Moominvalley (TV series)

Did You Know?

• The series' crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo ran from 8 March to 21 April 2017.
• Animation company Anima Vitae was the lead animation company for the first two seasons.
• The protagonist Moomintroll is curious, kind, sensitive, and idealistic.

Music

The original music score is composed by Pekka Kuusisto and Samuli Kosminen, with Jarmo Saari joining in season 2; Virpi Immonen is music supervisor. Kuusisto's father, Ilkka Kuusisto, previously composed a Moomin opera with Tove Jansson in 1974. Episodic songs are produced with Columbia Records and Sony Music Entertainment. The official soundtrack, released 19 April 2019, includes 16 recordings by artists such as Tom Odell, First Aid Kit, Alma, dodie, Delilah Montagu, Declan McKenna, MØ, and SOAK. A limited edition 12" picture disc on clear vinyl in four colourways was also released that day. Season 2 features nine original songs from artists including Cavetown, girl in red, Jesse Markin, and jens; its soundtrack album, in collaboration with Sony Music Finland, was released globally on streaming platforms on 10 April 2020.

Episodes

The first two episodes of season two were screened at Finnkino cinemas in Finland on 2 February 2020, a month before their television premiere on Yle TV2 and Yle Areena on 2 March 2020. In early 2023, Gutsy Animations announced that Sky and Yle had recommissioned the series for a fourth season, with Viaplay Group as co-producer. Season 4 consists of 12 22-minute episodes and a 45-minute series finale.

International broadcast

Moominvalley has been sold to more than 60 countries. It first aired on Yle TV2 in Finland on 25 February 2019, and a day later in Swedish on Yle Teema & Fem. In the United Kingdom, it began on Sky One, Sky Kids and NOW TV on 19 April 2019; the first eight episodes aired overnight between 2:00 and 6:00 am and were repeated in pairs over the Easter weekend. Episodes 9–11 aired on 27 April and 12–13 on 28 April. Season 2's first five episodes aired before Christmas 2019, with the remainder over Easter 2020. Japan's NHK premiered it on its BS4K channel on 4 April 2019. It launched on WildBrain's YouTube channel on 9 August 2019. In November 2020, a third season was recommissioned by Yle and Sky; its first eight episodes aired on Sky Showcase in pairs from Good Friday to Easter Monday 2022, with the remainder on subsequent Sundays. PGS Entertainment acquired distribution rights on 1 May 2019; Zodiak Kids & Family Distribution acquired them on 5 October 2023. In the UK, the series also airs on BBC Alba and S4C, dubbed in Scottish Gaelic and Welsh respectively.

Reception

The first episode was viewed by 600,000 viewers on its Finnish premiere and became the most watched television series episode of all time on Yle Areena, bringing total viewership in Finland to over two million. Moominvalley was the most watched TV series and the fourth most watched TV programme in Finland in 2019. It won Best Animated Kid's Programme at TBI's Content Innovation Awards in 2019, a Golden Venla for Best Children's Program in 2019, and Best Children's Series at the 2020 British Animation Awards. It was nominated for Best Animation and Best Storytelling at the 2019 Shanghai Television Festival, and in 2020 was a New York International Children's Film Festival nominee and nominated in the Banff Rockie Awards. It was shortlisted for the Broadcast Digital Awards in 2020 and selected for Encounters' Film Festival. It was nominated for an International Emmy Kids Award and for Best Children's Program in the Golden Venla Awards for a second consecutive year.