Moomin (1969 TV series)

Moomin
Image from the TV series displaying the main characters
ムーミン
(Mūmin)
GenreFantasy
Comedy
Anime television series
Directed byMasaaki Osumi (Eps 1-26)
Noboru Ishiguro, Satoshi Dezaki, Ryosuke Takahashi, Rintaro (Eps 27–65)
Written byTadaaki Yamazaki et al.
Music byComposer:
Seiichirō Uno
songwriter:
Hisashi Inoue
Singer:
Toshiko Fujita
(opening/closing song:
"Nē! Mūmin" (Hi, Moomin!))
StudioZuiyo Enterprise
Tokyo Movie (Eps 1-26)
Mushi Productions (Eps 27–65)
Original networkFuji TV
Original run October 5, 1969 December 27, 1970
Episodes65

Moomin (ムーミン, Mūmin) 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 was never translated into any languages or released outside Japan except Taiwan and some others like United Kingdom.[4] 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 in what is now known as World Masterpiece Theater (Calpis Comic Theater at the time). Zuiyo Enterprise, would split in 1975 into Nippon Animation Company, Ltd. (which employed some of the Zuiyo's production staff and continued with the World Masterpiece Theater franchise) and Zuiyo Company, Ltd.

  1. ^ Jonathan Clements, Helen McCarthy (2006). The anime encyclopedia. Stone Bridge Press, 2006. ISBN 9781933330105.
  2. ^ Tove Jansson kauhistui väkivaltaisista muumeista – ”Se tv-sarja oli Tovelle shokki”Kotiliesi (in Finnish)
  3. ^ Tiesitkö? 1970-luvun taitteessa Japanissa tehtiin kummallista Muumit-sarjaa, joissa ryypättiin ja tapettiin vihollinen keihäälläYle (in Finnish)
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Osumi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).