One small leap for kid, one giant leap for kid kind: That’s the takeaway from Netflix’s trailer for Richard Linklater’s upcoming coming-of-age animated science fiction film, Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Childhood, which debuts Friday, April 1 on the service.
Set in the summer of 1969, Apollo 10 1/2 tells the story of the first moon landing from two intertwined perspectives: the astronaut’s and mission control’s vision of the joyous moment and Stan, a little boy growing up in Houston, Tx., who has his own interplanetary ambitions.
So how exactly does Stan get drawn into all of this? Well, NASA needs his help to test the first lunar module because they accidentally made it too small. (Yes, you read that right.) The film “is a snapshot of American life in the 1960s that is part coming of age, part societal commentary, and part out-of-this-world adventure,” according to the synopsis.
“After the years of work on Apollo 10 1/2, I think everyone involved is excited to take folks on these intermingled journeys—one a young astronaut’s trip to the moon, and another that runs hand-in-hand with him and his family in the suburbs near NASA,” said director, writer and producer Linklater in a statement.
“I wanted it to be many things at once: a re-creation, a fantasy, and a memoir of ephemera, and making a large portion of the film during these dark and unsettling last two years only sharpened our focus as to what were primarily trying to share in this story, namely the hope, optimism,
communal spirit, and creativity of that time,” he added.
Apollo 10 1/2 stars Milo Coy, Lee Eddy, Bill Wise, Natalie L’Amoreaux, Josh Wiggins, Sam Chipman, Jessica Brynn Cohen, Danielle Guilbot, Zachary Levi, Glen Powell and Jack Black. The film streams on Netflix on Friday, April 1.