Animated prime-time family drama Moominvalley has surpassed all expectations by attracting a total of 1.38 million viewers in just four days in Finland, where the first episode aired on Monday (25th February). With a total population of 5.5 million people, this means an incredible one in four Finns tuned in to watch the first episode, 'Little My Moves In'.
Moominvalley is airing in Finland on public broadcaster Yle’s TV2 channel. The first screening of the first episode was watched by over 597,000 viewers, which rises to 1,188,000 including reruns. It has also been watched over 200,000 times on the broadcaster’s online platform, Yle Areena, where it looks set to soon become the most viewed content of all time.
The response to the series has been a national topic of conversation in Finland over the past week, with fans praising it for its magnificent, three-dimensional visuals and the way that it has treated this beloved property with reverence and respect while also providing surprises, excitement and a fresh take on the much-admired Moomin stories of Tove Jansson.
Marika Makaroff, CEO of Gutsy Animations and executive producer of Moominvalley, said: “I can’t put into words how delighted – and relieved! – I am at the reaction of fans in Finland, which we hope will be a barometer of how Moominvalley is received around the world. The Finns are likely to be our toughest critics, given the national pride in Tove Jansson’s body of work, so we are of course very encouraged by their heart-warming response.”
Roleff Kråkström, CEO of Moomin Characters, said: “It feels simply wonderful. The work of hundreds of people gets rewarded in a way that none of us even dared to dream of. In its essence, TV history is made here.”
Ville Vilén, Director of Creative Content at the public broadcaster Yle, said: “Taking on such adored characters is no mean feat even for the most talented team, but the overwhelmingly positive response reassures us that we have succeeded in creating something that will be enjoyed by fans for many, many years to come.”
Moominvalley is based on the beloved Moomin stories by Finnish-Swedish author and artist Tove Jansson. Each series will consist of 13 x 22-minute-long episodes. A Finnish-British co-production, it is directed by Academy Award® winner Steve Box (Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit) and produced by Gutsy Animations in association with Yle and Sky.
Moominvalley will premiere in the UK on Sky One, Sky Kids and Now TV from Good Friday, 19 April 2019, and in Japan on NHK BS4K on 4 April.
Moominvalley is a brand new adaptation of the much-loved Moomin stories of Tove Jansson, a Finnish-Swedish writer and artist whose books have been translated into over 50 languages. Directed to a family primetime audience, the drama fantasy series is full of life and laughter for lifelong Moomin fans and complete newcomers alike.
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