Fly Me to the Moon

The first-ever animated feature film in 3D boasts wonderful visual effects (two pairs of 3D glasses are included) but also a thin story line and lame gags. It stars three adolescent flies (voiced by Trevor Gagnon, Philip Daniel Bolden and David Gore) who foil an attempt by Russian spy flies to sabotage the 1969 Apollo 11 moon mission. Some of the vocal work—especially that of supporting players Christopher Lloyd, Kelly Ripa and Nicollette Sheridan—is quite good, but it’s apparent that these talented actors are struggling to inject oomph into clichéd dialog and corny gags. However, there’s no denying that Fly Me to the Moon has been perfectly designed for eye-appeal, and the 3D effects are often extraordinary.

Shelf Talk: Fly Me to the Moon didn’t wow audiences in theaters, and its box-office appeal was most likely attributable to the novelty of 3D. It could fare better as a Christmas stocking stuffer, but only to the extent that there is an aggressive marketing and promotion, as is expected for a fourth-quarter release with significant sell-through potential.