'Over The Moon' Trailer: Netflix's Gorgeous Animated Musical Explores The Legend Of The Chinese Moon Goddess

Netflix has been steadily becoming a major threat to Disney and Pixar's animation domination. After the streamer's phenomenal Klaus became an unexpected darling at the awards circuit last year (and looked like it might steal the Oscar from Pixar, for a second), Netflix is doubling down on gorgeous, compelling animated films. And for Netflix's first animated musical, they've assembled quite the team. Former Disney legend and Oscar winner Glen Keane is directing Over the Moon, a striking new animated film inspired by the Chinese legend of the Moon Goddess and animated by DreamWorks' Pearl Studios. Watch the Over the Moon trailer below.

Inspired by the Chinese tale of the Moon Goddess, Over the Moon follows 13-year-old Fei Fei (Cathy Ang) as she attempts to prove that the goddess exists to her disbelieving family, who had raised her on the myth. But when the spaceship she builds nearly crashes, Fei Fei unexpectedly finds herself transported to the fantastical, vibrant world of the moon.

We're starting to see greater representation of Chinese culture in Hollywood animated films lately, from DreamWorks Abominable (also animated by Pearl Studios) to Disney's upcoming Raya and the Last Dragon. Netflix's Over the Moon seems to be another lovely addition to this growing list, featuring an all-Asian cast — including Cathy Ang, Phillipa Soo, Ken Jeong, John Cho, Ruthie Ann Miles, Sandra Oh, Robert G. Chiu, Margaret Cho,and Kimiko Glenn — and centering around an ancient Chinese myth of the moon goddess. From the warm depictions of crowded family dinners to the fantastical world of the moon that young Fei Fei unexpectedly finds herself on, Over the Moon certainly looks like it will bring that old whimsical Disney magic to a culture we rarely see in major Hollywood films.

A lot of that Disney magic can likely be credited to Keane, the acclaimed animator behind Ariel, Aladdin, the Beast, Tarzan, and Rapunzel, who makes his directorial feature debut with Over the Moon (Keane departed Disney's Tangled in 2008 after suffering a heart attack). The film is written by the late Audrey Wells (The Hate U Give) and features original songs composed by Christopher Curtis (Chaplin the Musical), Marjorie Duffield, and Helen Park (KPOP), and a score by Gravity Oscar winner Steven Price.

Here is the synopsis for Over the Moon:

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.

Over the Moon will debut on Netflix in fall 2020.