Moomin (1969 TV series) — BrandWiki

Moomin (1969 TV series)

type	TV series
director	Masaaki Osumi (Eps 1-26) Noboru Ishiguro, Satoshi Dezaki, Ryosuke Takahashi, Rintaro (Eps 27–65)
writer	Tadaaki Yamazaki et al.
music	Composer: Seiichirō Uno songwriter: Hisashi Inoue Singer: Toshiko Fujita (opening/closing song: "Nē! Mūmin" (Hi, Moomin!))
studio	Zuiyo Enterprise Tokyo Movie (Eps 1–26) Mushi Productions (Eps 27–65)
network	Fuji TV
first	October 5, 1969
last	December 27, 1970
episodes	65

Moomin (ムーミン) is a Japanese anime television series produced by Zuiyo Enterprise and animated by Tokyo Movie until episode 26 and by Mushi Production after episode 27. The series is loosely based on the Moomin books by the Finnish author Tove Jansson[1] and was broadcast on Fuji Television from 1969 to 1970. A sequel series entitled Shin Muumin (lit. 'New Moomin') was later released in 1972. Jansson never approved of the series or its successor, due to their dramatic changes with the plots, overall atmosphere, and character personalities.[2][3]

Because of this, the series saw only limited release outside Japan, in Taiwan and some others like United Kingdom. Also, the series has never been released in principle since 1990 including in Japan, when a new anime television series Moomin was released with the full involvement of Jansson herself.

The anime series is also the second entry, and the first in color, in what is now known as

Production

In the 1960s, sports dramas and slapstick comedies were the mainstream of Japanese TV animation at that time. Therefore, Calpis Co., Ltd., the sponsor of the animated program in Fuji TV, wanted to offer a family-oriented animation that was distinctly different from those fields. At that time, "Moomin," which had just been imported from abroad as children's literature, caught their attention. And so the project was launched.[4][5]

A short time later, the proposal was sent to Tove Jansson. Jansson's response was positive, so Shigeto Takahashi, a producer at Zuiyo Enterprise who was in charge of the project, decided to meet directly with Jansson to proceed with negotiations.[4] Jansson suggested the following conditions for the production of the animation.[4]

No money, no machines, and no television.

Development and pre-production

Tokyo Movie, now TMS Entertainment, was chosen to produce the animation.

Masaaki Osumi, who came from a puppet theater company, was chosen to be the director. Osumi, who was familiar with Moomin, initially thought the content was too static to be suitable for animation, but accepted the position.

The company hired Yasuo Otsuka as the animation director. He was considered to be one of Japan's foremost animators, and was an important mentor to Hayao Miyazaki. He considered the cuteness of movement and the roundness of his drawings to be important, and never used straight lines to draw characters such as the Moomins.

The initial meetings were confusing. Takahashi, who respected Jansson's opinions and aimed for a plot that was faithful to the original work, was at odds with the advertising agency, which aimed for a plot that did not respect Jansson's original work on the grounds that "the style as it is will not be popular in Japan."[4] Osumi was invited by the advertising agency to a planning meeting, where he was surprised and frustrated by their inability to understand the spirit of the source material due to comments which included the suggestion of running a bullet train

Reception

Critical response

Tove Jansson had difficulty viewing all of the episodes due to historical issues. So, having watched only the episode 7, which had just been completed at the time, she explained the following.

"First of all, the starting point is wrong. That is, the Moomin Valley and the Moomin way of thinking are all expressed differently. The Moomin family members do not live in today's modern society. They live in a society that is benign and kind. Of course, incidents do occur. The Moomin family likes incidents. However, they never argue. It is unthinkable for Moominpappa to slap his son on the buttocks, and no one in this world slaps anyone on the buttocks. If they do get angry, for example, they will only hit each other's heads with umbrellas and never use force of arms.

Overall, the feeling of the Moomin Valley has been lost. It seems to me that the only way to save this mistake is for everyone involved in this work to read the Moomin books well, to become integrated into the Moomin world, and to feel and understand that feeling."

Jansson also included the following other requests in her letter.[6]

However, Jansson did not dismiss all of the work, praising the colors used in the background as "The effects of colors such as water and sky are well done. Also, she stated in 1971, "At first, they told that I was angry that the Japanese Moomins were different, and in a way this is true. I have not yet had a good look at them in Japan, As far as the films sent to me, the Japanese Moomins are aggressive. besides, the Japanese Moomins have problems with cars and money, but my Moomin Valley has no such problems. but, I began to think it would be nice to have a Moomin with a Japanese flavor.".[7]

In 2008, Masaaki Osumi said to one of Jansson's reviews by stating.

"My biggest regret is that I should have had a knee-to-knee talk with Tove Jansson, although there is nothing I can do about it now. If I had talked to her properly, we would have understood each other.

As you can see from the actual work, it is based on the 'no money, no car, no fight' philosophy of the original Moomin story. Certainly cars make an appearance, but they get flat tires as soon as they come out. Other times, various civilizations are tried to be brought into the Moomin Valley, but all fail. That is a consistent theme. We used a rudimentary approach to drama: the car is there as a visual, but the reason for it is to denigrate the car society.

I had faith that Mr. Jansson would understand the theme."

Producer Shigeto Takahashi gave the series a low rating, saying he was disappointed that it could not faithfully reproduce the original worldview by Tove Jansson, but praised Kisida and the rest of the cast for their excellent performances. Incidentally, Kisida's performance in this series was so well received that she continued to play the Moomins in the Japanese dubbed version of the stop-motion Moomin TV series produced in Poland in 1977.

Automobiles should not be used.
I think the interior of the house where Moomin lives should also be changed. The rooms are too large and too empty. So, at first glance, it looks like an office.
Moominmamma always carries a handbag.
Moominpappa usually carries a walking stick.
Non-non wears a ring on her left ankle. She also does not wear a ribbon on her head. Her hair should not be too thick.
One thing to note in particular is that the Moomin family does not have mouths. I understand that in the case of animation, a mouth is necessary, but please think about and use as small a mouth as possible to indicate who is speaking now.

Cast and characters

The description will focus on elements that differ from Jansson's original narrative.

Main characters

Moomin (ムーミン)

In the original work, he is named "Moomintroll".
In the Tokyo Movie season, his body is gray and ears are round and fat, giving him a hippopotamus-like appearance. In the Mushi Production season, he is closer to Jansson's design with a slimmer light blue body and slightly pointed ears. Although his age is not revealed in the work, he was defined as a boy who is about 10 years old in documents of the time thus resembling the main target audience of the animated series.
In general, he has a gentle personality and can get along with anyone. He is not good at lying or deceiving people. The Tokyo Movie season emphasizes his laid-back nature.

Moominpappa (ムーミンパパ)
His body is gray, almost black. He always wears a silk hat and often blows a pipe or carries a walking stick.
In comparison with the original work, he is a kinder father who rarely goes on wandering trips and lives in good company with Moomin and Moominmamma.
He also narrates the next episode's preview, which ends with the mysterious words "Oom-Pah-Pah (ウンパッパ)".
Moominmamma (ムーミンママ)
Her body color is the same as Moominpappa's, and like the in the original work, she wears a red and white striped apron.
She values her handbag so much that if she loses it, she gets so upset that she can't do her chores. She is not as generous as in the original story, but she is a kind, good wife and wise mother who supports her family.
She had won a beauty contest held in the Moomin Valley, which is how she met Moominpappa.
Non-Non (ノンノン)
In the original books, she is named "Snork Maiden".
Her body is light green. She has primiered in episode 6 first time. She has pink hair and wears a golden anklet on her left leg, and in the Tokyo Movie season, she wears a yellow bow tie.
She is Moomin's friend. She is usually withdrawn but has a firm character and is willing to say what is important. She respects her brother Snoke who she lives with but is often taken aback by his selfishness. Snoke himself is devoted to his sister and considers her very important.
Her name in the series was derived from the director Osumi's wife's nickname, "Non-chan (ノンちゃん)". During the production of the pilot film, some it was suggested that children who saw the program would have a hard time referring to her if she did not have her own name, so a name was hastily chosen. However, Jansson said the name "reminds me of the word 'NO' and has a negative ring to it," and so did not like the name.[9]
Snoke (スノーク)
In the original, he is named "Snork".
His body is green, almost gray. He always wears a golden wig, because an illustration of Snoke wearing a wig in "Finn Family Moomintroll" was used as a reference for his character design. He has also premiered in episode 6 first time.
At first, he brags to those around him about his educational background and the prestigious Snork family and looks down on the inhabitants of Moominvalley. He also tries to bring cars, money, trains, and other conveniences (elements that Jansson did not want in the Moomin Valley) to the Moomin Valley, but he fails at every attempt. Later, this aspect of his personality gradually faded into the background, but his pride remained and was emphasized. Later in the series, he became a funny and lovable comedy relief character who, while retaining his troublemaker side, spoke more politely than necessary, but also had a goofy side.
He is considered the character with the most differences between the original and the animation. This is largely due to the ad-libbing of Hirokawa, who provided his voice. He appears more often than in the original work.[8] Hirokawa later said, "When I played Snoke, it was a time when I wanted to show what I had. As I tried to expand his personality by changing the endings of words, etc., this was gradually reflected in the script. Later, as I received more requests to perform in this style in other films, I was able to make this my signature. Played Snoke was a turning point in my career.".[10]
Sniff (スニフ)
In the early series, Sniff's character was inconsistent. One time appearing as a friend of the Moomins and another time leading a demonstration to remove Snufkin, who was suspected of arson, from the Moomin Valley.
Eventually, halfway through the series, he settled on a good-natured but timid personality, and is portrayed as a friend of Moomin's.
Little My (ミイ)
She is the Mymble's younger sister. Her dress is yellow and she wears a red bow tie. Initially, she appears similar to the original but gradually her design changed, becoming a girl of about 10 years old with a slightly higher isometric height.
While retaining the cheeky side of the original, the aggressive or cynical aspects of the character were replaced by the image of a headstrong, mischievous girl as was often seen in Japanese anime of the time. Later in the series, a slight Tsundere personality was added, and there were times when she seemed to be in love with Moomin.
Mymble (ミムラ姉さん)
Little My's older sister. She has green hair and pure white skin. Her clothes are a white dress and black shoes. She has premiered first time in episode 3.
Although not as sensitive as the original, she is sensitive to fashion and makeup and looks in the mirror several times a day. She has a bad drinking habit and can't stop laughing when she gets drunk.
Snufkin (スナフキン)
A traveler who came to the Moomin Valley in episode 4. His an old shirt is yellow and he wears a red silk tie. Since then, he has been living in a tent by the river in the Moomin Valley. During the winter, he travels to the south.
In the beginning, he was more like Moomin's older brother with a bit of mischievousness, but in the middle of the show, his character became quieter and more mature, in line with Nishimoto's voice acting. He has a unique philosophy. He loves solitude and freedom. Moomin is fascinated by him, and he sometimes casually teaches Moomin "Philosophy for Living". He is portrayed as a cultured individual, such as when he quotes a passage from Paul Verlaine's poem "Chanson d'automne".
Unlike Jansson's original, his favorite instrument is the guitar, not the harmonica. He often plays a song called "Songs of Lonely Mountain (おさびし山のうた)" written by Hisashi Inoue, composed and arranged by Seiichiro Uno for the series.
His guitar was the idea of Osumi who thought a guitar suited Snufkin better than a harmonica given Snufkin's image as "Lonely Man Who Came Down the Mountain."

Supporting characters

Hemulen (ヘムレンさん)
An old man living alone on the outskirts of the Moomin Valley.
His body is gray and tall, and he wears a blue skirt-like dress.
He knows a lot about plants, animals, old stories, and collects stamps as a hobby. In the second half of the series, he studies birds and plants.
In the original story, he is an eccentric old man who is only interested in his own research and hobbies. In the animation, he is transformed into a kind old man who seems to have a certain status as an elder, participating in important meetings in the Moomin Valley.
The Muskrat (じゃこうねずみ)
He is the longest resident of the Moomin Valley. He is a philosopher and is always thinking about waste in the world.
He lives in a hammock in a tree on the edge of the Moomin Valley and has many philosophy books. He often says "Nonsense, it's useless!" and gets into arguments with the inhabitants of the Moomin Valley because of his habit of repeating this phrase without paying attention to the atmosphere around him.
Hemul (ヘムル署長)
He is the only policeman in the police station in the Moomin Valley. Whenever an incident occurs in the Moomin Valley, he rushes to the scene.
An original character in the anime, he is based on the appearance of an officer who was the police chief's subordinate in the original comic.

Change of production company

When the broadcast began, Tokyo Movie and Zuiyo Enterprise asked Jansson to watch episode 7. This was to get her endorsement, however, she gave the episode a low rating and submitted a letter to the staff with a series of complaints and requests.[4] Tokyo Movie ended production after episode 26 and exited the project because of this letter from Jansson.

But this reason was ostensible. The Moomin project was initially intended to be a low-budget production, but the animators and staff on site insisted on producing high-quality work, and as a result, the budget was far exceeded, and negotiations with the advertising agency for an increase in the budget were not agreed upon. Also, Due to its popularity with viewers, the number of broadcasts was suddenly increased from the planned number, but Tokyo Movie could not cope with this. For this reason, Tokyo Movie's upper management wanted to withdraw from the project and used Jansson's claims as an excuse to Zuiyo Enterprise, the sponsors, and the Fuji TV, who were willing to continue the program.[4][5]

With the departure of Tokyo Movie from the project, Osumi and other key staff and animators were also dropped from the production. The animators on site were summoned by the president and informed of the sudden termination. They were disappointed, but also relieved. Yutaka Fujioka, who was in charge of the site and wanted the project to continue, was on a business trip that day and was angry when he heard the news of the termination the next day. However, the CEO had already made that decision, and it was too late. They were soon transferred to the Lupin the 3rd Part I: The Classic Adventures project.

Mushi Production became the animation production company from episode 27.

Episode 27 was greatly innovated and changed in response to Jansson's request, with the character design being adapted to drawings by Jansson and the plot of the story being changed as well. Unfortunately, however, after the program ended, the TV station was inundated with many complaints. The children wrote such comments as, "The characters' faces suddenly changed and became scary," and "Why did the atmosphere of the story change and it became boring? ". Also, The sponsor, Calpis, which had been satisfied with Tokyo Movie, expressed its dissatisfaction.

This evaluation led to a meeting with Jansson, and as a result, a few elements, such as character design, were returned to a status similar to Tokyo Movie, provided that it would be broadcast only in Japan.

The program was ended after well over 60 episodes.

Moomin (1969 TV series)

Summary

Production

Development and pre-production

Reception

Critical response

Cast and characters

Main characters

Supporting characters

Episodes

Home media

External links

References

Change of production company