“Over the Moon” is a new animated movie making its debut at the Montclair Film Festival today that is set to break many barriers in Hollywood film history. Featuring an all Asian-American cast detailing the journey of a young Chinese girl, its traditional and cultural depiction is the perfect embodiment of our Creatively Asian message!
The movie is an action, adventure, and comedy film produced by Pearl Studio and Sony Pictures. It will make its first debut at the Montclair Film Festival today, followed by its release on Netflix and other select theaters on October 23rd.
It tells the story of a very famous Chinese myth. It follows a girl named Fei Fei who’s on a mission to build a rocket ship in order to meet Chang’e, the moon goddess. The movie features the voices of many famous actors such as Phillipa Soo, John Cho, Margaret Cho, Sandra Oh, Ruthie Ann Miles, Ken Jeong, and Cathy Ang.
There is a large amount of Chinese culture depicted in the film, starting with the legend of the moon goddess. The producers wanted to take the time to make sure all the traditional Asian aspects and heritage were included. For example, the producer Peilin Chou emphasized the importance of how the emotions behind love were portrayed throughout the film. He wanted to make sure that the expressions were depicted in a very different way from standard American Hollywood films, as attributed to Chinese culture. Additionally, the strength in the family unit was greatly touched upon along with the subtle facial movements and interpretations that the characters gave off. “Over the Moon” was a dueling, but necessary process to foster long-standing Asian traditions and cultural norms.
Created by Meera Nair. Graphics by Jasmine Nguyen.