Cult-Classic Indie To the Moon Confirmed for Upcoming Animated Feature Film

Emily Hobbs May 20, 2018 11:51 AM EST

To the Moon will be receiving its own animated feature film with substantial backing from Japanese and Chinese film companies according to creator Kan Gao.

In case you missed it, 2011’s hit indie game To the Moon received a lot of fanfare for its soundtrack, story-telling, and bittersweet character development. The game was successful enough to go from PC to mobile devices, spawn a sequel title, and now, to have its own animated feature film. That’s right: Canadian developer Kan Gao has confirmed that To the Moon will be receiving a feature film.

Mr. Gao confirmed that the budget for the movie is “pretty substantial” and that he appears quite excited and hopeful for the adaptation of his creation. From its humble origins as an RPG Maker game to now receiving a feature film, it’s clear that To the Moon touched a lot of hearts and made a lasting impression on those who played it. I personally look forward to more news about this film in the coming months.

While we don’t know much about who or what will be involved in film production, Mr. Gao revealed to us some key points from the early stages of the film’s development, including:

It will be a collaborative project between Japan (main production) and China (main funding);

First-tier Japanese animation production companies are aboard (specifics to be announced in the coming future);

The film project was made possible in partnership with Beijing’s Ultron Event Horizon, whose CEO, Danyang Zhao, was responsible for bringing the animated film “Your Name” to China;

A significant budget for the project has been cleared (quoted as somewhere above the budget for the production of Your Name, for reference);

The original creator of To the Moon, Kan Gao, will play a part in the script editing/advising process; and

Freebird Games continues to create narrative-driven games with Kan fully committed. The production for the next Freebird game project has already begun, and is quoted to be ‘quite bonkers.’

To the Moon was originally released for PC in November 2011, followed by a Mac and Linux port in January 2014 and a mobile port in January 2017. While no details have been released yet about the timing or specifics of To the Moon‘s latest adaptation, look forward to hearing more about the film in the future. For now, you can check out the video posted by Kan Gao below: