Mission: Galaxy Review | Road Rash Reviews

3 star charming and colourful children’s animation.

Mission: Galaxy is a family film written by Jeffrey Hylton (Larva Island, Fantastic Journey to Oz) and directed by Leo Lee (Axel: The Biggest Little Hero). It was originally known as Finding Callaro and is presented here on Digital Platforms in the UK courtesy of Signature Entertainment.

“I don’t blame them. They’re just too young to understand how dangerous true bravery can be.”

The planet Kepler was once a beautiful oasis, lush and verdant and covered with forests and seas. Unfortunately for the inhabitants, their primary plant Callaro is well known as a source of super energy. A ship arrives from Earth carrying greedy astronauts who quickly strip the planet of it’s resources, leaving it barren and dry.

Legend has it that one Earther felt guilty and hid the Callaro Mother Tree in a safe place. The Earth ship failed to return to Earth, forcing the evil Luis Baba (Scottie Ray – Slayers Try) to remain on Kepler and take over the Burning City on the edge of the volcano, where he rules with an iron grip.

Youngsters Axel (Jason Griffith – Bakuman), Gaga (Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld – Pokémon) and Jono (Jessica Paquet) believe the legend and one day decide to set off in search of the Callaro Mother Tree in order to restore the fortunes of their planet.

Their guardian Papa Qi (Mike Pollock – Sonic and Tails R) is protective but lets them go, following at a discreet distance.

On their quest they will face many obstacles including giant robots, flying whistles and a mysterious enemy who wishes to reverse the gravitational pull of their planet. They also meet an unexpected ally in the form of Dr. Vance (Michael Alston Baley), an old man dressed as a turtle. Can they prevail and save their planet?

Mission: Galaxy is a fun film, packed with action and spot on for the age group at which it is aimed (although the lengthy monologue at the start may be a bit wasted on them). The animation is glorious and there are a few moments of real showing off, with a string of beads and later on with a magnificent ash cloud.

The aliens are also very alien, basically just bouncing heads set on one large foot, very strange indeed, as well as furry green creatures with four eyes.

The attention to detail in the animation is excellent and most of the time makes up for the glaring plot holes, which probably won’t bother the younger audience but will almost certainly annoy the adults watching with them.

There are some nice songs in there reminiscent of Avatar, as are the Callaro seeds and as in Avatar, this film carries a strong message about conservation and caring for your planet.

Something the little ones will want to watch over and over, this charming film is well worth adding to your collection.

“Just imagine, if all this desert were as blue as the sky. With rolling waves instead of dunes. Waves caressing the shore at your feet.”