Movie Review: Fly Me to the Moon

Fly Me to the Moon is the first ever animated movie created totally in 3D. We had the honor of attending a movie premiere in Indianapolis. Fly Me to the Moon is directed by Ben Stassen and written by Domonic Paris. The release date is August 8, 2008.

The movie is shown from the perspective of flies. Three young houseflies plot out a plan to stow away on the Apollo 11 space ship in 1960. The movie begins at a party for a grandfather fly who used to fly with Amelia Earhart. His stories entice the three boy flies to want an adventure for themselves. The movie goes along with their plan, and flight into space. One would think the movie would end there but no, they need to come home. Seemingly simple enough but no, the Russian flies are jealous and try to sabotage the landing.

The animation and 3D effects throughout the movie were fantastic. A real thrill to see what the future of 3D animation has in store for us. The entire movie was created in 3D, not just a few scenes to satisfy the viewer. The viewers, wearing black horn rimmed 3D glasses, were totally immersed in the movie. Unlike other 3D movies, there were no big-ticket scenes thrown in to scare the viewer or make one surprised. Yes flies flew over us, objects poked off the screen but nothing was done for sensationalism effect. Taking my glasses off, I could still view the movie however it was blurry. I was curious because my youngest daughter wouldn't wear her glasses and I wanted to know what she was able to see.

We took our five and two year old daughters. The story was interesting but it seemed long and didn't hold their interest. My husband said he started to dose off at the end. While the movie technology knocks this one out of the park, the story theme could use some work.

But for historical content, it is a must see as far as being the first 3D animation. Having taken a few animation courses, I am always blown away with what technology will create and how hard it was to do simple movements. The amount of time it take to render, and what can happen if you have your parameters set wrong. So Fly Me to the Moon was a must see for technical miracle in 3D and for the animation. The story theme could have used a bit more work to rise to the level of the films importance.