Comet in Moominland is an anime film by Telecable Benelux B.V.. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Finnish illustrator and writer Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish. It was the first full-length Moomin film. It was released in Japan first theatrically on August 8, 1992 as a triple-feature with two unrelated shorter films and later released on video with 10 minutes of extra footage. The film has been dubbed to several European languages. It was the seventh most watched film in Finland in the season 1992/1993 with 166,738 viewers. As the original novel introduces many recurring characters who appear in later Moomin novels, the film similarly works as a prequel to the 1990 anime seriesMoomin. International version of the film feature a new musical score composed by Pierre Kartner whereas the original, Japanese release of the film mainly recycles Sumio Shiratori's score from the anime series. The Japanese version, however, has new opening and ending songs—"Shiawase no morugaane" and "Kono uchuu he, tsutae tai", respectively, both sung by Emiko Shiratori.
Plot
Before the events of the film, Moomin's father had finished building Moominhouse. During one rainy evening, the Muskrat suddenly appears at the front door to stay because his riverbank home had been destroyed by Moominpappa's bridge, built earlier that day. The next day, the rain's turned everything black and according to Muskrat, it is soot from outer space. He believes that a threat is coming from space and nothing can be done. Moominpappa gets an idea about the astronomical observatory in the Lonely Mountains, where a telescope can see far into space. The next morning, on their way, the trio meets Snufkinfor the first time, who has heard about a comet that could crash to Earth at any time. He joins the group, and they climb the steep mountains towards the observatory. On the way, Moomin finds a golden anklet, which Snufkin knows belongs to the Snorkmaiden. They arrive at the observatory, where they discover that the comet will be colliding in two days. On the way back home, Moomin saves the Snorkmaiden from a giant carnivorous plant, and they immediately fall in love with each other. Both Snorks join the group while they try to reach Moominvalley before the comet. Two days later, Moomin and friends meet the Hemulen and when a hurricane strikes them, they all fly to the Moominhouse with Snufkin's tent. Back home, they all decide to move to a cave Sniff had found for shelter. Sniff is lost during the move when he sees a kitten and begins to follow it with a piece of cake. When there are only minutes left to the expected moment of the comet impact, Moomin and Snufkin find Sniff, who is paralyzed with fear, and they carry him into the cave at the last minute. The comet almost crashes into Earth, but suddenly changes its course and turns away. The next morning, the sea returns and the characters celebrate on the beach, where Moomin gives Snorkmaiden a pearl he had found.
In Japan, the film was preceded by the short films Little Twins Whose Summer Flew and Flower Witch Marie Belle: The Phoenix's Key, while in the rest of the countries it was shown in, it was its own separate film, often seen as a series finale. In international releases, the majority of the score was replaced with a new one by Pierre Kartner, as the majority had been recycled from the series. Kartner also wrote and performed three new songs to replace the opening and ending themes from the Japanese version; the first one playing after the opening scenes, the sea exploration of Moomin and My and Sniff's discovery of the cave, the second one playing over Sniff's exploration of the crater, and the last playing over the end scene and much of the credits. In many of these versions, loud sea waves are faded from the ending song, and in other versions, the song is either played in its entirety or, in the Polish version, plays the ending song of the series, after the movie's ending song ends. As for from the novel, the differences are quite numerous:
The first parts are heavily simplified; the beach trip is spontaenous in the movie, while in the novel, the characters end up there after attempting to go to a dangerous place and the seashell search they embark on for Moominmama. In the film, Sniff's discovery of the cave is a random find.
The restbed is already hung up in the film, while in the novel, it was being set up in the beginning.
Muskrat simply knocks on the door after his home gets destroyed in the film, while in the novel, Papa finds him while the others are sleeping.
The slapstick scene before Muskrat drinks with the characters is removed.
Muskrat is no longer a book reader, and his philosophies are his own ideas.
The foreshadowing of the Hattifatteners is distilled to a simple sighting of them sailing down the river, in the montage of them traversing to the Lonely Mountains.
My, Moomin and Sniff go the trip mainly through walking and subsequently, the only boat use is to the mountains to the observatory itself.
Only the third Hemulen is in the movie.
Moominpapa and Moominmama simply suggest the observatory to Moomin and his company, rather than plan to travel there themselves.
The preparation for the first trip is not seen and both that and the trip take place on the same day, while the trip itself, for obvious reasons, happens later in the day.
Cast
An English dub of the film was released on the German DVD titled Die Mumins – Der Komet im Muminland. The English dub was produced by Hoek & Sonépouse/Eskimo and distributed by Telescreen Distribution.
