Over the Moon (2020, PG)

*Premise spoilers.*

While I’d put it a tier below the best of Disney/Pixar’s offerings, this is a nice film, a sweet, inventive contemplation on grief, family, and moving on. Featuring a talented voice cast and some lovely music, Over the Moon brings 21^st-century sensibility to timeless mythology in interesting ways.

It’s been four years, but Fei Fei is still feeling the ache of her mother’s death. When she discovers that her father has started seeing someone new, she freaks, afraid that moving forward means forgetting the past. Her thoughts turn to her favorite childhood story, that of the moon goddess Chang’e forever mourning her mortal lover. Convinced that her dad should follow Chang’e’s example, the scientific-minded Fei Fei becomes obsessed with the idea of building a rocket to the moon so she can seek out the goddess herself.

First of all, despite adults’ perennial hang-wringing over what kids can “handle” in their stories, this film is one of countless reminders that kids can and do handle a lot. There are kids who deal with the deaths of parents, with parents dating new people, with the prospect of annoying stepsiblings, and more. They can watch and enjoy movies with heavy/sad/scary/challenging moments, because life can be all those things and stories are a way kids can process some of those feelings.

Fei Fei’s story is sad, but it’s also funny, action-packed, and fantastical. I like that she works so hard and methodically toward such a naïve goal, and that she’s so busy holding tight to the past that she can’t see the possibilities of the future. She’s so wrapped up in her own hurt that it’s tough for her to see how her dad is feeling, to be civil to his new girlfriend or the girlfriend’s young son. Rather than accept that her life is going to change, Fei Fei digs her heels in and clings to science and myth in equal measure.

I like that aspect of it, that the film involves both goddesses and rockets—and that the goddess, after centuries on the moon with only her own creations for company, is styled after a pop diva. It’s a nice blend of modern and traditional, fantastical and practical. I mean, obviously the thought of a kid building an actual rocket to the moon is fantastical in and of itself, but I like that her first thought is to use technology to reach Chang’e, rather than prayer or magic.

Cathy Ang gives a strong performance as the sympathetic but frustrating Fei Fei, and Robert G. Chiu is hilariously endearing as her hyperactive would-be stepbrother Chin. John Cho plays Fei Fei’s dad, while Ruthie Ann Miles (Lady Thiang from the last King and I revival, and she was fantastic in Here Lies Love) plays her mom in the film’s opening scenes and Sandra Oh plays her dad’s new girlfriend. After her turn as the sweet Eliza Hamilton, I was impressed by Phillipa Soo’s attitude and forcefulness as Chang’e. The film also features the vocal talents of Ken Jeong, Margaret Cho, Kimiko Glenn (I’ve seen her in a number of animated projects now, but I know her best as Soso on Orange is the New Black,) and Conrad Ricamora (my beloved Will from Fire Island, and he appeared with Miles in both The King and I and Here Lives Love!)

Warnings

Scary moments for kids, some “don’t try this at home,” and strong thematic elements.

Y tu Luna también: Andor: Season 1, Episode 4 – “Aldhani” (2022)

*Spoilers for episode 3.*

Everything is lit. I know I’m biased, because I love Diego Luna and I love Rogue One, but this is such a fantastic Star Wars series so far. For me, it’s easily on track to be the best one yet. This week, we’re upping the ante and getting our first look at the actual rebellion.

In episode 3, the best way for Cassian to escape custody was to hop on Luthen’s ship and get the hell off the planet, which was exactly what Luthen wanted to happen. Because Cassian’s stolen tech was never Luthen’s prime interest: he wanted Cassian himself, recruiting him to “fight these bastards for real.” He proposes a one-time gig helping out on a rebel mission in exchange for a big payout, and though Cassian has all manner of doubts—about Luthen, about the rebellion, about himself—he warily decides to go along with it. We also catch up on Coruscant, where Sen. Mon Mothma balances her political responsibilities, her social obligations, and her secret aid to the rebels.

Since he’s a character that looms pretty large in this episode, we’ll go straight to our character of the day, which is Luthen. Played by Stellan Skarsgård, he’s still a bit slippery—we know he’s involved in the rebellion, with his fingers in a lot of pies, but while he can definitely handle himself in a fight, his role seems to be more of a mover and planner. He puts pieces on the board, making contacts and making things happen. He fits in equally well meeting Cassian in a dingy warehouse on Ferrix and having a quick tête-à-tête with Mon Mothma on Coruscant, where he poses as a dandified antiquities dealer. (Side note: I love seeing Star Wars universe antiquities!)

On the Empire side of things, the big dogs have caught wind of the ruckus on Ferrix and are quick to take the reins from Pre-Mor. Rather than having some introspection about having royally screwed up an investigation his superior told him to stay out of, Karn looks to be seething internally and likely puts all the blame for his situation on Cassian—seems on brand. We’ve also got a pair of lower-level imperial officers fighting over jurisdiction on the Ferrix case, because the Empire frequently shoots themselves in foot with the way everyone undercuts everybody else to get ahead. Their superior, however, isn’t interested in petty squabbling and is a dyed-in-the-wool fascist. At one point, he describes their role in quashing dissent as being “healthcare providers” to the galaxy, saying, “We locate germs, whether they have grown from within or come in from the outside.” Seriously chilling.

I just love how distrustful and guarded Cassian is right now. That might seem like a weird thing to enjoy, but Luna plays it so well. Once he agrees to Luthen’s bargain, he’s thrown into the last days of planning for a rebel mission where virtually no one trusts him or thinks he ought to be there, and he doesn’t exactly disagree. He’s incredibly taciturn with the rebels, constantly watching them as if he never stops contemplating whether or not he should bolt. But when he does speak, he demonstrates why he’s going to be helpful to have around, displaying both skill knowledge and tactical thinking—at the same time, though, he listens when other people talk and recognizes a sound strategy when he hears it.

Even though he’s still in “just one job, and then I get paid” mode, we’re seeing the start of the rebellion’s ideals getting under Cassian’s skin. Luthen, noting that Cassian’s troublemaking and thievery is likely to get him killed by the Empire eventually, asks, “Wouldn’t you rather give it all at once for something real, than carve off useless pieces until there’s nothing left?” And as he preps for the mission on Aldhani, he sees another planet that the Empire is using for its own purposes, to hell with the people who live there. Even though Aldhani’s situation is different than Kenari’s, you can still see his recognition of the parallels plainly in his expression. Luna’s nonverbal acting is fantastic here.

I Am Groot (2022-Present)

This series of shorts came out on Disney+ over the summer, but while I watched and enjoyed it at the time, I didn’t think to write about it until now. It’s a nice bit of wholesome, mischievous fun from the littlest member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

There’s no “arc” to be had here, no Big Bad to fight. Instead, it’s five very short tales starring Baby Groot. Each is under five minutes long and follows him on his various misadventures, whether that involves emerging from his pot for the first time, discovering a miniature civilization, or wreaking havoc on the ship in his attempts to create a bit of toddler artwork.

Disney+’s first big foray was its introduction of Baby Yoda/Grogu, and The Mandalorian kicked off an explosion of fan love and merchandising for the pint-sized Force user. But before there was Baby Yoda, there was Baby Groot. He was and remains my absolute favorite part of Guardians Vol. 2, and while I love me some Groot in any form, I’ll confess that, for me, Baby Groot is the best of the best.

So it’s really delightful to return to this version of the character in these fun little shorts. It hearkens back to everything I loved about Baby Groot in Vol. 2: his overwhelming cuteness mixed with his capacity for violence, his tenacious mischief combined with his small-child understanding of the world, and his appreciation for the little things in life.

Although none of the shorts feature actual Guardian adventures, a couple take place on various planets, so I can imagine that this is what Groot was getting up to while the grown-ups were, you know, guarding the galaxy. It’s a little like his wonderful dance scene during the fight at the start of Vol. 2, where Groot is just playing and having fun, oblivious to the other Guardians’ frantic attempts to stay alive while fighting a baddie. Only this time, whatever the other Guardians are doing, it’s happening offscreen altogether. Groot is tooling around on other planets, making new friends and/or enemies or discovering new things.

The rest of the shorts take place on the ship. Again, Groot is mainly left to his own devices, and wherever the others are, it’s not super relevant to the proceedings. He might be waking up at night to investigate a scary noise or leaving a trail of destruction gathering supplies for his new art project, and no matter what he does, it’s cute, hilarious, and more than a little irreverent.

As a fan of silent comedies, I vibe well with the storytelling here. We already know going in that the main character’s only dialogue is going to be, “I am Groot,” and most of the shorts either feature him on his own or only interacting with beings that don’t talk back to him. This places the narrative in the hands of the animation, spinning quick little tales through action and sight gags. It also brings to mind Pixar’s shorts, and how a lot of my favorites are the ones with no dialogue at all.

In my favorite of the shorts, Groot comes upon a hot spring and takes a mud bath that sends his leaf growth into overdrive, leading him to style his leaves in increasingly wild ways. Super cute—I love his utter joy at trying out new looks, and like others in the series, it remembers that Baby Groot can be a vengeful little thing when he wants to be and cause a lot of trouble for anyone looking to dim his shine.

Glad this little series exists to offer me some new Baby Groot adventures—and it’s already been renewed for a second season, so there will be more humor and cuteness to come!

Warnings

Some alien-toddler violence, a bit of gross-out humor, and some “don’t try this at home.”