Exclusive Clip: MOOMINS ON THE RIVIERA Introduces A Delightful Family To France

What exquisite timing! And what a delightful clip!

Moomins on the Riviera will enjoy its US premiere at the New York International Children's Film Festival in New York on Saturday, March 14. That will be "60 years after [Tove] Jansson's original comic strip class was first published in London's The Evening News," according to an official statement.

Our exclusive clip introduces the Moomins as they arrive on the French Riviera, in search of adventure. But first they must land their small craft on the beach.

I confess that I'm not familiar with the comic strip, though the clip and this extended official description certainly piques my interest.

Inspired by her own visit to the Riviera with her mother, Jansson created Moomins on the Riviera, a charming tale which addresses universal aspects of life such as finding joy in small things, the value of cross-cultural understanding and the power of optimism. This new hand-drawn animation feature is the first time there has been an audio visual adaptation of Jansson's original comic strip.

The Moomins, Snorkmaiden and Little My, in search of adventures of their own, set sail for the glamorous Riviera. They arrive after a journey fraught with menacing storms and desert island dangers, Moominpappa (Nathaniel Parker) befriends an aristocrat and adapts a new name 'de Moomin', Snorkmaiden (Stephanie Winiecki) is dazzled by the attentions of a playboy, and Moomin (Russell Tovey) is torn between the simple life he feels comfortable with, and the luxurious movie star lifestyle that his beloved Snorkmaiden yearns to have. An exasperated Moominmamma (Tracy Ann Oberman) retires to the relative calm of their trusty old boat to wait for her family to come to their senses. For the very first time, the unity of the Moomins is threatened.

Each of Tove Jansson's original vignettes have been made with great artistic skill. Jansson's careful drawings have inspired the composition and the rhythm of the Moomins on the Riviera film. In homage to Jansson's pencil drawings, the film uses a traditional hand-drawn animation technique, which saw 120.000 paper drawings scanned for the film. A dominant color has been broken down into a monochrome palette. In addition to the actors playing the characters in the film, the audio universe of Moomins on the Riviera includes composed music and a mixture of realistic and abstract sound effects in the style of Jacques Tati.

Moomins on the Riviera is a Finnish-French co-production, produced by Hanna Hemila at Handle Productions, and Xavier Picard at Pictak. Director Xavier Picard says, "My ambition is to entend the work of Tove Jansson without betraying it, all the while keeping in mind her thought: "Live in peace, plant potatoes and dream."