Eye For Film >> Movies >> Space Cadet (None) Film Review
In a world of high volume, gag-a-minute, candy coloured, sugar-fuelled adventures, Space Cadet arrives like a gentle cloud of fresh air. Eric San (aka Kid Koala) employs a pastel-rich colour palette and uncluttered style for his sweet animation about a little girl and her guardian robot buddy. The latest in what feels like a recent trend for dialogue-free animation that also includes Flow, Dandelion's Odyssey and Space Cadet's adult kindred spirit Robot Dreams, this is a film that gently tackles adult themes including grief, being an empty nester and memory but in ways that make it accessible to all ages.
Celeste has more or less been raised by her attentive robot, a first generation Guardianbot, who was tasked with her care while her mum headed out into space but after she was "lost to the cosmos" his In loco parentis has continued, as Robot has raised Celeste to also take an interest in the stars.
Words aren't necessary for us to see how close the pair of them are, whether it's the way Robot carefully prepares her breakfast, a wonderful quick-fire origami battle that might well have you reaching for a square of paper, or the fact Celeste also notices things that catch Robot's eye. San and writer Mylène Chollet’s minimalist approach to adapting San’s graphic novel means that small details are more noticeable, from a magnetic bow-tie to dancing plants. In keeping with the film’s Zen vibe, the music, which mixes new compositions by San with reworked classics like They Can't Take That Away from Me and features a host of vocalists including Emilíana Torrini, Meaghan Smith and Martha Wainwright.
When Celeste goes off on a space mission of her own, the story splits in two to show how both characters’ lives are changed. The idea of letting go becomes increasingly existential for Robot meaning this has a seriously melancholic underpinning that adults, in particular, may find requires a handkerchief. Children, meanwhile, will be able to easily follow the plot and are likely to be just as captivated by all the silly things Robot gets up to and the ingenious way that Celeste takes on a horde of less than friendly creatures she encounters in space. San finds a way to make his ending sweet and wholesome without being trite.
A heartwarming film about love and the importance of having someone to share things with that also reminds you what wonderful things can happen when you let your imagination take to the stars.
Reviewed on: 13 Jun 2025
