THE FILM

Didn't we just do this with the chimps?

"Fly Me to the Moon" takes budget CG-animation back into the vastness of space, only now the subjects are tiny, the visual depth enormous, and the objective much more educational. The entertainment value? Debatable.

Three young flies, dreamer Nat, gifted I.Q., and pudgy Scooter, are hungry for adventure, but afraid to step outsides the boundaries of their lives. When NASA plans to launch the Apollo 11 mission, the flies slip out in the middle of the night and sneak into the ship. Launched to the moon, the pals achieve their dream, much to the concern of their respective parents (voiced by Kelly Ripa and Adrienne Barbeau), and the delight of Nat's grandfather McFly (Christopher Lloyd). While peaceful stowaways, the flies are compelled to help when the mission runs into mechanical and Soviet trouble.

The producers claim that "Fly Me to the Moon" is the very first CG-animated film built entirely and exclusively for 3-D presentation. The endeavor is impressive as the movie actually makes time to show off the enhanced visual thumbprint with extended takes of insect flight or reverent shots of the space mission, gladly displaying detail to help deepen the 3-D aesthetic. While money was clearly in short supply for the "Moon" production, the screen reveals genuine effort from the animators and director Ben Stassen (a 3-D vet), who successfully impart a fleeting sense of awe in the film.

The rest of "Moon" didn't grab me with its familiar routines of potty humor and uplifting messages on reaching for the stars. "Moon" feels halfhearted in the story department, suffering from too much filler to meet something near a 90-minute running time. The second act introduces some commie flies into the mix (led by "Poopchev"), suggesting the writers had little left in their creative gas tank, disturbing this once peaceful film, which now has to balance a worshipful tone with the space sequences and the slapstick provided by humorless Russian bugs.

"Moon" is routine but there are flashes of invention, spied in the 1969 setting and the hilarious, straight-faced epilogue, which wheels out astronaut Buzz Aldrin to remind families that the film is pure fiction, and the space program would never allow "contaminates" onboard one of their ships. It's nearly worth the price of the DVD to see this surreal nugget.

THE DVD

Video:

Presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1 aspect ratio), the CG-animation for "Moon" is given a nice home on DVD. Coloring is stable, black levels behave properly, and detail is amazingly vivid. Also offered on this DVD is the 3-D version of the film (two pair of anaglyph glasses are included), and while it's a far cry from theatrical standards, the image still holds plenty of muscle without much of an eye-crossing aftertaste.

Audio:

The 5.1 Dolby Digital mix is heavy on directional sound effects to compliment the 3-D visuals, presenting a satisfying, occasionally enchanting auditory experience for what remains a decidedly mediocre film. Soundtrack selections and vocal performances are separated suitably. A Spanish 2.0 mix is included as well.

Subtitles:

English SDH and Spanish subtitles are available only with the 2-D version of the film.

Extras:

"Planetarium Game" endeavors to teach kids what's out there in the universe beyond moon landings. Divided into two areas ("Stars & Galaxies" and "Solar System"), the game consists of trivia questions of child-sized difficulty, all centered on the mysteries of space. The educational value here is quite engaging, leaving it a nice distraction for the younger viewers.

A Theatrical Trailer has not been included on this DVD.

FINAL THOUGHTS

"Fly Me to the Moon" isn't offensively bad, just anemic and uselessly trendy. It's strictly a diversion for kids, and while it's hard to recommend it on purely creative merit, I suppose it would be a wonderful thing if these silly flies ended up pushing kids to investigate space travel and the legacy of NASA. Unlikely, but it's more comforting than fart and burp jokes.