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Moomin Adaptations

A post to appreciate the older, less known, or underappreciated Moomin series. Bolded titles contain links to playlists with the complete series, unless stated otherwise.

Die Muminfamilie (1959) A German black and white puppet show. The first season was based on Finn Family Moomintroll (which was originally aired live), and the second on Moominsummer Madness. It was the first time Moomins were adapted for television. All 12 episodes are available. (Note: While the episodes have not been translated in their entirety, a subtitled version of the first episode is available to download here.)

Mumintrollet (1969) The first television series to have human actors in the roles of the characters. It was used an original story written by Tove and Lars Jansson, and was directed by Vivica Bandler. The series is best known for how the actors portraying the Moomins would remove the heads of their costumes. Some actors who had previously worked with Tove Jansson on her Moomin stage plays appeared in this show. All 13 episodes are available.

Mumin (1969) The first anime adaptation of the Moomins. It is known for being disliked by Tove Jansson for reasons including changes to character personalities and violence. However, it was well loved and helped make the Moomins popular in Japan.  (Note: it does not seem possible to find every episode online, but the linked playlist has the most complete list I could find.)

Shin Mumin (1972) A sequel series to the 1969 anime. It was aimed at a younger audience, fewer episodes are based on original stories and they usually involve fantasy themes. All 52 episodes are available.

Mumindalen (1973) A second show performed by live actors, also written by Tove and Lars Jansson. It was originally aired as an advent calendar program. Includes episodes based on Moominland Midwinter, Finn Family Moomintroll, and Tales of Moominvalley. All 24 episodes are available.

Opowiadania Muminków (1977) A Polish/German stop motion series often referred to as “fuzzy felt Moomins”. It is generally considered the most faithful adaptation of the original stories and was liked by Tove Jansson, who approved each script before production of the episodes. Some Polish episodes are available. The complete FilmFair English version is also available, along with the movies Moomin and Midsummer Madness, Comet Chase, and Winter Wonderland, which are edited compilations by Filmkompaniet. (Note: The FilmFair version is a 1980 UK series narrated by Richard Murdoch, using heavily edited footage which split the original animation from 78 episodes into 100 shorter episodes. The movies are a recent restoration by Filmkompaniet, who have also created a new TV series with the original footage, and include a new soundtrack, narration, and voice acting.)

Mumi-troll (1978) A three part stop motion Russian animation. It is mainly based on Comet in Moominland, but also borrows from Finn Family Moomintroll in the first part. (Note: A fan sub of the second and third parts is available.)

Filifjonkan som trodde på katastrofer (1978) A Swedish television film based on the short story of the same name. It features May Pihlgren in the titular role, as well as sets partially designed by Tove Jansson.

Shlyapa Volshebnika (1980) A three part Russian animation based on Finn Family Moomintroll. Mainly uses cutout style animation, but also mixes in other styles including stop motion. It is most famous for its unusual character designs, such as the portrayal of Snufkin as a duck-like child.

Vem ska trösta Knyttet? (1980) A musical adaptation of the picture book “Who Will Comfort Toffle?”, with a soundtrack performed by Peter Lundblad and Torbjörn Eklund. It closely follows the art style in which the book was drawn. 

Hur gick det sen? (1993) An adaptation of “The Book about Moomin, Mymble and Little My”, also following the style of the original story. Both the original Swedish version, which was narrated by Tove Jansson, and a Finnish dub are available.

From the Life of Little Trolls (2008) An Armenian short film based on The Last Dragon on Earth. It was directed and animated by award-winning artist Naira Muradyan.    

Moomins on the Riviera (2014) A movie based on the stories and style of Tove Jansson’s Moomin comic strips. Supposedly caused some controversy for containing themes such as smoking and drinking, which were mostly not present in the 90s anime, and were seen by some as too “adult” for children’s movies. The linked version contains an English dub. 

Missing from this list:

Mumindalen (1990) A Swedish series which used the character and Moominhouse models built by Tove Jansson and Tuulikki Pietilä. It was narrated by Margit Lindeman, who provided the original Swedish voice of Moominmamma in Tanoshii Moomin Ikka. (Note: You can watch the intro online, but it seems legal issues prevent copies of the episodes from being released.)  

Also seeking: higher quality version of Little Trolls and any information you may have to share on it, more Polish/German episodes of the fuzzy felt series, replacement for lost subtitles of Moomin and the others/Shlyapa volshebnika.

Last updated: March 20/19 - Replaced a few links with better sources. Mourned the loss of subs for Russian Mooms. Was very delighted to find the Fillyjonk movie up in full, but was forced to hastily update some images. Added more detailed description for the missing show. 

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