If there’s one thing you can expect from an animation made by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker, Richard Linklater, it’s his unique animation style and Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood is no different. The coming-of-age movie retells the story of the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon Landing through the perspective of a fourth-grader who is pulled out of school and signed onto the NASA mission (because the scientists mistakenly built the lunar module too small for an adult).
Following the life of an American kid living in Houston, Texas in the 1960s, the movie uses rotoscope animation to dive into the young boy’s fantastical mind and his journey to the moon. This is Linklater’s third film made by rotoscoping, an animation technique where filmmakers create motion picture footage and trace over the footage, frame by frame. The other two are Waking Life (2001) and A Scanner Darkly (2006).
Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood is written, directed, and produced by Richard Linklater and was inspired by his own life growing up in Texas. The filmmaker was 9 and grew up in Houston, Texas, not far from the NASA Johnson Space Centre where the Apollo mission took place in 1969.
Looking for when, where, and how you can watch Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood? Here is all the information you need.
Watch the Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood Trailer
Netflix released the official trailer for Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood on March 7, 2022. The two and a half minute trailer goes directly to the motive behind the movie where two NASA scientists are scouting our hero of the story, Stanley (Milo Coy), while he’s playing a game on the playground at school.
The scientists go to him and explain the error they had made on the lunar model causing the size to be too small for the moon landing and request him to join them on a covert mission to test the model on the moon, telling him he’s their only hope. Stanley accepts. Through narration by an older version of Stanley (Jack Black), we are taken back to Stanley’s life before his mission where he states that living in the Houston area in the late 60s was a great time to be a kid. We take a tour of Stanley’s life where we meet his family, his friends, and the changing world around him.
The best part of the trailer is that it introduces us to Stanley’s two worlds, his life as a normal kid in Houston, Texas and his new life as a kid going on a secret NASA mission he cannot tell anybody about. We also catch a glimpse of the beautiful rotoscope animation style that fits into the film’s nostalgic 60s-soaked tone.
Where can I stream Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood?
Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood is coming to Netflix on Friday, April 1, 2022, a week after its premiere in select theaters.
Is Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood in Movie Theaters?
The film premiered at the 2022 South by Southwest Film Festival on March 13, 2022, and was released in select theaters on March 24th, 2022. However, the movie is coming to Netflix this Friday so if you don’t have an account, you can sign up for their Basic, Standard, or Premium plan for $9.99, $15.99 or $19.99 respectively.
What is Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood about?
The official synopsis of Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood as it reads on Netflix says,
“A man narrates stories of his life as a 10-year-old boy in 1969 Houston, weaving tales of nostalgia with a fantastical account of a journey to the moon.”
The animated feature is a coming-of-age story about a young boy and how he tries to adapt to the fast-changing world around him. The film retells history with a unique and interesting twist through a simple question: what if the first man on the moon was actually a kid? And the answer is an entertaining dive into Stanley’s double life as he tries to balance being a young, worry-free kid in Texas with his imaginary account of going on a top-secret NASA mission and having to keep that from his family and loved ones.
Who Makes Up Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood’s Cast and Crew?
The writer, director, and producer of the film, Richard Linklater is no stranger to coming-of-age movies. He wrote and directed the 2014 award-winning and critically acclaimed film, Boyhood and the 1993 comedy film, Dazed and Confused.
Young Stanley is voiced by Milo Coy and Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood is the actor’s first film. Old Stanley is narrated by Jack Black, who previously worked with Richard Linklater on films such as School of Rock (2003) and Bernie (2011).
The NASA Officials are played by Zachary Levi, who you might know from Shazam (2019), and Glen Powell, whose last film was Netflix’s romantic comedy, Set it Up (2018) and can next be seen in this summer’s long-delayed Top Gun: Maverick.
What Are Some Other Similar Animated Movies To Apollo 10 1/2?
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The first thing you’ll notice about Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood is its unique animation style because of its use of rotoscoping and the distinct style might take some getting used to for those unfamiliar with it. To ease you into the world of rotoscoping, here are some other animated features made using that style.
Waking Life: If you’re looking for a peek into the kind of stories to expect from writer, director, producer, Richard Linklater, this is the film for you. The 2001 adult animation follows the life of a young man who moves from dream to dream, meeting different people where he engages in philosophical discussions as he tries to answer some of life’s important questions. The life action footage was shot first before the animators used rotoscoping to create the visual effects. You can buy or rent Waking Life on demand from iTunes, Vudu, Amazon, Youtube, and Google Play Movies.
A Scanner Darkly: Based on the novel of the same name by Phillip K. Dick, A Scanner Darkly is a 2006 psychological science-fiction film written and directed by Richard Linklater. It follows the story of an undercover agent, Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves) who goes on a mission to investigate a drug trade but ends up becoming a drug addict in the process. The film also stars Robert Downey Jr, Winona Ryder, and Woody Harrelson. A Scanner Darkly was first shot digitally before it was animated using interpolated rotoscope. You can buy or rent A Scanner Darkly on demand from iTunes, Vudu, Amazon, Youtube, and Google Play Movies.
I Lost My Body: As the title implies, this 2019 French animated film tells the story of a young man’s cut-off hand which escapes a lab and scrambles through Paris to find the body it was once attached to. Written and directed by Jérémy Clapin, this film with a unique premise mixes 2D and 3D animation with rotoscoping to achieve details such as expressions and to give the film an organic feeling. I Lost My Body features the voices of Dev Patel and Alia Shawkat and is available to watch on Netflix.
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