DVD Uchû shô e yôkoso

For the most part, I really like films like this because the self discovery issues. Five young kids go to camp at a school house in order to get away from adults for a week. But instead of doing the same old stuff kids do, they discover a hurt what looks like a dog. However he is an alien sent on a mission to protect a plant which has not been alive for over five billion years.

In the mix are three bounty hunters who must get their hands on the plant at all costs to bring back to their employer. Since the kids find out the dog they saved is an alien, they all get a wish to explore the farthest reaches away from adults as possible. So – they go to the moon where on the dark side is a grand city embedded within the surface. This leads a series of events for which all six venture across galaxies to hunt down the dreaded poachers.

In the chase, one of the kids are kidnapped, and it is up to the other four kids to save her. Pochi, the alien dog uses all of his resources in order to find what is known as The Space Show. A stage event for all aliens to see where Ami the youngest of the five is being held captive. During this event, Pochi learns of who was the architect behind the stage show and why. Now all must try and save Ami in order for the kids to get back to earth in time to meet their parents at the week's end.

All in all, it was a grandiose scale of a movie. With fantastic CGI sets of such calibre, that watching was a treat in itself for strange lands, strange cities, and strange aliens. I especially loved the fact that each child had issues to work along the way, like knowing what's right, and what's wrong. To make decisions that could get them into trouble later on, but deciding that doing the right thing was far a better cost than to leave someone behind.

They got to do an honest days work among aliens, instead of sluffing off for a week. They learnt to get along in better ways strengthening their friendships. Plus they learnt how to endure hardships, and obstacles, which they fended off with early naive skills. Kids do bounce back in many ways, and that is to say this movie held a lot of hope to those who do not have it. To some others who just watched it for detail, it is sad to see such narrow views about story lines. I thought this one had every element of the human condition.

This wasn't about SPFX, it was about what is right, and wrong. What is good, and bad. Kids have a sense of being that no other can understand, and it is too childish to say it had no maturity. Yes it is a movie for kids, about kids. Nothing more. Yes the SPFX were fantastic, but what was important through the grand scale environment, was the kids had to save a friend. Dealing with problems at home, in school, with time off, or finding a rabbit.

My view is the movie held all aspects of being human in an inhumane world. I give it ten of ten stars. Extremely recommended to those aged 9 and above. For the little ones who believes in heroes, not computers.