RocketMan (1997 film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids RocketMan
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Stuart Gillard
Produced by	Roger Birnbaum
Written by	Oren Aviv Craig Mazin Greg Erb
Starring	Harland Williams Jessica Lundy William Sadler Jeffrey DeMunn Beau Bridges
Music by	Michael Tavera
Cinematography	Steven Poster
Editing by	William D. Gordean
Studio	Walt Disney Pictures Caravan Pictures Roger Birnbaum Productions
Distributed by	Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date(s)	October 10, 1997 (1997-10-10)
Running time	95 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$16 million
Money made	$15.4 million

RocketMan (also known as Rocket Man) is a funny science fiction movie from 1997. It was directed by Stuart Gillard and stars Harland Williams, Jessica Lundy, William Sadler, and Jeffrey DeMunn. This film is partly a remake of an older movie from 1967 called The Reluctant Astronaut. Walt Disney Pictures and Caravan Pictures produced RocketMan, and it came out in theaters on October 10, 1997.

Story of the Movie

NASA is getting ready for its first ever trip to Mars with a spacecraft named Aries. A computer problem seems to pop up, so NASA calls in Fred Z. Randall. He's the quirky person who wrote the computer program for the mission. Fred meets the flight director, Paul Wick, the mission commander, William "Wild Bill" Overbeck, and the computer expert, Gary Hackman.

Fred quickly finds out that the computer problem isn't a glitch. It's actually a math mistake Gary made! After Gary acts stubborn, he gets hit on the head by a model of the Mars lander. This means he can't go on the mission. NASA decides to replace him instead of delaying the trip. Fred is then asked to see if he has what it takes to be an astronaut.

Fred goes through many training exercises. He does surprisingly well, even breaking all the records that Commander Bill had set. Because of his amazing performance, Fred gets the job!

The Journey to Mars

As Fred gets ready to board the Aries, he suddenly gets scared and doesn't want to go. Bud Nesbitt, an older NASA worker, talks to Fred. Bud tells him about three special coins given to him by President Lyndon B. Johnson. One went to Neil Armstrong, another to Jim Lovell, and the last one, a gold coin, says "Bravery." Bud tells Fred, "It hasn't done me much good. Maybe it'll mean something to you one day." Fred then thinks of the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz.

Fred, Commander Overbeck, geologist Julie Ford, and a trained chimpanzee named Ulysses are the crew. Their job is to look for fossils on Mars. To save supplies, the crew goes into "hypersleep" for eight months. This means they sleep for a very long time while the ship travels to Mars. But Ulysses, the chimpanzee, takes Fred's sleep pod! Fred has to sleep in Ulysses's tiny chimp-sized pod. He only sleeps for 13 minutes and has to stay awake alone for eight months!

While awake, Fred checks the Mars weather. He sees huge sandstorms that could be dangerous for the crew. He calls Bud back in Houston to warn him. Bud tells Wick about the storms, but Wick doesn't listen.

Landing on Mars

The crew finally reaches Mars. Commander Overbeck is annoyed because Fred used all the good food while awake. Fred only left behind foods Bill hates, like anchovy paste and creamed liver. They land the Pilgrim spacecraft on the surface of Mars. As Overbeck is about to be the first human to step on Mars, Fred slips from the ladder. He accidentally lands first!

A day after they land, the sandstorms arrive earlier than expected. After almost losing Overbeck and Ulysses in the storm, the crew quickly takes off from Mars. Back at NASA, Bud takes over from Wick because Wick didn't trust his own crew.

The ship is almost out of the sandstorm when rocks hit the lander. Pilgrim 1 loses power and starts spinning out of control. Fred has to fix the entire system and restart everything in less than two minutes. With only 20 seconds left, he needs to complete a circuit. He frantically searches for something and finally shoves the "Bravery" coin into the slot. This makes the lander work again!

The crew safely returns to the Aries orbiting Mars. Fred asks Julie to dance with him in zero gravity. They dance to "The Blue Danube" while Fred wears a silver tuxedo and Julie wears a gold dress. Fred made these outfits from space blankets he cut up during his long, lonely journey.

As Fred gets ready for hypersleep one last time, Ulysses climbs into his sleep pod again. This means Fred has to stay awake for another eight months on the way back home! In a short scene after the movie credits, we see the flag pole on Mars is empty. It turns out Fred's American flag boxers, which he used as a flag, were stolen by a Martian!

Main Actors

• Harland Williams as Fred Z. Randall
• Jessica Lundy as Julie Ford
• William Sadler as Bill 'Wild Bill' Overbeck
• Jeffrey DeMunn as Paul Wick
• James Pickens, Jr. as Ben Stevens
• Beau Bridges as Bud Nesbitt
• Peter Onorati as Gary Hackman
• Don Lake as Flight Surgeon
• Blake Nelson Boyd as Gordon A. Peacock
• Shelley Duvall as Mrs. Randall, Fred's Mother (uncredited)
• Gailard Sartain as Mr. Randall, Fred's Father (uncredited)

Making the Movie

The movie was filmed in different places. Some scenes were shot in Sugar Land, Texas, at a building that was made to look like a NASA site. The scenes on the surface of Mars were filmed in Moab, Utah, which has rocky, red landscapes.

The filmmakers also spent nine weeks at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. They filmed at the famous Rocket Park and inside huge buildings where spacecraft models are kept. They even filmed in a special room that can create conditions like outer space.

To get ready for their roles, the three main actors went to U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. They rode in simulators and did other activities that real astronauts do.

Filming for RocketMan started on September 16, 1996, and finished on November 25, 1996.

Movie Release

How it Did in Theaters

RocketMan first came out in movie theaters on October 10, 1997. It earned about $4.4 million during its first weekend. The movie ended up making about $15.4 million in total in the United States.

Watching at Home

RocketMan was one of the first Disney movies to be released on DVD. Later, in 2006, it was re-released on DVD. In 2018, a special 20th-anniversary Blu-ray edition was also released.

See also

In Spanish: El astronauta (película de 1997) para niños

• List of films set on Mars