DVD Movie Review | Moomins on the Riviera (Lights, Camera, Action!)

Moomins On The Riviera (UK Rating: U)

Moomins on the Riviera, released this week on DVD, sees the Moomin family - Moominpapa, Moominmama, Moomin, and Snork Maiden - deciding to leave behind their blissfully carefree lives in Moominvalley and take off for a holiday on the French Riviera. It is a world away from their simple home, and their encounters with film stars, high society and, of course, the trappings of wealth, turn out to be something of a life lesson.

Jansson's comic strips and original drawings are used extensively throughout the film and that's what makes it truly special. There is simply nothing else like it around, either in cinemas or on DVD. It's not in 3D, nor is it digital - it is just beautifully hand drawn with glorious simplicity and delicacy.  Take the colour palettes, for instance. The Riviera itself is shown in shades of orange and yellow, while Moominvalley is greens and blues. It doesn't get simpler, or more effective, than that.

This is very much a family film, so how will children of today take to it? In all honesty, the quirky, low-key humour will probably go straight over their heads, appealing instead to the adults. However, they can't fail to be enchanted by the beautiful images, as well as the magical Moomins themselves. The move from big screen to small does the film no harm either: if anything, it strengthens the "simple pleasures" idea at its heart.

8/10

Great - Silver Award

Moomins on the Riviera will appeal directly to parents who remember the characters from their own childhood, a pleasure they can pass on to their own youngsters. The film's refreshing simplicity and delicate, almost naïve, style makes it stand out from the other animations on offer. That doesn't mean it's necessarily better, just delightfully different.