A beloved Scandinavian cultural icon is headed to the big screen, decades after charming fans around the world on television. The Moomins will star in their first American-produced movie from Annapurna Animation, with Steven Universe creator Rebecca Sugar set to write and direct.
Coming on the heels of the studio’s success with 2023’s Nimona, it also onboards Julia Pistor, whose previous animation credits include The SpongeBob SquarePants and The Rugrats films, as producer. The feature is expected to be based on the Moomins books, which have been published in more than 60 languages and adapted for the small screen in over 120 countries.
“We are thrilled to partner with the talented Rebecca Sugar as well as Annapurna for this milestone new film. We are excited to see how this accomplished team will reinterpret the beloved Moomin stories and for them to be discovered and rediscovered by old and new fans alike,” said Roleff Kråkström, CEO of Moomin Characters.
Robert Baird and Andrew Millstein, co-presidents of Annapurna Animation, shared in a statement: “We’re honoured to bring Tove Jansson’s timeless vision to the big screen. Along with Rebecca and Julia, we can’t wait to introduce these beloved characters — and the humour, heart, and subversive spirit Tove brought to her work — to new audiences.”
Created by Finnish artist and writer Tove Jansson during World War II, the Moomins are a family of soft, white, hippopotamus-like trolls who dwell in Moominvalley. Now an international sensation, they have previously been portrayed in traditional animation, stop-motion animation, and even a live-action TV series. Moominvalley, a Finnish-British co-production, is the most recent entry starring the voices of Taron Egerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service), Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl), and Matt Berry (The IT Crowd) across four seasons between 2019 and 2024.
The Moomins movie is currently in development, with no release date attached.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
A'bidah Zaid
