9 minute read
Flight of Fantasy
Over the Moon, Disney veteran Glen Keane’s feature directorial debut, centers on a delightful young heroine and her imaginative journey. By Ramin Zahed
Ever since it was announced that beloved and Artt Butler, and includes memorable songs producer Peilin took us on a little tour in China, Disney veteran Glen Keane was set to di by Christopher Curtis, Marjorie Duffeld and and we visited this wonderful little water town rect his frst animated feature, Over the Helen Park and a score by Steven Price (Gravity). that became the town for Fei Fei. People would Moon, animation lovers have been eagerly fol “I love characters that believe the impossi invite us into their homes and we got to have lowing the development and production of the ble is possible,” said Keane during a recent indinner with a Chinese family in their home. I project. Produced by Shanghai-based Pearl terview. “I like that in my own life. We all face had never known what it was really like in Chi
Studio and Netfix, this beautifully conceived impossible odds in our life, now more than na, and the people were so warm and friendly. CG-animated feature follows the adventures of ever, and nothing can stop a character that sees And what was, I guess the most inspiring to me, a young girl named Fei Fei who builds a rocket the goal. For Ariel, it was to live out of the sea was how everything happens around food and ship to the Moon to the dinner table.” prove the existence of a ‘It’s something that I learned from the Nine Old Men at Disney. It’s so much about sincerity legendary Moon God in the eyes of the characters. So much of the performance is about animating the moment A Final Gift dess. Once she arrives at of discovery when an idea happens, and you can truly see it in their eyes.’ Chou mentions that her destination, she — Director Glen Keane the flm was Audrey ends up on an unexpect Wells’ fnal project be ed quest, and discovers a whimsical land of somehow, and for Fei Fei it’s to build a rocket to fore she passed away from cancer in 2018. “She fantastical creatures. the Moon. I felt like I had to do this movie. I get was so excited about that idea, about a strong The flm, which is premiering on Netfix this that girl.” girl that loves science and was interested in month, is produced by Gennie Rim (Dear Basket Keane, who received an Oscar for directing doing that,” says the producer. “But beyond that, ball) and Peilin Chou (Abominable), co-directed the late Kobe Bryant’s short Dear Basketball, she really connected with the story thematical by John Kahrs (Paperman) and written by the adds that there was something very exciting ly because she was going through her own late Audrey Wells (The Hate U Give, Under the about discovering a country like China through journey in her life. We didn’t fnd out until a Tuscan Sun). The flm features the voices of the perspective of this young protagonist. “I year or so of developing the project with her newcomer Cathy Ang (Fei Fei), Phillipa Soo, think there’s something wonderful about tell that she was sick and didn’t have a lot of time Robert G. Chiu, Ken Jeong, John Cho, Ruthie Ann ing a story from the point of discovery where left. And so she really, really wanted to leave Miles, Sandra Oh, Margaret Cho, Kimiko Glenn you are learning something new,” he said. “Our this movie behind as a love letter for her own
A Remarkable
Heroine: Fei Fei character designs by Glen Keane.
able to bring this type of story and the culture Asian Authenticity also, which very much is a part of who I am and Chou points out that while the flm’s charhow I grew up.” acters and experiences are very specifc to Keane says working with Netfix, Pearl and China, overall the movie is universal and globSony Imageworks offered much creative free ally relatable. “Audiences will get to see a real dom in terms of the flm’s visual styles. “Netfix Chinese family, real characters with depth and Glen Keane and Pellin Chou Gennie Rim is a really unique studio in that there isn’t a the same longings and desires and hopes for house style,” he explained. “There’s a leaning their children and themselves as everyone daughter and her husband to talk about what into each creative’s personal vision. We did this around the world. We’re all just people and happens when people pass on, that love still flm at an amazing speed. We were the frst connected in that same way. So I hope people really lasts forever. We were really fortunate ones in this little Netfix animation studio. will see that and feel connected to that. In a that she was still with us at the frst screening. Within four or fve months, had the entire mov way, it’s kind of like being able to visit China So she really got to see a version of this flm, ie up with the eight songs written and storythrough an animated flm and really experiwhich she absolutely loved.” boarded. Everything was happening really fast. ence the people and the culture.”
“It’s actually been an incredible journey,” There was this confdence that this was going Of course, the character of the flm’s imaginaRim says. “We followed Glen’s creative process to stick. This was our flm.” tive heroine is one of its main draws. “She reand talked about the storytelling and the freeminded me so much of the other characters I dom of creativity. I think had animated through it’s defnitely a Glen Keane ‘Audiences will get to see a real Chinese family, real characters with depth and the same out my career. When my flm through and through, longings and desires and hopes for their children and themselves as everyone around the producer Gennie Rim and he’s had so much support from both sides. I world. So I hope people will see that and feel connected to that.’ and I read the script, we felt compelled to think we’re just all really — Producer Peilin Chou, CCO of Pearl Studio do it. This is Audrey excited to see the world Wells’ swan song. It experience this flm in tells such a beautiful this way.” story. So, this movie be
Both Rim and Chou emcame one of the frst phasized the importance animated projects set of working on a movie up at Netfix.” that offered an honest Keane says he knew and original representa that he wanted to draw tion of Chinese families and design some of the and culture to the U.S. and characters in the movie. the world. “Disney gets so deeply “I defnitely grew up at a ingrained in you after time where I never saw you spend 40 years anyone that looked like there,” he says. “I was myself in U.S. movies or on looking at the designs television,” says Chou. “So, and thinking, it’s almost it’s meaningful to me to be there, but there needs
DIY Rocket to the Moon:
The movie features colorful space flight sequences following Fei Fei and her brother. Lower left: A brief but memorable 2D-animated scene tells the backstory of the legendary Moon Goddess.
to be something more. I had seen Brittany Myers’ work on the internet: She had done a wonderful painting of Ariel. There was something different and better about her approach. She was pushing and stretching things in a new way. So I started to imitate her way of drawing and I liked what it was doing for me.”
“Our producer Gennie asked me if I’d like Brittany to work on the movie with us,” Keane recalls. “She has a way of building the right team. So we brought her and Jin Kim, with whom I had worked on Tangled, and we de signed these characters. They are three-dimensional, soft characters that feel like they have blood in their veins. It’s something that I learned from the Nine Old Men at Disney. It’s so much about sincerity in the eyes of the charac ters. So much of the performance is about animating the moment of discovery when an idea happens, and you can truly see it in their eyes.”
“There was a moment where Peilin was saying, we want you to make this movie your own, and we know you love hand-drawn,” Keane recalls. “But after doing Tangled I realized how much drawing is infused in CG if you want it to be. It can be the foundation to everything that you do. So, we decided to take all the power of drawing and design, the beauty of the lighting and the design and colors and textures that CG can bring. We decided to do it in CG. Now I look at the flm and cannot imagine that we could have done it any other way.”
A Voyage to Remember
Keane says he has always been drawn to movies that incorporate human fight. “My fa vorite animated movie is Peter Pan,” he notes. “There’s this wonderful moment when Peter Pan takes Wendy, Jonathan and Michael out of the window of their home, and they fy across London. That idea that you can fy has always been a big part for me. I have fying dreams! As I read the script, the idea of building a rocket to the Moon really captured my imagination. I feel like animation is like that. It takes you on this ride that everyone is going to believe it.”
Comparing Fei Fei’s trip to the Moon to Dorothy’s magical journey to Oz, Keane adds, “Our movie is the same kind of adventure. I love the fantasy, the imagination, the desire to make
believe, but deeper than that it was something that Audrey was writing from this deep, heartfelt need. Our main character is going to the Moon to meet a Moon Goddess, and just like Dorothy, she has to go through this experience to be able to deal with the problems she is facing at home.” “Gennie and I got to do this wonderful flm with Kobe Bryant, Dear Basketball, which expressed something that was so personal and such a life message for him,” Keane says. “For this movie, Audrey Wells wrote this story knowing that she wasn’t going to be around much longer, and she put this movie in our hands to communicate that message. It’s such a privilege, and we took that very seriously, wanting this flm to be as entertaining, fun, emotional and deeply applicable to our own lives. I would love people to come away from the movie singing the songs — that are truly wonderful — and valuing the importance of love and cherishing the people in your life.” ◆
