To The Moon, the 2011 indie hit made in RPGMaker, will be receiving a feature-length animated film adaptation. The film will be a collaboration between Japanese and Chinese industries, as well as the game’s creator, Kan Gao.
To The Moon is a game about two scientists, Eva Rosaline and Neil Watts, who work for a company that uses unique technology to create artificial memories in patients who have little time left, and it allows them to pass on with no regrets. The particular story in the game has them attempting to fulfill the dream of an elderly man, Johnny, as they seek to learn why he chose his dying dream to be what it is. That dream, as one might have guessed, is to go to the moon.
In the announcement video, Kan Gao, the game’s creator, said that the film has been in the works for two years and production is now officially underway. Chinese company Ultron Event Horizon will be providing the funding for the currently unknown Japanese film companny producing the film. Kan did not specify who is working on the film, but he said the “first-tier” studios involved are “…pretty big players in the [Japanese] animation industry.” The budget for the film is “above the level” of the hit 2016 anime film Your Name. “Does a good budget guarantee a good film? Not necessarily. But a lack of budget certainly doesn’t help.”
Kan Gao also touched upon his role in the project. “I won’t have absolute control over the project, but I will be able to steer it in the right direction.” He is still focused on making games, and he has “…started more actively working on his next game.” His next title has yet to be announced, but his most recent game, Finding Paradise, was released December 2017 as a follow-up to To The Moon.
There are currently no other details on the To The Moon movie, and the release date is still up in the air.