Over the Moon (2020)

Over the Moon (2020)

4/10

Starring the voices of:

Cathy Ang

Phillipa Soo

Ken Jeong

John Cho

Directed by Glen Keane and John Kahrs

This is one of the most forgettable animations I’ve seen in a while. I think this movie would have been better served as a short film. Everything feels unnecessarily dragged out by unneeded songs—and worse still, none of the music is catchy, fun, or enjoyable to listen to. That said, the animation is watchable, but it lacks the polish and sophistication you’d expect from Disney or similar studios.

The plot is lacking in many areas, especially in depth during the “eureka moments.” Everything that was pieced together to form the script just didn’t work. You can suspend disbelief about it being a fantasy animation where a young girl builds a rocket using mostly household items and things she could order online. You might even forgive the delay tactics of padding the runtime with poorly written songs that fail to resonate with either children or adults. But what’s hard to ignore is how the story plays out so predictably and, at times, downright sillily.

Over the Moon is a computer-animated fantasy adventure comedy-drama produced by Netflix. The movie’s script draws inspiration from the Chinese goddess Chang’e, taking one of the myths about her and building on it.

The story begins with a young family—a father, mother, and daughter. Fei Fei, the young girl, has a deep love for her mother and cherishes the stories her mother tells about the goddess Chang’e. Her favorite story is about Chang’e’s undying love for a man she lost, with the goddess still holding on to hope of being reunited with her one true love.

Fei Fei’s world is turned upside down when her mother passes away. Over time, her father begins to move on and develops a relationship with a kind and beautiful woman who has an equally sweet and charming son named Chin. However, Fei Fei refuses to accept this new relationship, believing her father shouldn’t need anyone else as long as she is there for him.

Determined to prove to her father that true love never dies, Fei Fei decides to build a rocket and fly to the moon to meet Chang’e and bring back a picture of the goddess. She hopes this will convince her father to hold on to the memory of her mother and not remarry.

The real adventure begins with her flight to the moon. Fei Fei builds her rocket and takes off, unknowingly bringing Chin along, as he sneaks aboard at the last moment. With some unexpected help, they manage to reach the moon, where the quest to meet Chang’e truly begins.

In the end, Over the Moon is an animation you can let your kids watch while you find something better to do with your time.