Netflix - Over the moon : discover the trailer and the first photos

By Mulder, 23 june 2020

In 2015, Pearl Studio began hosting an annual Brain Trust summit that invited animation talent and thought leaders from all over the world to gather at its headquarters in Shanghai, China. Building a brain trust was one of the first initiatives that Producer Peilin Chou (A bominable, Kung Fu Panda 3 ), a former executive for Walt Disney Feature Animation, undertook when she joined the studio that same year, and it was during this inaugural gathering that one of its attendees, Executive Producer Janet Yang (T he Joy Luck Club, Dark Matter ), pitched the idea of a little girl who builds a rocket to the moon to see if the legendary moon goddess, Chang’e, exists.

The concept — set in modern day, but extrapolated from myth — resonated with Chou immediately. “Every child grows up in China knowing the tale of Chang’e and believing that she lives on the moon. There is even a national holiday centered around it — the Mid-Autumn Festival. Janet came up with the idea to tell a modern day version of this legend through the eyes of a little girl named Fei Fei. I loved the idea of bringing the tale of Chang’e to a global audience in a contemporary, fresh and unique way. Our film features a Chang’e that you have never seen before,” says Chou.

Pearl Studio continued to develop the idea further, but a writer needed to be brought in to add flesh to bone. Chou had had a prior connection to Screenwriter Audrey Wells (T he Hate U Give , U nder the Tuscan Sun ) and knew she possessed the emotional agency and intelligence needed to make this story sing. Wells accepted the job almost immediately. “I remember vividly that first meeting with Audrey. After I pitched her the idea she said to me: ‘You want me to write the story of a little girl who decides to build a rocket to go to the moon? That’s the most wonderful thing I’ve ever heard,’” says Chou. “She felt a big connection to the idea, and of wanting to create a strong female character.”

Wells was officially brought on board in March of 2016. After working on an outline, Wells went off to write the script. Delivery of the first draft took a little longer than usual — almost six months — but when the script came in, Chou recalls weeping after reading it. “It was the best first draft of a script I’d ever read. It just blew me away. There was something so special about it from the beginning. It was moving and wonderful. You could tell Audrey’s heart and soul was in it,” says Chou.

Over the moon had been in development for over a year at Pearl before Wells broke the news to Chou that she was dying of cancer, and she didn’t know how much time she had left. Chou was visiting Los Angeles when Wells shared the devastating news. “She wanted me to know the script meant everything to her. That it was the love letter she’d be leaving behind to her daughter to help her carry forth in the world.” Wells implored Chou to do everything she could to get the film made. And, though Chou had already been in the process of looking for a director, the search suddenly became a mission of utmost determination.

Roughly a month after learning about the state of Wells’s health, Chou attended the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France in June of 2017, the same year that Academy Award-winning director Glen Keane (D ear Basketball ) was also in attendance. While Chou hadn’t initially thought to approach Keane — she had been considering female directors at first — it was a masterclass Keane gave that year that compelled her to pursue the legendary animator to direct the film (T he Little Mermaid , B eauty and the Beast ).

“It was a talk called ‘Thinking Like A Child,’” recalls Keane. “So much of everything I believe in animation was wrapped up in that little presentation, about believing the impossible is possible.” “The last time I had seen Glen was at Annecy in 1997, when we were working together on developing Rapunzel , a project that would ultimately become T angled ,” says Chou. “When I found out Glen would be giving a masterclass, I knew I had to attend. I was really eager and excited to reconnect with him after 20 years. In his talk, Glen spoke a lot about all the things that were important to him about storytelling, and what was appealing to him about creating a character — living in the skin of that character in order to truly understand where they came from or how the key to any character was sincerity. Somehow all I really heard in that presentation was Glen secretly saying to me: ‘I want to direct Over the moon !’”

After Annecy wrapped, Chou sent Keane the script and made sure to keep the film on his radar with regular updates on artwork and music until he agreed to come on board. Keane recalls the moment that sealed the deal for him: “Walt Disney was always talking about the ‘plausible impossible.’ And I thought, a 13-year-old girl building a rocket to the moon? I don’t know... But as I was reading it, I got to the page where Fei Fei’s rocket launches and then it runs out of power and starts falling back, like they're going to die. And I thought, Y es! Now I believe it. But you've got to save them somehow! I was suddenly invested. It was when that beam of light hit them and the moon lions leapt onto the page that I knew I had to direct this movie.”

The scene also invoked a cherished childhood memory for Keane from his 7th birthday: “When I was a kid, I had a birthday party and all of my friends were hanging out. My dad came in and said he had been talking to NASA and that he was building a rocket ship. It was very top secret, no one has seen it. He said, ‘I can't show it to you, but I can blindfold you guys and give you a ride on it.’ So, I sat in the cockpit, and imagined ground control talking, the rumbling, I felt the wind in my face as I was flying across the lake, feet in the water. When I took the blindfold off, I realized I was just sitting in a lawn chair in my backyard. But I never forgot that. That's what this movie is like — it takes you on this ride that everyone will believe. I felt like I was called to do this movie.”

Keane wasn’t the only connection forged at Annecy, however. Chou was also able to meet with Emmy and Academy Award-winning Producer Gennie Rim (D ear Basketball ), a long time colleague of Keane’s at Disney who turned to producing in 2012 with a VR short that Keane directed for Google. Rim, a Korean American, didn’t grow up hearing the legend of Chang’e specifically, but aspects of the story resonated deeply with her.

“I feel like this movie was made for me. I always wanted to take part in bringing Asian stories to the screen, and I felt so honored to be able to tell this story about a young girl living in modern-day China. There’s so much about this character that resonates with me,” says Rim. “I was the same age as Fei Fei when my mother wanted to remarry. My new stepfather had kids from another marriage, so I understood what Fei Fei was feeling when she had to face the idea of embracing a blended family when her father, who’s a widower, meets someone new. I also really loved the portrayal of a family-owned restaurant — how everything about it dictates the daily rhythms of life. But to also be able to talk about grief at this level — for kids and adults alike — and not shy away from the hard parts was incredible. The characters want to give love and be loved, and to have that all shown in the context of Chinese culture was a gift.”

Keane credits Rim for having a knack for finding the right way to bring people together. When the pair found themselves in Montreal on business for 48 hours in November 2017, Rim set up a casual coffee date with Emmy-winning Production Designer Céline Desrumaux (T he Little Prince , A ge of Sail ), without mentioning that Keane would also be joining them. Charmingly, Desrumaux showed up at the cafe holding a snow shovel she had just purchased — a prop that became an unexpected auspice in Keane’s decision to ask her if she’d be interested in working on the film. “At the end of our conversation I not only wanted to work with Céline, but I felt like I had a lot to learn from her,” says Keane. “Now, when I think of Céline and that snow shovel,” Keane continues, “I’m reminded about how the everyday things in life are so important and how much I enjoyed the way she pushed me out of what’s normal and into something new.”

The partnership with Desrumaux sparked an idea that carried throughout the whole filmmaking process of “reverse mentorship,” where Keane intentionally surrounded himself with people who could bring new and creative viewpoints that he never could’ve thought of to the table. In addition to Desrumaux, Keane brought on a Co-Director, Academy Award-winning animator John Kahrs (P aperman ), who had previous experience working with both Keane and Desrumaux, to ensure that the animation in OVER THE MOON was as groundbreaking and fresh as it could be.

Desrumaux’s eye for the everyday things in life informed the grounded look of the film’s scenes that take place in Fei Fei’s town. During a pre-production research trip, Desrumaux and Keane were given a tour of the ancient Chinese water towns of Wuzhen and Nanxun, located in a picturesque region south of the Yangtze River, courtesy of a local guide that Pearl Studio had provided. Desrumaux took hundreds of pictures and videos for reference, and found inspiration not only in the beauty of the canals and unique architecture of the cities, but in the seemingly mundane interiors of the homes.

“If the audience is going to believe in the story that you’re telling — you have to believe it. In order to create a movie that feels like the W izard of Oz , where you start someplace that’s real, then travel to some fantastic world, you have to start with what’s real,” says Keane. “In walking through those towns with Céline, I began to see it through her eyes. It didn't look like a Disney version of China. It was real. It's where people lived. The paint was cracking in places on the walls. I think a part of me, maybe after being at Disney for so many years, assumed we would approach the look of the film from a very traditional standpoint, but Céline kept taking pictures of the little plastic chair in the corner, or the bottles on a shelf, or the TV in the kitchen. She insisted on capturing what was real. Her approach really affected the look of the whole film.”

By comparison, Lunaria — the dazzling phosphorescent realm that Chang’e inhabits on the moon — is noticeably more fantastical. “I remember when Glen gave me a brief for Lunaria, he told me to see the cover of Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd — a simple prism with white light and colors. He said he had no idea what Lunaria looks like, but it needs to be as strong as this cover,” says Desrumaux. She set out to create Lunaria as a place where everything is a light source, illuminating from within and stemming from Chang’e — as opposed to Earth, which is all reflected light.

For the team behind OVER THE MOON, there’s an idea nestled in the beating heart of the film that would ultimately ring louder than its many other salient messages: D ream the impossible, then build it. It’s an idea that helped everyone pull through in the wake of Audrey Wells’ death in October of 2018, and the sentiment they held onto when the effects of COVID-19 first hit China, and then the rest of the world in the middle of post production. No one could have imagined finishing the film in a time like this. According to Rim, “There were times when we could have lost sight of what we were doing. Glen and I would always come back to the importance of our film and Audrey’s desire to make films that heal. Our film is built on the message of encouraging love and healing. We knew we needed to keep pushing to get this film into the world so that it can do just that. Everyone leaned in all the way to the end. They’ve been passionately committed to finishing this film in the middle of a pandemic and that stems from Glen. When we were up against these odds, he never once took his foot off the gas in believing that this could be the best film ever, he never let up on hitting that bar.”

“Working on this film and living it every second of every day these last couple years, it sinks into your DNA, into your thinking and views. The two major things that Fei Fei is living out is to embrace something new and being open to change. Both of those things are so big and can affect you in so many ways,” says Keane. “There has never been a time when this film has been more relevant, or perhaps when the world needed it more,” adds Chou. “The themes of OVER THE MOON, which Audrey portrayed with passion and integrity, are all about opening your heart and learning to accept new things. It tells us that in challenging or difficult times, the answer to almost anything is always love.”

Newcomer Cathy Ang voices Fei Fei, a bright young dreamer and lover of science. She believes anything is possible and her determination to prove that Chang’e exists takes her to the moon and back. Hamilton star Phillipa Soo voices Chang’e , the legendary moon goddess herself. Despite being a larger-than-life diva and the source of all light on Lunaria, she still longs for Houyi, her one true love. Ken Jeong voices Gobi, an endearing, but sometimes exasperating Lunarian who becomes an unexpected companion to Fei Fei on her adventure.

Robert G. Chiu voices Chin, Fei Fei’s rambunctious, high-energy brother-to-be. Though he can be annoying at times, he also believes in the impossible, just like Fei Fei. John Cho voices Fei Fei’s Father, the proud owner of a mooncake shop and a man of science whoapproaches the world logically, though he can see the joy that the legend of Chang’e brings to Fei Fei and her mother. Broadway star Ruthie Ann Miles voices Fei Fei’s Mother, a warm and loving figure who leads with her heart and is inspired by Fei Fei’s imagination. Sandra Oh voices Mrs. Zhong, Patient and understanding, Mrs. Zhong is Fei Fei’s future stepmother. She gives Fei Fei the room she needs to understand and work through her feelings. Kimiko Glenn voices Auntie Mei , a romantic who loves the stories about Chang’e. Margaret Cho voices Auntie Ling , who believes that the stories about Chang’e are nothing more than tall tales. Bungee was a gift from Mother and is Fei Fei’s most loyal (and adorable) companion — one who literally follows her to the ends of the Earth. Croak is Chin’s pet frog who, unlike his owner, remains fairly chill under most circumstances.

Across numerous Asian cultures, the 15th day of the 8th month of the Lunar calendar — when the moon shines at its fullest and brightest — marks a day of celebration and the gathering together of families and friends over a shared meal. Though each culture has its own set of accompanying traditions and stories surrounding this holiday, Over the moon takes its inspiration from the Chinese celebration known as the Autumn Moon Festival (or the Mid-Autumn Festival), and the traditional legend of Chang’e, the moon goddess whose tale gave birth to the festival itself. According to the legend, the beautiful and kind Chang’e was married to an expert archer, Houyi… At that time, ten suns rose together in the skies and scorched the earth, causing hardship for the people. Houyi shot down nine of them, leaving just one sun, and was given immortality pills as a reward for his heroic
gesture. Unwilling to take them, as he did not want to gain immortality without his beloved wife, he asked Chang’e to keep it safe. However, when Houyi went out hunting, his apprentice broke into their house and tried to force Chang’e to give him the p ills. But Chang’e refused. And to prevent him from taking it, she took the pills herself and flew up toward the moon. And she has been there ever since, waiting to see Houyi again.

Fun Facts
- Producer Gennie Rim started an art gallery after leaving Disney in 2012. In 2014, she reconnected with her former longtime colleague Glen Keane on a Google VR project, D uet . They continued their collaboration with 2017’s D ear Basketball with the late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, and won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film at the 2018 Academy Awards.
- Renowned fashion designer Guo Pei — who famously designed Rihanna’s yellow Met Gala dress in 2015 — created the costume designs for Chang’e. Over the moon is her first experience working with animation, and since she doesn’t speak English and Glen Keane doesn’t speak Mandarin, they ended up communicating and collaborating on their ideas for Chang’e’s looks through sketches.
- The album cover for Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon” was among the first sources of inspiration for the overall look of Lunaria, the kingdom Chang’e presides over.
- The 2D drawing and animation sequence of Chang’e on Fei Fei’s scarf were hand drawn by Glen Keane.
- The town Fei Fei lives in is modeled after the water town of Wuzhen, China. Wuzhen is sometimes referred to as the Venice of China and is known for its beautiful canals, boats, and bridges.
- When celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival, families in China gather to eat mooncakes and gaze upon the moon together. Children are told the tale of Chang'e and look up at the moon to see if they can find her and Jade Rabbit.
- The uncle in the family dinner scene during the Autumn Moon Festival was modeled after Wancy Cho, a production coordinator at Pearl Studio.
- Production designer Céline Desrumaux was already planning a trip to China when she was hired to work on the film. She spent a total of four weeks in China — part of it with Keane and a guide hired by Pearl Studio — taking hundreds of pictures and videos for reference.
- During Desrumaux and Keane’s visit to a Chinese water town, Keane wondered out loud, “I wonder what it looks like inside one of these homes.” So their guide randomly knocked on the door of one of the residences, and when the door opened she said, “We have some people from Hollywood that would love to come in and take a look at your house. Is that OK?” They were welcomed in and allowed to explore the home as they wished. Desrumaux ended up modeling many of the details seen in Fei Fei’s house on the interior of the homes in the water towns.
- One of the first images Desrumaux created was a painting of a flying lion that would eventually become Chang’e’s playful moon lions.
- The initial concept drawings of Chang’e were purposely over the top, depicting the goddess as a resolutely unearthly diva who stood over 10 feet tall. The designers toned it down, but not too much, as they didn’t want to hew too close to reality in her likeness.
- The song heard in the trailer, “Rocket to the Moon,” was the first song written for the film. Chris Curtis and Marjorie Duffield started writing the song while they were in Shanghai for an Artists in Residence program that Pearl Studio hosted in July 2017. Duffield recalls being inspired by an early sketch that producer Peilin Chou shared of a little girl looking out her window at a full moon. They finished it in January 2018 with Helen Park after the trio was officially hired to pen the songs for the film.
- Cathy Ang had been originally hired as a day player to record a temp demo of “Rocket to the Moon” for an early screening. Her very first rendition of the song ended up being so powerful and perfect that it not only earned her the leading role of Fei Fei, but ended up being the final version that’s heard in the film.
- The songwriters took cues from KPop, Queen, Tina Turner, Eminem, Lady Gaga, John Williams, Beyoncé, and Katy Perry, among numerous other influences as they were writing the music for the film.
- Bungee and Croak both see their respective owners, Fei Fei and Chin, as their superheroes and believe in them at all times. Keane says, “You actually understand Fei Fei and Chin better through their animals. They’re little, but vital characters.”
- Edie Ichioka, the film’s editor, was given the opportunity to voice Bungee after the filmmakers learned how obsessed she was with bunny rabbits.

Synopsis :
Fueled with determination and a passion for science, a bright young girl builds a rocket ship to the moon to prove the existence of a legendary Moon Goddess. There she ends up on an unexpected quest, and discovers a whimsical land of fantastical creatures. Directed by animation legend Glen Keane, and produced by Gennie Rim and Peilin Chou, Over the Moon is an exhilarating musical adventure about moving forward, embracing the unexpected, and the power of imagination. 

Over the Moon
Directed by Glen Keane
Produced by Janet Yang, Gennie Rim
Written by Audrey Wells
Starring Original voices : Cathy Ang, Robert G Chiu, Phillipa Soo, Ken Jeong, John Cho, Ruthie Ann Miles, Sandra Oh, Margaret Cho, Kimiko Glenn, Artt Butler
Music by Steven Price
Production companies : Pearl Studio, Sony Pictures Imageworks
Distributed by Netflix
Release date : 2020

Photos : Copyright Netflix

(Source : press release)