Moomin Characters, the parent company of global phenomenon the Moomins, and Annapurna today announced they are bringing Tove Jansson’s creatures to life in a new animated feature film — the first Moomin film produced in the United States. The film will be written and directed by Rebecca Sugar, the creator of the Cartoon Network series Steven Universe. Industry veteran Julia Pistor, who was behind several celebrated animated features including The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, The Rugrats films and the more recent The Magician’s Elephant, will produce.
Created by Finnish artist, illustrator and writer Jansson during WWII, the Moomins are gentle, rotund trolls who live in Moominvalley, a magical place where adventures are always waiting around the corner and the values of friendship, bravery and respect are ever-present. The Moomins novels, on which the film is based, have been published in more than 60 different languages, with television adaptations in 120 countries, and a Moomin comic strip drawn by Jansson was syndicated in 40 countries. In recent months, they’ve received renewed attention in the U.S., with a feature in The New Yorker on the “joys of Moomscrolling” and an exhibition at the Brooklyn Public Library.
“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.
“We’re honored to bring Tove Jansson’s timeless vision to the big screen” said Robert Baird and Andrew Millstein, co-presidents of Annapurna Animation. “Along with Rebecca and Julia, we can’t wait to introduce these beloved characters — and the humor, heart, and subversive spirit Tove brought to her work — to new audiences.”
Additional details about the new feature film project are yet to be announced.
Rebecca Sugar is represented by UTA and Fourth Wall.
