Movie review: Over The Moon
If you caught last year's charming Chinese-American animated family film Abominable, you can't help but feel a sense of deja vu watching Over The Moon, which is currently showing on Netflix and also co-produced by Pearl Studio.
Fuelled by memories of her late mother, young Fei Fei (voiced by Cathy Ang) builds a rocket to the moon on a mission to prove the existence of the legendary moon goddess Chang'e (Phillipa Soo).
The movie treads familiar ground and hits similar emotional notes as Abominable - adventurous tomboys leave home to embark on a quest to a faraway destination and beyond, involving a mythical figure.
But it doesn't quite reach the same heights.
Both girls are mourning a dead parent, but the journey helps them come to terms with their loss and move on. They also befriend fantastical creatures - and bond with boys - along the way.
On the plus side, Over The Moon's level of craft when it comes to the animation, visuals and production is, to borrow a term from Chang'e's lexicon, "spectacularia".
And it's a fun musical too. You won't be able to get her infectious Lady Gaga-esque banger Ultraluminary out of your head.
Rating: PG
SCORE: 3/5
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