David Farnor | On 07, Mar 2022

Apollo 10 1/2, Richard Linklater’s latest, is set to launch on Netflix this April.

Inspired by Linklater’s childhood in Houston, TX, the film is set against the backdrop of the 1969 Apollo mission and tells the story of the first moon landing from two interwoven perspectives. It both captures the astronaut and mission control view of the triumphant moment, and the lesser-seen bottom up perspective of what it was like from an excited kid’s perspective, living near NASA but mostly watching it on TV like hundreds of millions of others. It’s ultimately both an exacting re-creation of this special moment in history and a kid’s fantasy about being plucked from his average life in suburbia to secretly train for a covert mission to the moon.

The live action shoot wrapped in March 2020 in Austin and was used as the starting point for an innovative hybrid of hand drawn and computer animated imagery. Narrated by Jack Black, the cast includes Zachary Levi, Glen Powell, Josh Wiggins, Milo Coy, Lee Eddy, Bill Wise, Natalie L’Amoreaux, Jessica Brynn Cohen, Sam Chipman and Danielle Guilbot.

Part coming-of-age tale, part societal commentary, and part out-of-this-world adventure, you can see the end result on 1st April when Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood premieres on Netflix. Here’s the trailer:

 

Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10 1/2 heads to Netflix

17th July 2020

Richard Linklater is heading to Netflix for new animated film Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Adventure.

Set against the backdrop of the 1969 Apollo mission to the moon, the new film is inspired by Linklater’s childhood in Houston, TX. The live action shoot wrapped in March 2020 in Austin, and the innovative hybrid of hand drawn and computer animated imagery will be completed at Minnow Mountain in Austin and Submarine in the Netherlands.

Directed and written by Linklater, it is produced by Tommy Pallotta, Mike Blizzard, Femke Wolting (Submarine) and Bruno Felix (Submarine). Jack Black leads a cast that includes Zachary Levi, Glen Powell, Josh Wiggins, Milo Coy, Lee Eddy, Bill Wise, Natalie L’Amoreaux, Jessica Brynn Cohen, Sam Chipman and Danielle Guilbot.

It tells the story of the first moon landing in the summer of 1969 from two interwoven perspectives. It both captures the astronaut and mission control view of the triumphant moment, and the lesser-seen bottom up perspective of what it was like from an excited kid’s perspective, living near NASA but mostly watching it on TV like hundreds of millions of others. It’s ultimately both an exacting re-creation of this special moment in history and a kid’s fantasy about being plucked from his average life in suburbia to secretly train for a covert mission to the moon.

“It struck me years ago that this was my film to make, from both a chronological and proximity level – I was there, going into 3rd grade. Our unique animation style allows both the conjuring of a world long gone, and the flowing, playful expression of memory and imagination. It’s been a fun, creative journey to incorporate things like 3D graphics into a live action shoot to help bring this story to life,” said Linklater.

Add to Watchlist