised on it, from its bizarre and oddly sardonic humour to it's cute charming characters. I even have a moomin tattoo. I know it pretty well and I think that this series captures the mood of the books better than any others. Its sweet and wholesome, anarchistic and at times even strangely melancholy. It has something very rarely found in a show aimed a children and that is emotional honesty.

My nieces (3 and 5) love this show. Like me they have been raised with the characters. The more mature themes that sometimes show up allow a dialogue to open between me and them about things that would be hard to broach under normal circumstances, especially when it comes to the 'Invisible child' episode. My 60 year old mother also adores it, enjoying the dynamic between Mama and Papa Moomin.

The voice cast is excellent. The only one I'm not sure fits is Snorkmaiden. Jennifer Saunders as Mymble is excellent, as does Taron Egerton as Moomin. I was sceptical about the CGI visuals when the show was announced but I loved them after the trailer and screenshots were released. It has a cosy sort of aesthetic to it. The soundtrack is pretty good although sometimes I feel that the fit wasn't quite right for the mood of the show.

The writing and visual gags are pretty good overall. It's simple and easy for small children to follow but still entertaining and keeps a decent pace. The adventure sequences are fun to watch.