Film Review: Over The Moon

While watching the new Netflix animated film, Over The Moon, I came to a bit of a revelation that, in retrospect, seems pretty obvious. There’s been this well-observed cliché about how so many Disney films – and arguably lots of kids movies in general – from classics both old and new have either one or both of the protagonist’s parents being dead, and they are mostly done to create a certain set of circumstances for the character to inhabit. However, there’s maybe only a small handful that actually deals with the lingering grief that informs the character in a very overt manner.

That’s the space where Over The Moon explores. Fei Fei (Cathy Ang) is a 14-year-old girl who has lost her mom years back, and she now lives with her father Ba Ba (John Cho). She seems like she has mostly gotten over the loss of her mother, until she meets Mrs. Zhong (Sandra Oh), who is her dad’s new fiancée. She is clearly not cool with it, especially since she comes with the hyper 8-year-old son, Chin (Robert G. Chiu). Her solution for this predicament? To…build a rocket to the moon where she will prove the existence of the mythical goddess Chang’e (Phillipa Soo) as a way to convince her father that he has forgotten about his true love.

Obviously, there wouldn’t be a movie if the myth was just that, and the rocket built by a 14-year-old didn’t end up working. They manage to make it to space where they find out Chang’e isn’t as welcoming as expected. Fei Fei’s mission is dealt with some complications that lead her on a journey to confront her grief, and learn to open her heart to the new people in her life. The way the film gets there is pretty simple, but it’s explores these themes in a way that skews to a more younger audience.

The film was conceived as a passion project for executive producer Janet Yang, who commissioned Audrey Wells to write the script. It would be Wells’ final script before her untimely death in 2018. Glen Keane was soon brought on as a director. For those unaware, Keane is a full-on Disney legend, having worked as a character animator, character designer, and supervisor animator for films like The Rescuers, The Fox And The Hound, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Tangled, and many others you’ll recognize. He won an Oscar for the short, Dear Basketball, and this film marks his feature debut as a director.

With the involvement of someone who has left a huge influence on Disney, it’s not surprising to see so much of Disney’s tropes, character beats, and general vibe all over this. Fei Fei has a cute rabbit sidekick, there are musical numbers, for anyone unaware, they could easily mistake this as just another Disney movie. It’s easily one of the best “imitations” that I’ve ever seen, though referring to it as such is honestly not fair because I found the film to be quite affecting and beautiful.

I like that the film doesn’t have a villain. Chang’e is the only character that resembles an antagonistic force, but it’s clear from her first appearance that there is more to her than meets the eye. It is totally a story about Fei Fei fighting against her own demons, and her selfish notions that seek to push away a new, loving family. Like I said, the film handles it in a fairly simplistic way, but it does feel genuine and it really resonated with me. And that’s largely due to the really endearing character at the center. Fei Fei is lovable, but also bratty at times; you get why she behaves the way she does, and Cathy Ang’s voice work is terrific.

However, the film isn’t without its faults. I wasn’t very impressed with the songs overall. An early one called “Rocket To The Moon” is by far and away the best one, a rousing anthem where Fei Fei declares her dreams and plans. Other songs veer into other genres like the pop number first sung at Chang’e’s introduction, and a rap song during a ping-pong competition between her and Chin. They’re not bad, but they aren’t very catchy. Ken Jeong shows up as this dog/hedgehog/glowy-space-thingy called Gogi, and I was not particularly amused by his antics.

Those gripes aside, I was very captivated by Over The Moon. Not just by its bold, colorful, and imaginative environments and characters, but also by the emotions that drove the story along. Yes, there are aspects of this that are familiar, but like with a lot of Disney films, the familiarity with many of them is a part of their great comfort. Over The Moon is deeply comforting, and it is equally moving as well. Plus, given that this also happens to be a Chinese co-production with Pearl Studio, it feels far more authentic – at least, to my eye – to the details layered into the film and its use of Chinese characters and mythology, especially compared to something like Disney’s new Mulan. Its themes may not be original, but they’re important, especially in stories for young audiences, and the filmmakers pulled it off in a way that I found easy to get swept up in.

 

Over The Moon is now streaming on Netflix.