‘Over the Moon’ Review- We Have Liftoff
This movie streamed in 2020.
Over The Moon is a Netflix animated film made in partnership with Pearl Studio. It is directed by Disney alumni Glen Keane and John Kahrs, based on a screenplay by Audrey Wells, Alice Wu, and Jennifer Yee McDevitt.
Fei Fei’s (Cathy Ang) late Mom (Ruthie Ann Miles) use to tell her the fairy tale of Chang’e (Phillipa Soo), the ruler of the Moon who lost her true love Houyi. Fei Fei and her pet bunny Bungie believe in the tale as they work in her Father’s (John Cho) bakery. One day, her dad brings home his fiance, a young woman Mrs. Zhong (Sandra Oh) who has a son Chin (Robert G. Chiu). Her potential stepbrother annoys Fei Fei, especially with his pet frog.
When her dad expresses doubt about Chang’e’s existence, she puts together a very rudimentary rocket and though it succeeds in launching, it falls to the Earth only to be caught up in a beam of light, whisking her away to the Moon where she has a chance to prove to her father that Chang’e exists, but she has to find a missing “gift” so the Moon ruler can reunite with her love.
Glen Keane is one of several artists to ditch Mickey Mouse for greener pastures. His previous works include Tarzan, Oliver & Company, and Treasure Planet, just to name a few. This was a dry run for new projects, and it is off to a great start.
Pearl Studio should be proud of the work they did on this animated feature. The visuals were stunning, the characters were well-designed, the music was top-notch, and the voice acting was sublime. Netflix made a smart decision to pick this one up because I think it is a good start. As a kids’ movie, it was incredibly entertaining and profound. The children will love it, and I think the adults can have fun too.
Sure, it did have some issues as far as the development of a few of the secondary characters on the Moon world. There were a few wholes in how the magic worked or even why Fei Fei was chosen to go to the Moon.
Outside of that, the story is actually quite moving. It is all about loss and learning to move on. It is told in that style that is simple, but also profound. Fei Fei’s journey from mourning the loss of her mother to trying to prove to her Dad that the legend she always believed in is out there. Cathy Ang’s voice acting is also done to perfection and fleshes out the character in a bold way.
I especially liked Chang’e as a character. All of her costumes looked incredibly stunning and Phillipa Soo’s personification of her was spot on. There was a scene where she played ping-ping with Chin and I was prepared to hate it, but she made the scene pretty cool. Her story, used as the backdrop for the film, was interesting and woven into the plot with excellence. I was not too familiar with her fairy tale, so it was fun connecting with the movie on that level.
As I mentioned earlier, I loved the music. Steven Price scored with the film, and he definitely put everything he had into it. Likewise, the original songs by Christopher Curtis, Marjorie Duffield, and Helen Park matched every scene. It felt open and brought up to a new level.
Bottom line, Over The Moon was one of the most enjoyable animated features I have seen. It has some of the coolest visuals and explores a legend in a way that you can enjoy.
PARENTAL CONCERNS: Minor violence, Scary images
FAVORITE QUOTE: We’re the last true believers.
Check out the trailer below:
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, or novel you would like me to review.