Streaming Review: Over the Moon

By Abe Friedtanzer

Many religions and cultures find meaning in inanimate objects and physical locations, teaching mythical stories about their significance. As children grow up, they may assume a more metaphorical and symbolic understanding of what they heard from their parents and grandparents, no longer convinced that something magic could indeed be real. That can erode the sense of wonder that they once felt and cause them to believe in something less fervently because they believe it couldn’t possibly be true.

Not giving up that childlike hope may be unrealistic, but it does serve as the premise for some of the most heartwarming animated films.

In Over the Moon, streaming on Netflix on October 23rd, we’re introduced to Fei Fei, who, as a young girl, helps her parents make and sell mooncakes, eagerly running all over the city describing their delicious taste. She is always sure to emphasize their connection to the moon itself and to Chang’e, the moon goddess...

 

After her mother dies, Fei Fei is devastated to learn that her father has met another woman, Mrs. Zhong, who has a different mooncake recipe and an overenthusiastic son, Chin, who thinks he can run through walls and wants to befriend an uninterested Fei Fei. Frustrated and clinging to the memory of her mother, Fei Fei sets out to build a rocket so that she can head to the moon and meet Chang’e. 

This wonderful film comes from Pearl Studio, whose last project was Abominable, another strong and heartfelt animated picture of Chinese culture that for some reason didn’t resonate with audiences as broadly as it did with me. An all-Asian voice cast for Over the Moon that includes Phillipa Soo, Sandra Oh, Ken Jeong, and Kimiko Glenn as well as newcomers Cathy Ang and Robert G. Chiu, as Fei Fei and Chin, respectively, adds authenticity and life to a film bursting with the same vibrant color as Inside Out and the spiritual energy of Brave. A scientifically improbable journey is fused with a trip back to the origins of Fei Fei’s culture, and, just as Chin believes he can run through walls, there is a determination that drives this protagonist’s desire to go to a place that most believe is not literal.

 

Like many animated productions before it, Over the Moon is also a musical. Its songs are lively and passionately staged with striking visuals to accompany the powerful lyrics and music. There is a playfulness that remains throughout this film despite Fei Fei’s struggles with grief and her retreat to childhood comforts as she confronts a situation that requires an adult attitude. The narrative arc is relatively familiar, but the specifics of the plot and the joyous, beautiful way in which it is showcased make it another animated film well worth consuming by all members of the family. And, in a year largely free of big-budget sequels, it stands a great chance at earning an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. 

Over the Moon debuts on Netflix on Friday, October 23^rd.