Honestly, if you haven’t sat down with a box of tissues to watch the movie Over the Moon, you’re missing out on one of the most visually stunning and emotionally taxing experiences in modern animation. It’s vibrant. It’s loud. It’s a bit chaotic, kinda like grief itself. When it dropped on Netflix back in 2020, people sort of pinned it as a Coco clone or just another "Disney-style" adventure without the Disney logo, but that’s a massive oversimplification of what Pearl Studio and Sony Pictures Imageworks actually built here.
The story follows Fei Fei, a bright, science-loving girl who builds a literal rocket to the moon to prove a goddess exists. Why? Because her dad is moving on after her mother's death, and she’s not ready for the family to change.
It hits hard.
The Legend of Chang’e vs. The Movie Version
Most people know the basics of the Mid-Autumn Festival. You eat mooncakes, you look at the moon, and you think about family. But Over the Moon takes the traditional myth of Chang’e and turns it into a pop-star fever dream. In the original folklore, Chang’e is often portrayed as a tragic, elegant figure who floated to the moon after consuming an elixir of immortality. She’s usually seen as lonely, cold, and pining for her husband, Houyi.
Director Glen Keane—who, let’s be real, is an absolute legend for his work on The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast—decided to flip the script. He didn't want a weeping willow. He wanted a diva.
In the film, Chang’e is voiced by Phillipa Soo (yes, Eliza from Hamilton), and she is a force of nature. She’s wearing high-fashion outfits designed by Guo Pei, the same designer responsible for Rihanna’s iconic yellow Met Gala dress. This version of the goddess is demanding, vulnerable, and deeply hurt. She’s essentially a representation of "frozen grief." While Fei Fei is trying to preserve the past, Chang’e is literally stuck in it, surrounded by neon lights and "Lunarettes" that look like something out of a Katy Perry music video.
It's a weird contrast. On one hand, you have the rural, beautiful town of Wuzhen—which the production team actually visited to get the lighting and the water right—and on the other, you have Lunaria, a world made of pure light that looks like a rave.
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Why the Science in Over the Moon Actually Matters
Fei Fei isn't a magical protagonist. She’s a nerd. That’s a huge distinction.
She uses math. She uses physics. She fails, like, a lot.
The scene where she’s designing the rocket is one of the best "maker" montages in recent film history. It’s not just a "believe in your dreams" moment; it’s a "calculate the thrust-to-weight ratio" moment. Of course, she eventually gets a boost from some magical moon-lions (because it’s still a movie), but the core of her character is rooted in STEM. This was a very deliberate choice by screenwriter Audrey Wells, who tragically passed away from cancer before the film was released.
Knowing that Audrey Wells wrote this while she was dying adds a layer of weight to the film that you can’t ignore. It wasn't just a gig for her. It was a letter to her daughter. It was her way of saying, "I’m going to be gone, and you’re going to be okay, even if it feels like the world is ending."
When you watch the "Ultraluminary" sequence, it’s easy to get distracted by the colors. But if you look at the lyrics, it’s all about the pressure of being "perfect" when you’re actually falling apart inside. It’s surprisingly deep for a movie that also features a giant green space-rabbit named Gobi.
Addressing the Criticism: Is it just a Disney Rip-off?
Let's address the elephant in the room. A lot of critics called this a Disney formula movie.
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Sure. It has the "dead mom" trope. It has the talking sidekick. It has the big "I want" song. But calling it a rip-off ignores the cultural specificity that makes it stand out. The food alone—the way the mooncakes are pressed, the steam rising off the dinner table—is rendered with a level of love that you only get when the creators actually care about the heritage they’re representing.
The movie Over the Moon handles the concept of "moving on" differently than most Western films. It doesn’t treat the new stepmother, Mrs. Zhong, as a villain. There is no "evil stepmom" here. She’s just a kind woman trying to make a connection. The conflict is entirely internal to Fei Fei. That’s a much more sophisticated way to handle a family dynamic than just giving someone a black cape and a poison apple.
The Music: A Mixed Bag of Brilliance
The soundtrack is a wild ride. You’ve got traditional orchestral swells, and then suddenly, you’re listening to a K-pop inspired anthem.
"Rocket to the Moon" is the standout. It’s the emotional anchor. But then you have "Hey Boy," which is a rap battle between a young girl and a literal goddess. It shouldn't work. Honestly, on paper, it sounds like a disaster. But because the animation is so fluid and the voice acting is so committed, it actually lands.
Ken Jeong as Gobi is... polarizing. Some people find the character annoying. Others see him as the necessary comic relief to stop the movie from becoming a total depress-fest. He’s the one who explains the "Gift" to Fei Fei, which is arguably the most important thematic moment in the whole story.
Real-World Impact and E-E-A-T
When we talk about the cultural impact of Over the Moon, we have to look at how it bolstered the profile of Pearl Studio. Formerly known as Oriental DreamWorks, this was their big swing at a global, lead-producer role. They didn't just want to provide the labor; they wanted to tell the story.
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The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. It lost to Soul, which, let’s be honest, is a tough opponent for anyone. But the nomination validated the idea that stories rooted in specific Chinese traditions could resonate globally without being "Westernized" to the point of losing their soul.
Practical Takeaways for Fans and Parents
If you're planning to watch or re-watch, here is how to actually get the most out of the experience:
- Watch for the details in Wuzhen: The first 20 minutes are a masterclass in atmospheric animation. The way the light hits the water in the canals is based on real-world physics of that specific region in China.
- Listen to the lyrics of "Love Someone New": This is the song that Audrey Wells wrote specifically for her family. It’s the heart of the film.
- Discuss the "Chamber of Exquisite Sadness": This is a heavy concept for kids, but it’s a great way to talk about depression and grief. It’s portrayed as a place where you just... stop. No light, no sound. It’s one of the most honest depictions of clinical sadness in a "G" rated movie.
What to Do Next
Don't just stop at the credits. If the movie sparked an interest in the actual mythology, go read the "Jade Rabbit" legends or look up the history of the Houyi and Chang’e myth. There are dozens of variations, some much darker than the film.
Also, check out the behind-the-scenes footage of Guo Pei's dress designs. Seeing how they translated physical high-fashion fabric into digital code is a feat of engineering that makes the "science" of the movie feel even more real.
If you're looking for more animation that tackles heavy themes with this much color, Wolfwalkers or The Tale of the Princess Kaguya are the logical next steps. They offer a similar blend of folklore and raw, human emotion that reminds us why animation is often a better medium for discussing death than live action could ever be.
The movie Over the Moon isn't just a flick to keep the kids quiet for 90 minutes. It’s a loud, messy, neon-soaked exploration of how we keep living when the person who taught us how to love is gone. It's about building a rocket, realizing the rocket isn't the point, and finally coming home to eat dinner with the people who are still here.