The Prima Donna

The Prima Donna
Series name	Moomin
Country of origin	Japan
Original language(s)	Japanese
Production information
Original release	January 31st, 1991

The Prima Donna is the forty-third episode of the 1990 television series Moomin.

Synopisis

It has been raining in Moominvalley for 10 days. During that time Moomin has been reading romance novels to pass the time. Snorkmaiden visits, but soon decides to leave as Moomin is not paying her any attention because of the novels. Before she can leave Sniff arrive and tell everyone that due to the rain, flooding has occurred, causing a circus to float away and warns them that soon the Moominhouse will flood as well. Moomin becomes fascinated with saving the circus Primadonna and goes out to find her. In the now flooding Moominvalley, Moomin finds the Primadonna's horse and brings her to the Moominhouse. Moomin then goes out with boat and rescues the Primadonna, much to Snorkmaiden's dislike. The next day, Moomin goes all out in order the get coffee for the Primadonna, cutting a hole in the second floor in order to get to the flooded kitchen. Snorkmaiden joins the Primadonna's horse to find flowers in the flood and arrives at a flower tree Moomin gave to her. Snorkmaide, being extremely hurt and jealous at Moomin's behavior, tells the horse to eat the flowers. Moomin and the Primadonna also arrive at the tree, causing it to fall and float away with everyone hanging on. The next scene shows Emeraldo the Strongman entertaining Little My and the Mymble's Daughter. The tree strands near by and the two companies are joined, Emeraldo flees at the sight of the Primadonna and after a conflict between the Moomin and the Primadonna, about him not entertaining her, Moomin does the same and expresses confusion about women and finds Emeraldo who is hiding. Emerealdo warsn Moomin about the Primadonna's manipulating ways as the Primadonna's horse arive to aske Emeraldo back, to which he declines. Snorkmaiden, Little My and the Mymble's Daughter, builds a makeshift shelter, which the Primadonna manipulets them so that she can also stay in it with her horse. A storm arrives again, bringing with them The Hattifatteners, which storm the shelter. The Primadonna panics, gets shocked and flee the scene. Her herse also flees, unharmed, while the rest of the girls fend the Hattifatteners off. Moomin and Emeraldo arrive at the scene to help, but the situation is under control. The next morning, they find the Primadonna up in a tree. Emeraldo apoligizes and as they forgive each other, they spot their circus tent by the shore. The Primadonna, Emeraldo and the horse say farewell to the rest of the group, as the separate on stilts to return to the Moominhouse and Snorkmaiden forgives Moomin as the episode ends.

Continuity

• There are a few callbacks to The Floating Theatre, as a flood effects the Moominvalley in that episode as well.
  • When sniff arrives he says that the house will be flooded again, referring to the events of the epsiode.
  • When Moomin cuts the floor, Moominpappa says that they already have a hatch in the floor to the kitchen, which is seen in that episode.
  • While not exactly a callback, the scene where Moomin dives in the kitchen and opens a cabinet to grab some jars is reused from the episode.

Gallery

Mistakes

• In the Swedish version, when Moomin cuts the floor to the kitchen. In most if not all other versions Moominmamma asks Moomin what he is doing that for, but in the Swedish version she is silent. Her mouth still moves as if she was talking.