Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood

Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood is a 2022 American animated coming of age drama film set during the events preceding the Apollo 11 Moon landing, loosely based on the childhood of writer, director, and producer Richard Linklater. It presents a fictional tale of a fourth-grader who becomes the first person to land on the Moon and stars Glen Powell, Jack Black, Zachary Levi and Josh Wiggins.

Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood
Release poster
Directed byRichard Linklater
Written byRichard Linklater
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyShane F. Kelly
Edited bySandra Adair
Production
companies
Distributed byNetflix
Release dates
  • March 13, 2022 (2022-03-13) (SXSW)
  • March 24, 2022 (2022-03-24) (United States)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Linklater, who originally got the idea for the film in 2004, was planning to create the film in live action but instead decided to go with an animation style influenced by Saturday morning cartoons, due to the playful nature of animation. Home movies created in Houston, Texas during the 1960s were used for research, and some were also included in the film. Principal photography began in February 2020 at Robert Rodriguez's Troublemaker Studios in Austin, Texas, and wrapped in March 2020. Parts of the filming were done in front of the largest green screen in Texas and parts of the film, which were shot in live-action, were animated during post-production using a technique similar to the rotoscoping used in Linklater's Waking Life (2001) and A Scanner Darkly (2006).

Apollo 10½ premiered at South by Southwest on March 13, 2022, and was released in select theaters on March 24, 2022, before premiering on Netflix on April 1.[1] It received positive reviews, with praise for its writing, visuals, and nostalgic feel.

Plot

The film tells the story of the first Moon landing in the summer of 1969 from two interwoven perspectives. It captures both 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.

Voice cast

Production

Richard Linklater originally got the idea for the film in 2004.[3] In February 2018, it was announced Richard Linklater would direct the film from a screenplay he wrote.[4] In July 2020, it was announced Glen Powell, Jack Black, Zachary Levi, Josh Wiggins, Milo Coy, Lee Eddy, Bill Wise, Natalie L'Amoreaux, Jessica Brynn Cohen, Sam Chipman and Danielle Guilbot had joined the cast of the film, with Netflix distributing.[5]

Richard Linklater was planning to create the film in live action but instead decided to go with an animation style influenced by Saturday morning cartoons because of the playful nature of animation. Home movies created in Houston, Texas during the 1960s were used for research, some were also included in the film.[3][6]

Principal photography began in February 2020 at Robert Rodriguez's Troublemaker Studios in Austin, Texas, and wrapped in March 2020.[7][8][9] Linklater spent much of the time editing the film during the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]

Setting

The film is set in Houston in the 1960s, during the Space Race.[10][6]

Filming

Parts of the filming were done in front of the largest green screen in Texas, and everything the characters did not interact with or touch was animated in post-production. Parts of the film, which were shot in live-action, were animated during post-production using a technique similar to the rotoscoping used in Linklater's Waking Life (2001) and A Scanner Darkly (2006). After initially being denied eligibility for the Animated Feature category by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for using the stylized animation approach, their appeal, with support from fellow directors and animators,[11] reversed the decision.[12]

Release

Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood premiered as a headliner at the 2022 South by Southwest film festival on March 13, 2022.[13] When the official trailer was released, the release date was announced for April 1, 2022, which is when it premiered on Netflix.[14] The film was screened in select theaters on March 24, 2022.[15]

Reception

Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 91% of 142 sampled critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 8/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "The sweetly nostalgic Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood finds Richard Linklater reusing visual and thematic ingredients in a deeply personal, freshly inspired way."[16] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[17]

Apollo 10½ was ranked seventh on Cahiers du Cinéma's top 10 films of 2022 list.[18]

Accolades
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association December 12, 2022 Best Animated Feature Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood Nominated [19]
Chicago Film Critics Association December 14, 2022 Best Animated Film Nominated [20]
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association December 18, 2022 Best Animated Film Nominated [21]
San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle January 9, 2023 Best Animated Feature Nominated [22]
Austin Film Critics Association January 10, 2023 Best Animated Film Nominated [23]
Best Austin Film Nominated
Georgia Film Critics Association January 13, 2023 Best Animated Film Nominated [24]
Online Film Critics Society January 23, 2023 Best Animated Feature Nominated [25]
Houston Film Critics Society February 18, 2023 Best Animated Feature Nominated [26]
Texas Independent Film Award Won

See also

References
  1. "How to Watch 'Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood': Where to Stream the Richard Linklater Movie". Collider. April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  2. Romano, Nick. "Richard Linklater created 'an animated universe' for 'Apollo 10 ½'". EW.com. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  3. Darling, Cary (March 22, 2022). "Interview: Richard Linklater's 'Apollo 10 1/2' a love letter to growing up in Houston in the '60s". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  4. Raup, Jordan (February 8, 2018). "Richard Linklater Sets Sights on 1969 Moon Landing for Next Film". The Film Stage. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  5. Galuppo, Mia (July 16, 2020). "Glen Powell, Jack Black to Star in Richard Linklater Animated Netflix Movie 'Apollo 10 ½'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  6. Motamayor, Rafael (March 18, 2022). "Richard Linklater And Glen Powell Talk Apollo 10 1/2 And Recreating 1960s Houston In Animation [Interview]". /Film. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  7. "'Apollo 10 1/2'". Backstage. January 15, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  8. D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 16, 2020). "Netflix Sets New Animated Movie With Richard Linklater: 'Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Adventure'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  9. "Richard Linklater's 'Apollo 10' Movie Open Casting Call (Pay is $250/Day)". Project Casting. March 1, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  10. Buckley, Elena Saavedra (July 18, 2020). "Richard Linklater Talks the Future of Cinema—in His Own Empty Theatre". The New Yorker. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  11. Kohn, Eric (October 7, 2022). "Richard Linklater's 'Apollo 10 ½' Rejected as Animation by Oscar Committee as Filmmaker Speaks Out". www.indiewire.com. IndieWire. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  12. Squires, Bethy (November 9, 2022). "The Academy Revises Decision on What Exactly Counts As Animation". www.vulture.com. Vulture. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  13. "Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood". SXSW 2022 Schedule. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  14. Milligan, Mercedes (March 7, 2022). "Trailer: Linklater's Apollo 10 ½ Brings a Kid's Space Age Dreams to Life". Animation Magazine. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  15. "APOLLO 10 1/2: A SPACE AGE CHILDHOOD". Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  16. "Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  17. "Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  18. Zilko, Christian (December 1, 2022). "'Pacifiction' Tops Cahiers du Cinema's Best Films of 2022 List". IndieWire. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  19. Anderson, Erik (December 10, 2022). "Washington DC Film Critics nominations: 'Everything Everywhere All At Once,' 'The Fabelmans' lead". Awards Watch. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  20. Tallerico, Brian (December 12, 2022). "Everything Everywhere All at Once Leads Chicago Film Critics Nominations". Rogerebert.com. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  21. Neglia, Matt (December 11, 2022). "The 2022 St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) Nominations". NextBestPicture. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  22. Neglia, Matt (January 6, 2023). "The 2022 San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) Nominations". Next Best Picture. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  23. "2022 Austin Film Critics Association Award Nominations". Austin Film Critics Association. January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  24. Anderson, Erik (January 7, 2023). "2022 Georgia Film Critics Association (GAFCA) nominations". AwardsWatch. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  25. Neglia, Matt (January 23, 2023). "The 2022 Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) Winners". Next Best Picture. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  26. Darling, Cary (January 10, 2023). "'Everything Everywhere,' 'Banshees of Inisherin' top list of Houston critics' nominations". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
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