'Over The Moon' star, director thrilled to make major Netflix movie based on Chinese legend
The chance to star in a major movie based on a Chinese legend like Netflix’s “Over The Moon” left actress Cathy Ang, well, over the moon.
The animated film sees Ang voice a young girl named Fei Fei who builds a rocket ship to travel to space and meet the Chinese moon goddess, Chang’e.
Ang, who has Chinese Filipina heritage, remembers learning about Chang’e as a kid growing up in Cupertino, California, and is thrilled to introduce a new twist on the story to a large audience.
“I was just very excited to be able to share such a part of my heritage and tradition through a mainstream media platform,” Ang, 25, told the Daily News. “Then when I actually read the script, I completely fell in love with all of the characters and the messages about healing and coming together.”
The musical movie, which debuts Friday on Netflix, introduces Fei Fei as an ambitious child whose world is flipped upside down by the death of her mother.
Fei Fei makes it her mission to meet Chang’e, who is voiced by Phillipa Soo, and prove that true love never dies after her father meets another woman.
“She loves science and space exploration, which I share with her, and I think she has the curiosity and sense of adventure,” Ang said of her character. “She’s incredibly determined. Sometimes she can be pretty stubborn, but it also motivates her to never give up on herself and her beliefs. … At the core of all this, she’s really motivated by her love for her family. She’s a wonderful role model for kids in particular.”
The film marks the feature directorial debut for veteran Disney character animator Glen Keane, whose past projects include “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin.”
Keane, 66, won an Oscar with Kobe Bryant in 2018 for his work on the late Los Angeles Lakers star’s “Dear Basketball” animated short. He noticed a key similarity between the NBA icon and the main character in “Over The Moon.”
“The amazing thing of both Kobe and Fei Fei (is) believing the impossible is possible,” Keane told The News.
Ang remembers loving “Mulan” as a child because it gave her a heroic character whom she saw herself in. She’s hopeful Fei Fei and Chang’e will be characters that viewers of “Over The Moon” can look up to, too.
The new movie features a star-studded voice cast of actors with Asian heritage, including John Cho, Sandra Oh and Ken Jeong.
It was a “huge privilege and honor” to be part of that lineup, Ang said.
“This cast has inspired me to pursue acting,” Ang explained. “I grew up wanting to be able to be like them, and they paved the way for a lot of young Asian-American artists. They lift the young artists up so well.”
Many of the producers and animators for “Over The Moon” are of Asian descent, and Keane said it was important for him to visit China while making the movie in order to have an authentic experience.
He believes the messages featured in the film will connect with viewers.
“There was a lot of humor and light and fantasy, but underneath, it was dealing with how do you go through the loss of someone you love,” Keane said. “Whether it’s through death or whether it’s through divorce, how many kids are going through something like this? This film really has a message that the love that you’ve experienced does not disappear.”
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