Trivia in Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley

This is the expanded trivia for the Melody of Moominvalley animated musical film.

Trivia

• This is the second animated feature to be based on the books rather than comic strips; the first being Comet in Moominland.
  • Additionally, the film's title is the same as in the indie game, where Snufkin actually serves as the protagonist.
• This is the first Moomin-inspired film to receive a PG rating (see below).
• This film is the beginning of the Moominvalley cast going through character development, and had much better characterization than the 2019 TV series. For example but not limited to:
  • Moomintroll is initially the distressed one who only needs saving from Snufkin. However, as the film progresses, he becomes a better hero, as he exercises before carrying the latter at once.
  • Snorkmaiden is portrayed as the female lead; a girly bruiser rather than just a supporter (unlike in the indie game), and her relationship with Moomintroll is even more sweet. Also, she respects the relationship between the latter and Snufkin.
  • Little My is portrayed as a sympathetic jerk, but a good girl who really cares about her friends and is ready to do anything she can to help them.
  • The best characterization is Snufkin, who is portrayed as the male lead, and is considered musical while his personality stays true to the books. He's not just a philosophical vagabond, but also brave, attractive and a helpful hero who cares deeply to his friends, including Moomintroll. Aside from that, Snufkin is somewhat flawed, as shown in one scene where he cries for the river's loss. He also has an ability to prevent further hypnosis, such as in one scene where the water nymph is unable to hypnotize him.

Rating

The film has been rated PG (parental guidance suggested) by the Motion Picture Association for the following content.

Some thematic elements

• When the water nymph is unable to hypnotize Snufkin, the latter instantly kills the former with a rifle.

Action and peril

• Snufkin is encountered by the Groke for the first time.
• Snufkin, Little My, Sniff and the Snorks drive quite dangerously on their way to rescue Moomintroll.

Suggestive themes

• Snufkin eats a random berry, in a seductive manner.
• The water nymph can be seen with round-shaped breasts.

Tropes

• Adaptation amalgamation: The plot is mostly based on Moominsummer Madness (Snufkin destroying signs in the parks, Moomintroll in prison, Moominpappa putting on a play), but a few elements like Teety-Woo are taken from the anthology Tales from Moominvalley. There's also a surprising deep-cut reference: the sequence where the Groke helps fight a forest fire is based on an obscure comic that ran throughout the Moomin Magazine in 1995.
• Advancing boss of doom: When Snufkin first encounters the Groke, she chases him through the forest and swamp.
• Animated musical: This film is a musical adaptation, in a similar fashion as with the Miraculous and Wicked films. In fact, Snufkin is shown to be a singing character rather than just the one who plays the harmonica and/or flute. Not to mention the regal-sounding voice he got.
• Avoid the dreaded G rating: The film has a PG rating in the USA, as it is slightly mature than the typical G-rated animated film. The most notable reason is because the true male protagonist is portrayed as attractive, leading to the female audience falling in love with him.
• Beware the nice ones: Snufkin goes out of his way to help the people and creatures he encounters, but he is nowhere near as nice when it comes to those protecting the parks: he destroys the signs, orders birds to attack the security guards, and tears down the whole park once everyone leaves.
• Big bad: The Park Keeper is the main antagonist, as he's the one who built the parks ruining Moominvalley. He also imprisons Moomintroll and steals the pirate treasure Little My was after.
• Community-threatening construction: The Park Keeper claims that building parks is necessary to create "the valley of the future". Snufkin vehemently disagrees, as this construction is scaring away Moominvalley's wildlife and ruining the freedom of nature.
• Creative-closing credits: The end credits are a brightly-colored, 2D-3D hybrid with the main cast being featured in some occassional shots, all while played over a new version of the "Song of Freedom", from the Japanese Moominvalley Park.
• Cute bruiser: Little My is this.
• Dance party ending: After Moominvalley is safe, Snufkin decides to invite his friends, including Moomintroll and Snorkmaiden to perform a musical. This turns into a huge dance party for not just the audience of the show, but also for the police.
• A day in the limelight: Snufkin is important, but ultimately tends to be a secondary character throughout the Moomin franchise. In this film, he serves as the main male protagonist.
• Decoy protagonist:
  • Moomintroll is initially portrayed as the musical film's protagonist, and yet he's unexpectedly kidnapped by the Park Keeper while trying to negotiate with the latter. Therefore, the film proceeds to Snufkin, making it clear that he's the true protagonist this time around.
    • "We at Moominvalley would like to apologize for having Moomintroll as this film's false protagonist. However, we would like to think this is totally justified, since it's all about Snufkin restoring harmony and balance to Moominvalley, as well as searching for his best friend. So please, enjoy the Snufkin spin-off film, because it's cheaper and much less obnoxious."
  • A running joke in the trailer is the 'main character' Moomintroll worrying constantly about taking the backseat, since his best friend Snufkin is actually taking the lead role instead. Although Moomintroll usually leads the titular franchise, he's always interrupted, ignored or distracted by something. Only at once, he appears to tell the audience that he won't be in the rest of the movie.
    • "I'm Moomintroll and I'm still the protagonist!"
• Distressed dude: Moomintroll tried to negotiate with the Park Keeper, but ended up getting arrested. The film's second half revolves around trying to break him out of prison.
• Eat the camera: When Snufkin finds out that the river is gone, he yells out the big "NO!" while the camera zooms into his mouth.
• Glass-shattering sound: Snufkin rescues Moomintroll from a glass cage. It seems like Moomintroll is almost performing the perfect ninja punch at first, but suddenly, Snufkin starts singing and raises his voice that ultimately shatters the glass.
• Girly bruiser: It would be neat to have Snorkmaiden as this.
• Logo joke:
  • Snufkin takes over the star skipper's place before the Paramount Animation logo.
  • Moomintroll takes over the rhino's place before the Nickelodeon Movies logo, as reminiscent to the very first variant.
• Mouth-screen: Snufkin has a few, usually when he's either saying (or singing) in a seductive manner or licking his lips.
  • The first where he eats a random berry, in a manner reminiscent of Cantarella (from Wuthering Waves). Curiously, the lip tint isn't visible on him, unless the camera focuses on his either his face or mouth though.
  • The second where he is first encountered by the Groke, with the camera briefly focusing on the former's vibrating uvula yelling out "Yikes~!", in a blood-curdling manner.
• Police are useless: The police officers wandering the park can barely know what their job is - all they know is that they have to uphold the rules, and that the rules are on the signs. Therefore, if Snufkin destroys every sign in the park, the cops will forget what they're even doing and leave the area, letting Snufkin tear down the rest of the park.
• Prisons are gymnasiums: Referenced during the film's final half. After freeing Moomintroll from the Park Keeper's prison cell, Snufkin suddenly hurts his leg, so Moomintroll has to carry him through the last stretch. Snufkin asks him if he's been exercising in prison, even though the cell is just a glass cage.
• Reflective eyes: Moomintroll is reflected in each of Snufkin's beautiful eyes, through close-ups. Not only once… but two times.
  • First when Moomintroll is about to carry his best friend at once;
  • And second when Snufkin says "with my best friend", right before the movie's credits.
• One-eyed screen: As mentioned above, this film has a few close-ups on each of Snufkin's beautiful brown eyes, leading to the viewers to see the flower-shaped pupil.
• Tempting fate: When Snufkin finds the police burning debris to clear the way for a park's construction, he warns them that it's dangerous to light a fire in such a dry area. They reassure him that everything is under control, which is immediately followed by the fire going out of control, starting a big forest fire that the Groke has to help put out.
• Tomboy and girly girl: Snorkmaiden and Little My are the main heroines in this film, with the latter as the tomboy to the former's girly girl.