Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Review: Charming ‘ Over the Moon’ gets lost in lunar orbit
The acclaimed animator behind such powerful figures as Ariel, Aladdin, Tarzan and Rapunzel has a new heroine and she’s going further than any of his creations — themoon.
Twelve- year- old Fei Fei builds a handmade rocket to blast into outer space in the new Netflix movie musical “Over the Moon,” the first animated film backed by a major Hollywood studio to feature an entirely Asian cast.
The film stars newcomer Cathy Ang as our plucky heroine, backed by suchvoice actors as “Hamilton” star Phillipa Soo, comedians Ken Jeong and Margaret Cho, “Star Trek” star John Cho, Broadway veterans Ruthie Ann Miles and Kimiko Glenn, and “Killing Eve” star Sandra Oh.
It opens and closes in modern day China, but the bulk of the film is set in Lunaria, an imaginary kingdom on the dark side of the moon that’s filled with glowing, bubblegum- colored blobs and where the laws of physics are tossed out.
The transition— fromhyperreal cooked crabs that glisten in a bowl inthefirst 30minutesof thefilmto amorphous, gooey Candyland critters 30 minutes later — is jarring. The sequences on the moon grow tiresome, despite huge toads that fly and squeaky- voiced critters.
It filmstarts with Fei Fei on her quest to meet themythicalMoon Goddess, Chang’e. The immortal goddess lives on the moon waiting to reunitewith hermortal love, the archerHouyi. Fei Fei’s mother tells her the legend before she gets sick and dies.
The film jumps four years into the future and Fei Fei’s dad is considering re- marrying, a horrific prospect for his daughter. Fei Fei reasons that if she can prove that Chang’e — and eternal love — really do exist, her dad will ditch his new girlfriend. “I just want things back the way they were,” she says. So she starts building a rocket.
Griefwaspartof thefilm’sDNA: Screenwriter AudreyWells died of cancer in 2018 while the film was being made and the final product is dedicated to her memory, with some lines like “you have to move on” all the more poignant.
Unfortunately, the film has echoes of previous animated fare
— like the missingmother and engineeringbent of the young heroine from“Wonder Park”— and the assortment of adorable sidekicks from “Frozen 2.” It also recalls the trippy Technicolor shift from“The Wizard of Oz.”
Theoriginal songs include eight varied and delightful ones by the writing team of Christopher Curtis ( Broadway’s “Chaplin”), Marjorie Duffield and Helen Park ( offBroadway’s “KPOP”).
EDM, hip- hop, folk and Broadway all take turns shining in such songs as “On the Moon Above,” “Mooncakes,” “Rocket to the Moon,” “Ultraluminary,” “Hey Boy,” “Wonderful,” “Yours Forever” and “Love Someone New.” The movie also uses traditional Chinese instruments, like the pipa and guzheng, while singing in Mandarin is heard.
Director Glen Keane, who worked on “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin” among many others, brings much of his Disney experience to “Over the Moon,” this time making his feature directorial debut. He’s now helped Netflix get into the animated musical game, thanks to this collaboration between China’s Pearl Studio and
Sony Pictures.
Fei Fei’s build up for her moonshot and the launch is perhaps the most thrilling element of the film and the animators have put a great deal of thought into expressions for both kids and adults. The food pops and even the wind is expressive. But the film looses coherence and urgency on the dark side of the moon.
Truth be told, Chang’e— voiced fantastically by Soo— is a bit of an Oz- likedictator, a lunardivawhose emotions determine everything on Lunaria. She introduces herself with a boastful K- pop banger “Ultraluminary”—“Yaready towatch me be legendary?” — like Katy Perry on steroids. “She’s nothing likeMamasaid,” points out Fei Fei.
There are also Angry Birds- like motorcycle- riding chickens— biker chicks, get it?— andablobby lunar dog calledGobiwhichis a little too close to Josh Gad’s goofy and endearing Olaf character from“Frozen.”
Add a small frog, an adorable bunny, a possible step- brother and amagicalhareand thingsget overloaded. It’s a shame that viewers after a while will long for the pull of gravity.