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"FLY ME TO THE MOON" (2008) (voices of Trevor Gagnon, Philip Daniel Bolden) (G) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Minor Minor Heavy *Moderate Mild Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild Minor Moderate None Minor Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Mild Minor Moderate Moderate Mild QUICK TAKE: Computer Animated Dramedy: A trio of young houseflies stows away onboard the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. PLOT: Regular kid Nat (voice of TREVOR GAGNON), brainy IQ (voice of PHILIP DANIEL BOLDEN) and food-obsessed Scooter (voice of DAVID GORE) are lifelong friends who just so happen to be talking houseflies. Nat feels like his life is boring, especially compared to the events from his Grandpa's (voice of CHRISTOPHER LLOYD) many years, including flying with Amelia Earhart on her transatlantic solo trip. Believing in his grandpa's motto "If it ain't an adventure, it ain't worth doing," Nat concocts the idea that he and his friends stow away onboard the Apollo 11 spaceflight to land a man on the moon. With a little convincing, they agree, and soon are headed toward the lunar body, much to the horror of the boys' moms, including Nat's (voice of KELLY RIPA), who didn't inherit Grandpa's sense of adventure. They're not alone, however, in showing surprise about the stowaways. Not wanting them to be the first flies on the moon, Russian General Poopchev (voice of ED BEGLEY, JR.) and Grandpa's long-lost love, Nadia (voice of NICOLLETTE SHERIDAN), order their inside fly at Cape Canaveral, Yegor (voice of TIM CURRY), and his two goons to try to sabotage the trip. From the approach, landing and then return toward Earth, Nat and his friends experience the thrills and perils of space travel, all as Grandpa and others race to stop Yegor and his thugs from endangering the young flies' lives. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Younger ones might be enticed, as might those interested in the Apollo space missions. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: G Presumably for not containing material to warrant a higher rating. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: It's debatable whether kids view non-human, animated characters as role models, but here's a quick look at the major characteristics. NAT is a young, talking fly who doesn't think his life has been terribly notable, especially when compared to that of his adventure-loving grandfather. Accordingly, he concocts the idea that he and his friends stow away onboard Apollo 11 and the historic trip to put a man (and thus a fly or two) on the moon. IQ is his brainy friend who goes along with the idea, and uses his intellect to try to solve their various issues. He's also concerned with Scooter's obsession with food and weight issues. SCOOTER is their other friend who is completely obsessed with food, and he consumes a lot whenever he comes into contact with it. He's the least adventurous and brave of the three. GRANDPA is Nat's grandfather on his mom's side whose motto about living an adventurous life becomes instilled in his grandson. When Nat and the others are in danger, he sets out to stop Yegor and his goons. NAT'S MOM is his mother who didn't inherit her father's adventurous mindset and is constantly worried about Nat. NADIA is Grandpa's long-lost love from long ago who works with General Poopchev, but has a change of heart and warns Grandpa about the Russians' plans. GENERAL POOPCHEV plays the Russian General who wants to sabotage the American space program, especially considering that Nat and his friends would be the first flies to land on the moon. YEGOR is one of his henchmen who sets out to sabotage the flight, and thus battle, with Grandpa and others who try to stop his nefarious plan. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this computer animated drama/comedy. Profanity consists of at least 2 craps, while some colorful phrases are also uttered. There's a slightly suggestive comment and call letters for a TV facility, as well as a long kiss and a female character drawn as quite buxom with a tiny waist. Violence consists of some fighting (between flies) as well as some of them being knocked around or hitting others. It's possible some of that and some moments of potential peril might be unsettling or suspenseful to some very young kids, but likely few if any others. Bad attitudes are present, as are some worried/mad moms about their kids running off without permission, while some crude humor occurs, there's an alcohol reference, and cigarette butts are seen in an ashtray. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's a point of view flying scene (in 3-D) that might induce that reaction (as it veers one direction and then the other, etc.). ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE There's no use, but Grandpa talks about Nadia in the past and how she and they could put away the vodka. BLOOD/GORE Scooter belches. One fly tells another that you never know what "sort of crap" is in their food nowadays. Another reminds him, "It's a dung-ball, stupid, there's nothing but crap in it." We see a flashback to when Grandpa flew with Amelia Earhart across the Atlantic when she fell asleep, thus unknowingly putting her plane into a dive toward the ocean. With no recourse, Grandpa flies up her nose, prompting her to wake up and sneeze him out, as well as some mucous. As he states, "She blew out one serious booger," we see him seated, covered in such mucous. Scooter belches himself backwards while floating. Scooter farts while trying to suck in his gut to get through a tube to safety. Nat reacts to the smell by holding his nose. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE An older fly, Butch, has somewhat of a condescending attitude toward the three younger flies. Nat and his friends don't tell their moms where they're going as they sneak onboard the Apollo 11 rocket and catch a ride to the moon. Grandpa's adult daughter faints, with him stating, "Uh...women." General Poopchev holds a subordinate by his jacket and refers to him as an "idiot." He also wants to sabotage the Americans in space, and thus order Yegor to do the dirty work for him. Yegor and his goons plan to sabotage the return of the spacecraft. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed here and under "Violence" might be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers but probably no one else. A chimp launched into space appears frightened, although the look on his face is also somewhat goofy. We see a flashback to when Grandpa flew with Amelia Earhart across the Atlantic when she fell asleep, thus unknowingly putting her plane into a dive toward the ocean. With no recourse, Grandpa flies up her nose, prompting her to wake up and sneeze him out, and thus save the day. We see a spider in its web (it might be a little too realistic for those watching the film in 3D). IQ is knocked aside and Nat flies in to save him just as a human foot nearly steps down onto the two of them. Scooter appears to be snatched and crushed by a human's hand, landing in an ashtray. We see the body there, but then see Scooter elsewhere, alive, while the fly in the ashtray shows he was just faking it, is okay, and flies off. Some younger kids may worry when they hear NASA order that the flies onboard the spaceship be exterminated. A human hand nearly hits Scooter. The fly kids fly into a control panel to deal with a short. There, they find an unplugged connection (that's huge to them), and it's sparking as if highly electrified. With teamwork, the three manage to plug that back in without being shocked. An astronaut sprays something onto the three flies, rendering them unconscious. Nat wakes up in a test tube, and when he can't rouse the other two, he believes they're dead (but they later come to as well). We see a photo of Yegor with a knife held in his teeth. His appearance (intense, eye patch, scar on face, etc.) might be unsettling to some younger viewers. Nat has to race to retrieve Scooter from the lunar module before it's jettisoned and thus left in space. Scooter gets stuck in a tube leading from that, but Nat gets him through it just in time. An astronaut nearly sprays the three flies again, but doesn't go through with that. Butch and another fly need to get through a spinning fan blade, and Butch bounces off that before running into a cable. The other fly is also bounced off the blade and slams hard into something (but both are okay). Yegor then lights two matches and comes at both flies with them, kicking one back. He then lights a fuse going back to firecrackers (but that's later put out), with Grandpa then hitting Yegor in the face with a sucker that breaks upon the impact. Grandpa and Yegor then fight, with hitting and dodging, followed by Yegor head-butting Grandpa who then uses his wings to hit Yegor in the face repeatedly. Yegor then pulls a knife and comes at Grandpa, followed by shorting a fan and causing the blades to spin faster, pulling Grandpa and other flies toward what seems like doom (with Grandpa barely holding on right at that fan). Nadia then knocks Yegor aside and he runs into something hard. Some kids may worry when the spacecraft turns fiery during reentry, but everything turns out okay. GUNS/WEAPONS A plastic Army man toy holds a rifle or machine gun (seen from a distance). We see a photo of Yegor with a knife held in his teeth. He later comes at Grandpa with the same. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "I have a fast meatball-ism" (instead of metabolism), "Cool," "That is gross," "Astronuts," "What are you pipsqueaks up to," "Bingo!" "That would be so cool," "Okay, Grandpa McFly," "It's a dung-ball, stupid, there's nothing but crap in it," "Where in tarnation did you find it?" "You know any hotties who want to go honey-dipping?" "If it ain't an adventure, it ain't worth doing," "She blew out one serious booger," "Are you crazy?" "I've got heartburn just thinking about it," "This is gonna be a crazy ride," "Ned's going to the moon" (repeated by kids, later followed by the repeating of "Ned's on the moon"), "Oh my Lord of the Flies," "Uh, women," "Wow, this is beyond cool," "You idiot," "My little idiot friend," "We're doomed," "Get your butt into it," "This is the real McCoy," "To Lord of the Flies knows what," "Losers," "Bring it on, grandpa," "She rocks," "Awesome," "Prepare your butt to be kicked," "I'm finished, kaput" and "Give me some skin, comrade." While kids obviously can't stow away in NASA rockets, they might be enticed to try doing the same in something closer to home, such as a neighbor's vehicle, etc. Scooter belches himself backwards while floating. JUMP SCENES As Nat and his friends hide in a lunchbox, a dog suddenly appears at the air holes, startling them. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A moderate amount of suspenseful, dramatic, and action-oriented music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 2 uses of crap and 2 uses of "Oh my Lord" (as in "Oh my Lord of the Flies"). SEX/NUDITY Grandpa playfully asks Nat, "You know any hotties who want to go honey-dipping?" In the past, young Grandpa plants a long kiss on Nadia. A TV feed is labeled as "D-CUP TV" (a possible breast/bra joke that has nothing to do with the scene). Nadia is "drawn" as a very buxom character with a tiny waist. SMOKING Scooter appears to be snatched and crushed by a human's hand, landing in an ashtray filled with cigarette butts. TENSE FAMILY SCENES The boys' mothers worry about them, first when they're missing, and then once they realize they're onboard the Apollo 11 rocket. The boy flies' moms appear angry with them (for stowing away on the rocket without telling anyone), but then show that they're just happy they returned safely. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The Apollo space program and the first lunar landing. Why Russians are the bad guys (flies) in the film. Scooter being obsessed with food. Later, talk of Scooter needing to go on a diet. The youngest of the fly kids are maggots, but they're portrayed as cute, roly-poly beings. Grandpa's life-motto "If it ain't an adventure, it ain't worth doing." Nat's mom having the mindset that dreams get you swatted. Buzz Aldrin, who shows up as himself at the end of the film. VIOLENCE In the past, a scientist backhands Grandpa to the floor (thinking he's just a regular fly). IQ is knocked aside and Nat flies in to save him just as a human foot nearly steps down onto the two of them. Scooter appears to be snatched and crushed by a human's hand, landing in an ashtray. We see the body there, but then see Scooter elsewhere, alive, while the fly in the ashtray shows he was just faking it, is okay, and flies off. Grandpa's adult daughter faints, with him stating, "Uh...women." She then faints again, followed by all three moms fainting a bit later (we don't see any of the impact). Later, Nat's mom faints again. General Poopchev holds a subordinate by his jacket and then whacks him. In a later scene, he whacks him again. An astronaut sprays something onto the three flies, rendering them unconscious. Nat wakes up in a test tube, and when he can't rouse the other two, he believes they're dead (but they later come to as well). The three friends are bounced around the inside of a test tube during a shaky flight. Butch and another fly need to get through a spinning fan blade, and Butch bounces off that before running into a cable. The other fly is also bounced off the blade and slams hard into something (but both are okay). Yegor then lights two matches and comes at both flies with them, kicking one back. He then lights a fuse going back to firecrackers (but that's later put out), with Grandpa then hitting Yegor in the face with a sucker that breaks upon the impact. Grandpa and Yegor then fight, with hitting and dodging, followed by Yegor head-butting Grandpa who then uses his wings to hit Yegor in the face repeatedly. Yegor then pulls a knife and comes at Grandpa, followed by shorting a fan and causing the blades to spin faster, pulling Grandpa and other flies toward what seems like doom (with Grandpa barely holding on right at that fan). Nadia then knocks Yegor aside and he runs into something hard. Two maggots then turn into flies and repeatedly whack two goons, causing those two to punch each other accidentally, followed by falling into a coffee cup. Reviewed August 2, 2008 / Posted August 15, 2008

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