Fueled with determination and a passion for science, a bright young girl builds a rocket ship to the moon to prove the existence of a legendary Moon Goddess. There she ends up on an unexpected quest, and discovers a whimsical land of
fantastical creatures. Directed by animation legend Glen Keane, and produced by Gennie Rim and Peilin Chou, Over the Moon is an exhilarating musical adventure about moving forward, embracing the unexpected, and the power of imagination. The film stars Cathy Ang, Phillipa Soo, Ken Jeong, John Cho, Ruthie Ann Miles, Sandra Oh, Robert G. Chiu, Margaret Cho, and Kimiko Glenn.
From Oscar®-winning director and animation legend Glen Keane (Dear Basket- ball) and Pearl Studio, the makers of Abominable, comes Over the Moon, an out- of-this-world story about one girl’s epic journey to the moon and the lengths she
must personally travel as she learns to love again after experiencing loss. Voiced by an all-Asian cast led by newcomers Cathy Ang and Robert G. Chiu, John Cho, Sandra Oh, Phillipa Soo, Ruthie Ann Miles, and Ken Jeong, and featuring nine original songs,
Over the Moon is inspired by the story of the legendary Chinese moon goddess, Chang’e. It introduces unfamiliar audiences to a classic tale and invites those who grew up knowing her story to see her in a way they never have before — as a modern-day goddess for the ages.
Over the Moon began taking shape in 2015 when Pearl Studio hosted its first annual Brain Trust summit, which invited animation talent and thought leaders from all over the world to gather at its headquarters in Shanghai. Building a brain trust was one of the first initiatives that Producer Peilin Chou (Abominable, Kung Fu Panda 3), a former executive for Walt Disney Feature Animation, undertook when she joined the studio that same year. It was during this inaugural gathering that one of its attendees,
Executive Producer Janet Yang (The Joy Luck Club, Dark Matter), pitched the story of a little girl who builds a rocket to the moon to see if the legendary moon goddess, Chang’e, exists.
The concept — set in modern day, but extrapolated from myth — resonated with Chou immediately. “Every Chinese child grows up knowing the tale of Chang’e and believing that she lives on the moon. There’s even a national holiday centered around it — the Mid-Autumn Festival. Janet came up with the idea to tell a modern day version of
the legend through the eyes of a little girl named Fei Fei,” says Chou. “I loved the idea of bringing the tale of Chang’e to a global audience in a contemporary, fresh
and unique way.”
A writer needed to be brought in to add flesh to bone as Pearl continued to develop the idea, however. Chou had met Screenwriter Audrey Wells previously and knew the writer behind The Hate U Give and Under the Tuscan Sun possessed the right alchemy of emotional intelligence and agency needed to make the story sing. Wells accepted the job immediately. “I remember vividly that first meeting with Audrey,” says Chou. “After I pitched her the idea she said to me, ‘You want me to write the story of a little girl who decides to build a rocket to go to the moon? That’s the most wonderful thing I’ve ever heard.’ She felt a big connection to the idea, and to wanting to create a strong female character.”
Wells was officially brought on board in March of 2016. She went on a research trip to China as she was writing the script and had taken in every bit of the environ- ment around her — the setting, the food, the heart and soul and passion of the people. About nine months later, she delivered a draft of her script. It took slightly longer than usual, but Chou re- calls weeping after reading it.
