Apollo 10½ release date: voice cast, plot and trailer for Netflix animation
The new film from Richard Linklater sees a man tell stories from his childhood in 1969 Houston.
Richard Linklater's directorial career has been a rich and varied one – from classic hangout movies like Dazed and Confused to superb romance tales like The Before Trilogy and more experimental projects like Boyhood.
But one other film style he has returned to on a couple of occasions throughout his career is rotoscope animation, with previous films Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly both making use of this technique.
For his new Netflix film, Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood, Linklater has once again turned to rotoscope, this time to tell a story based on his own childhood – about a boy in 1969 Houston who is fascinated by the moon landings and fantasises about the event.
Read on for everything you need to know.
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Apollo 10½ release date
The film is released globally on Netflix on Friday 1st April – following a very brief theatrical run in some cinemas from Friday 24th March.
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Before that, it had its world premiere at South by Southwest film festival on 13th March, where it played to very positive reviews.
Apollo 10½ plot
The film tells a nostalgic story set in 1969 Houston, as a 10-year old boy fantasises about making his own trip to the moon following the first landing – while we also follow the people who helped create that famous moment.
An official synopsis provided by Netflix reads: "Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood tells the story of the first moon landing in the summer of 1969 from two interwoven perspectives – the astronaut and mission control view of the triumphant moment, and through the eyes of a kid growing up in Houston, Texas who has intergalactic dreams of his own.
"Taking inspiration from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Richard Linklater’s own life, Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood is a snapshot of American life in the 1960s that is part coming of age, part societal commentary, and part out-of-this-world adventure.
Apollo 10 ½ voice cast
The cast for the film is confirmed below.
- Milo Coy as Stanley
- Jack Black as adult Stanley
- Glen Powell as NASA official
- Zachary Levi as NASA official
- Josh Wiggins as TBC
- Lee Eddy as TBC
- Bill Wise as TBC
- Natalie L'Amoreaux as TBC
- Jessica Brynn Cohen as TBC
- Sam Chipman as TBC
- Danielle Guilbot as TBC
The most high-profile name in the cast is frequent Linklater collaborator Jack Black, who voices the adult version of the main character Stanley. The child version is played by newcomer Milo Coy in his first-ever acting credit.
Glenn Powell – who previously played astronaut John Glenn in Hidden Figures – takes on the voice of a NASA official, while Shazam! star Zachary Levi has a similar role.
Meanwhile, there are also parts for Josh Wiggins (Giant Little Ones), Lee Eddy (Panic), Bill Wise (Thunder Road) and Natalie L'Amoreaux (Addict Named Hal).
Apollo 10½ trailer
If you're suitably intrigued by what you've read so far, you might want to check the below trailer to get a better sense of the film's tone and style.
The footage introduces the main character Stanley and his ambitious plans to make his very own trip to be the moon, while we also get a feel for the fast-changing nature of Houston in the late 1960s.
Watch it in full below:
Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood blasts off on Netflix on 1st April.
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