Voices of Cathy Ang, Phillipa Soo, Robert G. Chiu, and Ken Jeong
Directed by Glen Keane
Music and Lyrics by Christopher Curtis, Marjorie Duffield, and Helen Park
We celebrate Chinese New Year with this lovely animated film, the third released by Netflix. This retelling of the Chinese myth of the rabbit in the moon was released during the pandemic that year, meaning it went straight to streaming with a release in a few theaters. Does the sweet tale of a teen girl who hopes to prove that the goddess of the moon is real continue to work now? Let's begin with cook Ma Ma (Ruthie Ann Miles) telling her daughter Fei Fei (Ang) the story of the moon goddess Chang'e (Soo) and find out...
The Story: Unfortunately, Ma Ma takes ill and dies when Fei Fei is 11. By the time she's 15, her father Ba Ba (John Cho) is remarrying a woman named Mrs. Zhong (Sandra Oh). Although she's a nice lady, Fei Fei doesn't handle this well. She's especially not fond of Mrs. Zhong's annoying son Chin (Chiu) who insists he can run through walls and his pet frog.
Fei Fei creates a rocket that'll take her to the moon so she can prove Chang'e is real. To her consternation, Chin sneaks along. Beautiful Chang 'e is obsessed with returning to her true love Hou Yi (Conrad Ricamora), who lacked her immortality. She thinks the children came to deliver a gift that would bring her love back. Fei Fei goes to search for the gift with three "Biker Chick" Lumarians, while Chin challenges Chang'e to a ping-pong game. Fei Fei thinks she's found the gift, but the bikers take off with it. With the help of exiled Lumarian Gobi (Jeong), she and Chang'e finally learn how to heal and let go of the past.
The Animation: While the character animation is well done, the big thing here is Chang'e and the Lumarians' world. It's all bright neons and huge shining spires and magenta glitter. There's some amazing designs, too, especially on animals like the giant frogs and dog who bites into the moon. Chang'e's elegant and colorful costumes were created by Chinese fashion designer Guo Pei, and they certainly look like haute couture, from the sparkly layer dress she wears at her concert to the dramatic red number with the enormous collar seen on the poster.
The Song and Dance: This charming and sweet film may have been especially important when it debuted, given how many people lost loved ones in 2020. You really feel Ang's heartbreak over her mother, especially early in the film when she's trying to deny that her father has moved on. Soo also does well as the fickle goddess who is heartbroken over her lost love one minute, charming to her people the next. Chui and Jeoung get a few good moments as the goofy little brother who basically thinks he has superpowers and the exiled Lumarian who believes in the good change can do.
Favorite Number: We open with "On the Moon Above" that gives us the story of Chang'e and how much Fei Fei adored her mother. They sing about making "Mooncakes" for the big Moon Festival, even as Ma Ma is dying. Fei Fei hopes her "Rocket to the Moon" will take her to Chang'e, so she can prove she's real. Chang'e appears in a huge concert, complete with back up Lumenettes dancers, insisting that she's "Ultraluminary."
"Hey Boy" pits Chin against Chang'e in a ping pong game that leaves him wondering if he's in over his head. Gobi tells Fei Fei how he thinks their ride on giant frogs - and the ability to change and move on - are "Wonderful." Hou Yi briefly joins his wife for "Yours Forever" in the beautiful forest of her memories. Chang'e and Fei Fei break out of depression by admitting that it's not so bad to "Love Someone New."
What I Don't Like: Ok, so the story is a tad cliched. It starts off coming-of-age and veers more into sci-fi action territory on the moon. Critics complained that this had a little too much Disney in it, with its huge castle and princess-like goddess, likely the result of director Keane being a former Disney animator. Once they get on the moon, the mood goes from contemplative to annoyingly frantic, not helped by all the padding with the unnecessary ping pong game and Gobi's antics. The ending is sweet, but getting there is more tooth-itchingly sticky. Not to mention, a good chunk of the voice cast is actually Korean rather than Chinese, and a lot of the music apes the Korean pop that's so huge right now.
The Big Finale: Despite the strange and sometimes conventional story, this is still recommended for older elementary-schoolers and pre-teens who have any interest in Chinese culture or have lost someone recently.
Home Media: This is a Netflix exclusive at the moment.
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