If you’re in the US, you might be asking yourself – what is a Moomin? They are a family of ‘trolls’ who some people say look like hippos, and the central characters in a series of books and comic strips by Finish author / illustrator Tove Jansson. While they are collectively referred to as “Moomins,” the main character is named Moomin, with his father referred to as Moominpappa and his mother Moominmama. The books are available in this country, but the characters have never been as well known as they are in places like Europe and Japan.

“The Moomins and the Comet Chase” is based on the book “Comet in Moominland” and is compiled from episodes of the 1977–1982 Polish stop-motion Moomins TV series. This material was restored, re-voiced, and converted to 3D. The film was released on August 6 in Finland, but so far I have not read anything about it coming to the US. There IS an English language version, though, with Alexander Skarsgård (Eric from “True Blood”) voicing Moomin.

The see the Moomins in action, check out the video below!

In one of her many blogs, author / visual artist / performer Cynthia von Buhler presents a behind the scenes look at the creation of her upcoming children’s book, But Who Will Bell The Cats?. The mixed media artwork is truly amazing, and it looks to be a book worth checking out even if there are no kids in your life. Click here to find out about the process behind the artwork.