Based on one of Germany’s most popular children’s books and directed by Ali Sami Ahadi, Moonbound is an animated film that tells the story about a brother and a sister who go on an adventure to the moon to help a beetle find his missing wife.
The story begins when we are introduced to Pete and his younger sister Anne. They have recently moved into a new house with their mother after their astronaut father passed away while on a mission to space, but they have to share a room together. Pete is embarrassed and annoyed by Anne because she has a vivid imagination and always tells him fantastical tales that he doesn’t believe. We are also introduced to Mr. Zoomzeman, a beetle who is searching for his missing wife. He has been told that a good human will be able to help him find his wife and he believes that Pete and Anne are those good humans that can help him. So, he tells Anne what happened but Pete thinks that it is another one of Anne’s wild stories, so she leaves without him. Anne goes missing, so Pete decides to go looking for her and ends up on Star Meadow where he meets Mr. Sandman, who claims to know how to find Anne.
Moonbound is an immensely creative family film from start to finish. It contains many fantasy elements that keeps you engaged with the story and invested in the characters. The characters are enjoyable and relatable. Pete is a smart kid who is interested in becoming an astronaut just like his dad, and Anne is always making up stories with her creative imagination, so I liked that the characters go on a fairytale adventure on the moon. The humour can be a little bit predictable for a family film, but I think the jokes are appropriate for the younger audience to appreciate.
The animation looks nice and is reminiscent of the type of drawings that you would see in a children’s book, which makes sense, as the film is based on a children’s book. The animation style is mostly bright and looks like it is straight out of a fairy tale. But when Mr. Zoomzeman is telling the story of how his wife went missing, the animation is presented in a style that is reminiscent of anime. I felt the film switching between animation styles to be very ambitious and clever.
Moonbound is a family friendly film that can be emotional and funny, but it is also filled with life lessons that can appeal to people of all ages.
Moonbound is in Australian cinemas now.