Glen Keane (Dear Basketball) joins forces with an Asian cast to remind the public that change is good.
Fei Fei would probably laugh at the people who think that space dogs don't exist. How could they explain the moon's changing phases then?
Yes, it's science, but she got a more interesting explanation. It's the goddess, Chang'e, that causes the moon's many wonders. She knows because her mother told her everything about her.
The kind and beautiful Chang'e once loved a warrior named Hou Yi. But they got separated after Chang'e drank a magic potion. Now she lives on the moon. Forever waiting, longing, and hoping for her one true love to join her.
Fei Fei is obsessed with the moon goddess because she understands her grief. After her mother passed away, she struggles to accept that her father is marrying a new woman, Mrs. Zhong. Even more so, her son, Chin, is a wild boy that is annoyingly clingy to her.
Fei Fei is afraid that her father has already forgotten her mother. Or maybe he doesn't love her anymore. Whatever the reason is, she knows that it's because he doesn't believe in Chang'e.
Well, there can be only one solution to this problem. Go to the moon and prove to him that Chang'e is real.
"Over the Moon" is a computer-animated musical adventure film directed by Glen Keane. It parades an Asian cast including Cathy Ang as Fei Fei, Robert G Chiu as Chin, Phillipa Soo as Chang'e, Sandra Oh as Mrs. Zhong, John Cho as Ba Ba, and Ruthie Ann Miles as Ma Ma. It is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
Change is a terrible thing, especially for children. It is, unfortunately, the only constant thing in the world. So, imagine experiencing it at an early age, when the one that's been with you passed away.
"Over the Moon" takes in this heavy responsibility in teaching a child to accept change. In this movie, Fei Fei takes the viewers to the moon. In her journey, she discovers that all the people who passed away remains in the heart of their loved ones. So even if her father is marrying Mrs. Zhong, it doesn't mean that he doesn't love her or her mother. It's the contrary.
Fei Fei is, in fact, surrounded by people who love her. Chin is annoyingly clingy, but he stays. Her aunties might be a little frank, and Mrs. Zhong is rather pushy, but they are well-intention. She fails to see all of it yet, as she undergoes many phases of change and acceptance. And that's okay because change and acceptance need time.
With such a topic, there is none more suited to direct this beautifully animated film than Academy Award Winner Glen Keane. Like many good directors in the field of animation, Keane understands the relationship between form and story. It is to use the form to articulate a question to its target audience.
In his film "Over the Moon," Keane was able to ask questions about moving on and accepting change to children without overbearing them. The fun colors and whimsical song numbers are, obviously, laughable to fully grown adults. But it works in capturing the children's attention and letting them experience Fei Fei's whimsical adventure towards acceptance.
Keane's film didn't leave its story too vague to understand. It outright says what it wants to say through expositions and, sometimes, songs. It's refreshing to see a movie not made by Disney to be this silly yet serious. Pixar or Disney movies always hit their marks as they try to touch different emotions and topics simultaneously. But sticking to a single line or purpose works as well; it just needs the right hands to lead it.
3.5/5
