In this colour-packed animated film, Netflix turns our attention to the moon, from its myths to its cakes, and its presence in Chinese traditions. This family-friendly movie brings to life a story centred around loss, grief and new beginnings through the experience of Fei Fei (Cathy Ang), a young girl determined to quite literally shoot for the moon.
Four years after the premature death of her mother, Fei Fei is less than enthusiastic when her father (John Cho) meets a new woman, Mrs. Zhong, voiced by Nepean, Ontario’s own Sandra Oh. In an attempt to remind her father of his love for her mother, the intrepid girl seeks out the help of moon goddess Chang’e and builds a rocket to hurl herself through the atmosphere and land on Earth’s satellite. After a rough arrival, she, along with her beloved pet rabbit and pesky future stepbrother, discovers bubble-gum-hued Lunaria where the goddess-turned-popstar is more than a bit prickly than expected and, as it turns out, is also waiting for her long-lost love.
The film provides a beautiful portrait of a blended family, along with lessons on the stages of grief that even the most powerful of deities don’t get to skip.
