The Moomins On The Riviera, film review: This yarn's charm lies in its understated quality

(U) Xavier Picard, 78 mins. Voices: Russell Tovey, Nathaniel Parker, Tracy Ann Oberman

Gently does it: Tove Jansson's classic tales revisited in 'The Moomins on the Riviera'

This yarn, based on Tove Jansson's Moomins comic strip, is a wistful and gentle affair, hand-drawn and far less brash than the typical animated Hollywood feature.

Its charm lies in its understated quality. The Moomins, creatures who look like little white hippos, aren't the types to show off. The plotting seems a little askew.

For no very good reason, after shipwrecked pirates turn up in Moomin Valley, the Moomin family decide to take a trip to the French Riviera. "We simply don't fit in here," they conclude after various misadventures in the casinos, restaurants and beaches of the south of France.

The hoteliers treat them with deference under the misapprehension that the "De Moomins" are wealthy aristocrats.

Children may be baffled by the Moomins' self-effacing behaviour but their parents are likely to relish the story's quiet whimsy.