REVIEW: Comets Aren't The Only Things Attracted To Moominvalley

Title: Moomins and the Comet Chase

Directors: Maria Lindberg

Running Time: 75 minutes

Major Actors: Alexander Skarsgard, Helena Mattsson, Peter Starmore

Comets Aren’t the Only Things Attracted to Moominvalley

          Coupling the familiar comic characters of the Moomins world with newer 3D technology, Maria Lindberg’s film, Moomins and the Comet Chase, provides a blend of past and future, hope and despair, humor and confusion.

          While a background in the history of the Moomins saga would be helpful for a deeper understanding of the characters’ identities and how they interact with one another in the story, Lindberg provides just enough exposition to get new fans through the film without too many unanswered questions, although they may miss some references or jokes pertaining to previous Moomins history.

          The major success of Moomins and the Comet Chase can be found in its integration of 3D in the explanation of the workings of space. Here, 3D technology is not just used as a novelty, but as an enhancing feature in the explanation of a major point in the plot of the film, how the world beyond our own Earth can be affected by powers out of our control. With the use of 3D technology, the characters can each show an accurate representation of rotation and revolution of the planets in our solar system as well as the orbit of all other astral bodies with only a teapot, a few rolls of bread, and a healthy imagination. The depth in the field of vision that 3D provides for children grants ease and accessibility in comprehending the scientific basis of the film while later allowing them to recall the images in more detail and with more understanding.

            3D also worked for the film by granting a higher degree of realism to the characters, like if you could just reach your hands out far enough you would feel the texture of the plush puppet creatures dancing before you on the screen. The set was even constructed with a number of stacked, painted layers, instead of being digitally fabricated, in order to round out the feel of the Moomins world and maintain a level of continuity between the characters and their surroundings.

            Even though the world is uniquely handcrafted and a sight to behold in 3D, the design alone does not distract from the meandering subplots that occupy the focus of a majority of the film.

              Moomintroll (Alexander Skarsgard) the main character of the film, is on a journey to seek out the advice of the astronomers who live in the observatory at the top of the mountain after he wakes one morning to find a layer of ash covering the entire valley and his neighbor, Mr. Muskrat, tells him a comet on a set course to collide with Earth will destroy all life.

            A heavy and dark topic for any child to confront, some parents may find it a relief that the story sidetracks to focus on a series of rendezvous with a number of characters Moomintroll meets along the way, but it is at this point in the film that Lindberg loses the edge that made Moomins and the Comet Chase a provocative reflection on the event of a natural apocalypse. Instead, quite aberrant of the style of the film up to this point, the story diverts its message to the themes of greed, vanity, irresponsibility, and consequences as Moomintroll concentrates his attention on the presence of the lovely, yet vain, Snork maiden (Helena Mattsson) and the impending comet collision is completely forgotten.

            As a children’s film, Moomins and the Comet Chase avoids the most depressing aspects of a comet collision and the implications it addresses. The lightheartedness with which is does so is surprisingly direct and refreshing. Thoughts such as, “If you are going to be struck by a comet, the nicer thing would be to be at home,” and, “Everyone is running from the comet, even the Hattifatteners. Comets must be very lonely,” spread through the film and charm the audience to the attitudes and lifestyles of the Moomins living in Moominvalley.

            The Moomins are so charming that even the shopkeeper they meet bends her rules to let them enjoy treasures from her shop, though the practices she follows teach questionable mathematics to children who may mistake her dry talk for serious logic.

            Moomins and the Comet Chase is an old tale that, revived and reanimated today, still finds relevance and importance in a culture that is increasingly more informed about space and our small plot of real estate in the universe. While indulgent in clinging to the same narrative frame of the Moomin books, the film is magical and endearing in the way it captures the hearts of its audiences and emphasizes the need to focus on the important things in life, such as home, family and love when faced with troubles that seem out of this world.