Animated musical adventure to debut on Netflix and in theaters in China in 2020.
LOS ANGELES and SHANGHAI -- Legendary Academy Award-nominated animator Glen Keane will direct Pearl Studio’s Over the Moon as a world premiere animated film exclusively for Netflix, it was jointly announced today by Peilin Chou, chief creative officer of Pearl Studio, and Melissa Cobb, VP of kids and family for Netflix.
Over the Moon is an animated musical adventure feature about a girl who builds a rocket ship and blasts off to the moon in hopes of meeting a legendary Moon Goddess. The film will be released in 2020, theatrically in China, and to Netflix members around the world.
Keane most recently directed the Oscar-nominated animated short film Dear Basketball, which won Best Animated Short this past weekend at the 45th annual Annie Awards. He is a multi-award winning distinguished veteran of Walt Disney Feature Animation who trained under Walt Disney’s legendary Nine Old Men. He is considered one of the most important creative forces in contemporary animation and was the lead animator who brought to life many of the most beloved modern classic Disney characters, such as Ariel in The Little Mermaid, the title characters in Pocahontas, Aladdin and Tarzan, as well as the Beast in Beauty and the Beast and Rapunzel in Tangled. His debut work as an animator was featured in The Rescuers for the characters of Bernard and Penny, alongside the famed Ollie Johnston. He animated Elliott the Dragon in Pete’s Dragon and was responsible for the climactic bear showdown in The Fox and the Hound. In 2012, he left Disney to form Glen Keane Productions as a way to further his artistic explorations in animation, design, and film.
For Over the Moon, he will bring his considerable talent, artistry and experience to this modern-day retelling of the classic Chinese myth. The film is written by Audrey Wells (Shall We Dance, Under the Tuscan Sun), produced by Gennie Rim (Dear Basketball, Duet) and executive produced by Janet Yang (Joy Luck Club, People Vs. Larry Flynt). Songs will be written by Christopher Curtis (Chaplin: The Musical), Marjorie Duffield and Helen Park (KPOP).
“I am powerfully drawn to characters who believe the impossible is possible,” said Keane. “Over the Moon has just such a heroine as its centerpiece. The compelling script by Audrey Wells has tremendous heart and humor that called to me and I had to respond. I'm honored to bring this story to life alongside my producer Gennie Rim. We are both looking forward to creating a wonderful film and partnership with Melissa Cobb at Netflix and Peilin Chou at Pearl Studio.”
“Glen Keane is one of the most beloved and respected animation talents in the world,” said Chou. “His contributions to the art form are legendary and as Pearl Studio launches our operations, I cannot imagine a more exciting or important director to bring the enormous scope, truth and soul of Over the Moon to life. We are beyond thrilled to be partnering with Glen and Netflix on the creation of this beautiful and enchanting film.”
“We are thrilled to partner with the brilliant Glen Keane, one of the most creative and visionary directors working in animation, and the team at Pearl Studio on the magical Over the Moon,” said Cobb. “Full of imagination and adventure, and set against a visually stunning backdrop that only Keane and writer Audrey Wells and their teams could create, we know Over the Moon will fascinate and inspire our Netflix members around the world.”
Source: Netflix, Pearl Studio