Welcome to the Space Show facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Welcome to the Space Show |
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| Directed by | Koji Masunari |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Hideyuki Kurata |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Yoshihiro Ike |
| Editing by | Masahiro Goto |
| Studio | A-1 Pictures |
| Distributed by | Aniplex |
| Release date(s) | February 18, 2010 (Berlinale) June 26, 2010 (Japan) |
| Running time | 136 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Welcome to the Space Show (Japanese: 宇宙ショーへようこそ, Hepburn: Uchū Shō e Yōkoso) is a Japanese animated science fiction movie from 2010. It was made by A-1 Pictures and shared by Aniplex. Koji Masunari directed the film, and Hideyuki Kurata wrote the story. The movie features the voices of Tomoyo Kurosawa, Honoka Ikezuki, Shōtarō Uzawa, Tamaki Matsumoto, Takuto Yoshinaga, and Keiji Fujiwara.
In the story, five children save an alien dog. As a thank you, the dog takes them on a trip to the Moon. But things go wrong, and the group gets stuck in space. They must find a way back to Earth before their parents arrive.
Contents
The Space Adventure Begins
Welcome to the Space Show tells the exciting story of five school friends and an alien dog. Their adventure happens in space during summer vacation.
A Strange Discovery
The story starts with five elementary school kids on a school trip. They are looking for their missing class pet, a rabbit named Pyon-Kichi. While searching, they find an injured dog in a corn field and rescue him.
The dog turns out to be an alien named Pochi Rickman. To thank them for their help, Pochi invites the children to visit the Moon.
Stranded in Space
After a series of unexpected events, the children and Pochi become stranded. They are far from home and must travel across the galaxy. Their goal is to reach Pochi's home planet, Wan. Only from there can they hope to return to Earth.
Along their journey, they are chased by other aliens. These aliens work for Neppo, who hosts "The Space Show." This show is the most popular entertainment in the universe. It is broadcast from a mysterious moving spaceship.
The Big Showdown
Neppo wants to use the power of his ship, called the Pet Star, to become super powerful. But the ship needs a special power source called Zughan. This substance is like a super-spicy root, similar to wasabi.
One of the children, Natsuki, happens to have some of this root in her bag. Because of this, Neppo targets the group. When his helpers fail to get the bag, Neppo goes after them himself. He arrives just as the children and Pochi reach planet Wan.
The Pet Star's tractor beams grab the bag. But they also accidentally take Amane with it! This leads to a big showdown at an interstellar festival. With help from new friends they met, the children defeat Neppo. They rescue Amane and even save the whole universe!
Finally, the children return home. Pyon-Kichi, who was also kidnapped by Neppo's henchmen, comes back with them. They arrive at school just before their parents come to pick them up.
Meet the Characters
The Kids
Natsuki
Natsuki is a fifth-grade student. She recently moved to the country. She is energetic and a bit of a tomboy. Natsuki dreams of being a hero. She lives with Amane's family. Natsuki also really loves wasabi. Voiced by: Tomoyo Kurosawa (Japanese); Stephanie Sheh (English)
Amane
Amane is the youngest of the five main characters. She is Natsuki's cousin and is in second grade. Amane is friendly and dependable. She has an honest and gentle personality. At first, she is annoyed with Natsuki. This is partly because Natsuki was responsible for Pyon-Kichi escaping. But in the end, she forgives Natsuki. She realizes it was not Natsuki's fault, but Neppo's henchmen who took Pyon-Kichi. Voiced by: Honoka Ikezuki (Japanese); Michaela Dean (English)
Kiyoshi
Kiyoshi is the oldest of the group, in sixth grade. He has strong leadership skills. He is responsible, honest, trustworthy, and kind. Kiyoshi sometimes hesitates to go after what he wants. He also tends to second-guess his choices. But he takes the younger children's safety very seriously. By the end of the movie, he knows what he wants to do with his life. Voiced by: Shōtarō Uzawa (Japanese); Michael Sinterniklaas (English)
Noriko
Noriko is a timid fourth grader. But she always acts like she wants to be an idol star. She likes to wear trendy clothes. She gets embarrassed by her younger brother, Hiroto. Noriko often helps calm Natsuki and Amane when they argue. Voiced by: Tamaki Matsumoto (Japanese); Cassandra Lee (English)
Koji
Kōji wears glasses and loves to read. He is very curious about everything. He especially loves anything about UFOs, aliens, and mysterious things. On the Moon, he meets an alien named Ink. Ink works with her father, Rubin, as traveling repairmen. Ink's father has been building a rocket ship from spare parts. The children use this ship during the festival to reach the Pet Star. Voiced by: Takuto Yoshinaga (Japanese); Michael Jacob Wayne (English)
The Alien Friend
Pochi
Pochi looks like an ordinary dog at first. But he is actually an alien from the planet Wan. The five school friends helped him when he was injured. As a reward, he invited them to the Moon. Pochi is a famous professor on his home world. However, his occasional lack of responsibility sometimes makes the children doubt this. Pochi's father, Taro, is a doctor who helps cure strange diseases. Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese); Marc Diraison (English)
