Experience the magic of the Moomins with a new Sky Original Production, putting a modern twist on Moominvalley in 2018
Moomintroll, Snufkin, Little My and all the family are back in a brand-new Sky Original
Production made by Gutsy Animations with the support of Moomin Characters.
Moominvalley, airing on Sky late next year, will bring the characters from award-winning
author Tove Jansson’s adored classic books to life.
Bel Powley (Benidorm), Edvin Endre (Vikings) and comedian Joe Wilkinson (8 out of 10 Cats
Does Countdown) are set to join Rosamund Pike, Kate Winslet, Taron Egerton and Warwick
Davis to voice the much-loved residents of Moominvalley.
Starring Moomintroll and his family and friends the series will be centred around the
Moominhouse and valley, an idyllic place entirely untouched by the modern world, and will
be based on Jansson’s well-known novels and comic strips. Airing exclusively on Sky and
streaming service NOW TV in the UK and Ireland, the series will be full of life, laughter and
adventure, with visual humour, witty dialogue and plenty of energy and drama.
Adam MacDonald, director of Sky One, Sky, said: “Rosamund Pike, Kate Winslet and
Taron Egerton coming together in one Sky One show – how amazing is that? The Moomin
stories are absolute classics so I can’t wait for them to hit our screens next year.”
Lucy Murphy, head of kids content, Sky, said: “With their beguiling adventures, magical
setting and a cast of fantastical creatures, Tove Jansson’s beautiful books have been a well-
deserved family favourite for decades and we can’t wait to bring the joyous Moomin world to
Sky families in this fabulous new series.”
Marika Makaroff, creative director and executive producer, Gutsy Animations, said:
“Moominvalley is very much a Finnish-British collaboration, with a top-quality UK team that
includes the Oscar®-winning director Steve Box and Emmy®-winning writing duo Mark
Huckerby and Nick Ostler – alongside all of this incredible acting talent. So we’re delighted
to announce that we’re working with Sky to broadcast the series to Moomin fans in the UK,
of which we know there are very many. It’s an honour to be making this new adaptation of
Tove’s beautiful and deeply meaningful stories a reality.”
Moominvalley will be directed by Academy Award® winner Steve Box (Wallace & Gromit:
The Curse of the Were-Rabbit) and produced by Gutsy Animations exclusively for Sky One
and Sky Kids in the UK and Ireland. Other names joining the cast include Matt Berry (The IT
Crowd), Akiya Henry (Bing), Will Self (The Minor Character) and Richard Ayoade (The IT
Crowd).
Moominvalley has the full support of Moomin Characters, the business set up by Moomin
creator Tove Jansson and her brother Lars in the 1950s, and Bulls Licensing, their global
licensing agent. It is being developed in association with the Drama department of Yle, the
Finnish public broadcaster.
Moominvalley will air on Sky One, TV streaming service NOW TV, the Sky Kids app and on
demand on Sky in late 2018.
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ENDS
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For more information, please contact:
Sky
Nicola Vincent
Nicola.Vincent@sky.co.uk
Gutsy Animations
Caitlin Allen
caitlin@riotcommunications.com
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Notes to editors
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Image credit must be used alongside image: © Moomin Characters ™ / Gutsy Animations
About Sky Kids
Kids’ shows on Sky are available via the dedicated Sky Kids app and on demand via the
kids’ section on Sky Q and Sky+, as well as through Sky Go, and online streaming service
NOW TV.
Kids’ shows are available for millions of Sky families with Sky Variety and Box Sets bundles
at no extra cost. They’re also available on NOW TV with the NOW TV Kids Pass, available
for £2.99 a month, no contract.
The Sky Kids app can be downloaded from Google Play and Apple’s App Store on
compatible tablets. The app will work on 3G/4G and Wi-Fi. Download is available to
customers with Sky Go Extra, Sky Multiscreen or a Sky Q Multiscreen Subscription, and
available over Wi-Fi only.
There is a dedicated Sky Kids tile on demand where Aliens Love Underpants And..., Morph,
Big Cats: Wild Files and other new commissions from Sky are available.
About Sky
Sky is Europe's leading entertainment company, serving 22.5 million customers across
seven countries - UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. The company
has annual revenues of £12.9 billion and is Europe’s leading investor in television content
with annual programming spend of over £6 billion.
From exclusive partnerships with HBO and Showtime, to Sky Original Productions, Sky
offers the best and broadest range of content along with the best viewing experience to suit
each and every customer. Whether that’s through the multi-award winning next generation
box, Sky Q, or Sky’s contract-free online streaming service, NOW TV, customers have
access to the latest movies, drama, sports and kids entertainment wherever and whenever
they like. This is all supported by Sky’s best in class customer service.
Sky’s success is not just based on what the company does but how it does it. Named as one
of the Top 10 Green Companies in the World by Newsweek, one of the world’s most
recognised rankings of business’s environmental performance, Sky ensures its responsible
business strategy is embedded right across the group.
Sky has over 31,000 employees and is listed as one of The Times Top 50 employers for
women. Sky is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SKY).
About Gutsy Animations
Gutsy is a team of creators and producers who believe that the world is in need of funny,
clever, gutsy and – above all – meaningful content. All of its productions are aimed at
international audiences and based on a concept of genuine social impact.
Cast announced to date
Moominmamma – Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl, A United Kingdom, An Education)
Moominpappa – Matt Berry (The IT Crowd, Toast of London, The Philanthropist)
Moomintroll – Taron Egerton (Kingsman, Eddie the Eagle, Testament of Youth)
Little My – Bel Powley (The Diary of a Teenage Girl, A Royal Night Out, Carrie Pilby)
Snufkin – Edvin Endre (Eddie the Eagle, Vikings, Nameja gredzens)
Snorkmaiden – Akiya Henry (Bing, Bottersnikes and Gumble, Noddy in Toyland)
Sniff – Warwick Davis (Harry Potter, Star Wars, Life’s Too Short)
Mrs Fillyjonk – Kate Winslet (Titanic, Revolutionary Road, The Reader)
The Hemulen – Joe Wilkinson (Rovers, Miranda, Him and Her)
The Muskrat – Will Self (Shooting Stars, author of Phone and Sky Arts drama The
Minor Character)
The Ghost – Richard Ayoade (The IT Crowd, presenter of Travel Man and Crystal
Maze)
About Moomin Characters
Oy Moomin Characters Ltd is the owner, originator and official company responsible for
supervising and managing the Moomins' brand, copyright and registrations. The company was started in 1958 by Tove Jansson and her brother Lars Jansson and even today is run by
family members. Sophia Jansson, Lars's daughter and Tove's niece, is Chairman of the
Board and Creative Director at Moomin Characters. All characters from Moominvalley are
registered trademarks.
Moomin in the UK
A series of major Moomin-themed events and exhibitions have taken place in the UK in
2017, including Southbank Centre’s immersive Adventures in Moominland and Kew
Gardens’ Easter Festival. In autumn 2017, Dulwich Picture Gallery will present the first major
UK exhibition of work by Tove Jansson – including not only Moomin drawings but also
Jansson’s surrealist-inspired paintings of the 1930s and abstract works of the ‘60s, her
satirical anti-war cartoons and book jacket designs – and the Moomins will feature
prominently at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival.
A diverse range of quality Moomin products are available in the UK, from new Collectors’
Editions of the original Moomin stories (published by Sort of Books) and a guide to the
Moomins, The World of Moominvalley (published by Macmillan Children’s Books), to 100%
cashmere sweaters and other accessories from fashion label Chinti and Parker.
Moomin around the world
In June 2017 the world’s first Moomin Museum opened in Tampere, Finland, presenting 300
of Tove Jansson’s drawings and paintings and 30 Moomin tableaux created by Tove’s
partner, the artist Tuulikki Pietilä. Later in the year, a 12-month Moomin exhibition will begin
touring major cities in South Korea, and in spring 2019 a new Moomin theme park will open
in Tokyo.
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