Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood
netflixWhile many tend to view animation with the unnecessarily harsh lens of being only for children, some filmmakers have embraced the medium as a new opportunity for storytelling and world building – leading to exciting projects that simply couldn't exist in a live-action world. One of the directors to see the potential of adult animation is that of the ever-prolific Richard Linklater. Throughout his career, Linklater has sprinkled in animated outings, with his newest addition to this list being Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood. Releasing on Netflix, Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood transports audiences to the hot Texas summer of 1969. Filled with childhood innocence and a changing world with both machines infiltrating human life and men being sent to the moon, this is described by protagonist Stanley (Milo Coy and Jack Black) as a great time to be a kid. In this work of historical fiction, Stanley is not just a normal fourth-grader but also is the kid specially chosen by NASA to test out a lunar module that has accidentally been made too small. Stanley undergoes training to become the first person to land on the moon while also enjoying his life and celebrating the summer with his friends and family.
Similar to other Linklater projects, there is something incredibly seductive in how the filmmaker captures mundane life. On paper, much of the film's 98-minute runtime is dedicated to nothing more than kids enjoying their summer. From swimming at the pool to going to a local amusement park, the majority of Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood is an innocent yet unassuming slice of life specific to that of Texas in 1969. At no point, however, does this feel like a negative. The film is visceral in how it brings this summer to life with the heat and sun being felt in every frame. Even for those who didn't grow up in this time or place, the emotions and physical sensations that the film brings to life are infectious. Not only is this childhood perspective comforting, but it also is meaningful. The film's perspective is one based in a changing world. Life was one thing before 1969, and life was one thing after 1969. From evolving technology to an increasingly complicated political divide, what looks like mundane life is actually a period of incredible social diastrophism. To watch the film with the perspective of seeing the results of this diastrophism, for better or for worse, adds a richness and layer to the project that only further validates it being worthwhile.
This success can be attributed to many things, but one of the biggest tools has to be its’ animation. Using a rotoscoping style of animation similar to that which Linklater has used in the past, the film presents a world based in reality with an added mysticism of fantasy. The characters and societal iconography might be almost exact copies of what would be seen in the real world, but putting an animated lense over it creates the tiniest space of distance to allow a child-like sense of wonder and nostalgia to settle in. Almost like an adult thinking back to their own memories of childhood, things are familiar but they are not exact which is key for making a setting like this work. The voice acting throughout the feature is also quite strong. Milo Coy is solid enough for a younger performer, but it is Jack Black who impresses the most with his performance here possibly being one of the best of his career. There is an authenticity felt to these memories and these emotions which are undeniably helped by the setting being so authentic itself.
The one area where the film strays from this idea is the mission to the moon. While this does provide some stunning moments of animation, this is easily the most narratively frustrating part of the feature. Not only does this section of the film really hold no purpose or point, but it also is interwoven in a very strange manner. Introducing this plot in the beginning only works to make the everyday life portion of the film feel out of place at first. When the film finally returns to this story, it is cut alongside the world watching the adult moon landing making the actual narrative all the more confusing. Did this really happen for the character? Was it made up in his imagination? No matter the answer, there is no connection to the main emotions of the film making it feel pointless to even engage with the possibilities of this section. More than anything, it feels like this was a hook that Linklater needed to get a feature really about the everyday life of 1969 made.
Still, especially when one overlooks the convoluted and unneeded side plot, there is something magical within Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood. As with other Linklater projects, the magic comes from exploring and feeling the authentic slices of the human condition, which most audiences can resonate with and feel a connection with. While somewhat messy, this is a project clearly worthwhile and is perfect viewing as the heat of the summer slowly creeps up.
