Little Major Tom: Into the Unknown
Synopsis
Year 2053. Teenage astronauts-in-training Tom and Stella live and train aboard Space Base 1. When a massive hurricane forms on Earth, a critical weather satellite malfunctions; Tom and Stella have 48 hours to fix it. With their AI-powered robot cat Pluty they travel to the Moon to refuel the satellite, surviving a near-deadly encounter with an out-of-control mining robot before Tom must overcome his fear of the first spacewalk.
Pixable Role
Co-producer
Scope of Work
Design · models · sets · animation · stereo rendering · FX · pipeline (Pixable Studios contribution within the Softmachine-led production)
Production Partners
Softmachine Immersive Productions (lead, founded 2001 by Peter Popp); Reef Distribution; Pixable Studios; ABG and Softmachine GmbH GbR; Tessloff Verlag (book IP); Experimenta Science Center
Director
Peter Popp (Dr. Peter Popp — CEO of Softmachine / Reef Distribution)
Writers
Peter Popp (story based on the book series)
Producer
Peter Popp (Softmachine Immersive Productions / Reef Distribution); co-created with Peter Schilling
Key Crew
Story / co-creator: Peter Schilling (singer of "Major Tom (Coming Home)"). Illustrator collaboration: Stefan Lohr (book series illustrator — adapted 2D characters into 3D). Music: includes Peter Schilling's hit song "Major Tom". Pixable Studios production team — specific credits TBD.
Cast
Cast not publicly listed (no IMDB entry). German audio drama actor Peter Schilling voices Major Tom in the Tessloff audio plays — film voice cast TBD.
Funding
FFF Bayern; MDM; Reef
Distribution
Reef Distribution (reef-distribution.com) — exclusively for fulldome theaters / planetariums
Awards & Festivals
Best Children's Film — Dome Fest West 2024 (United States)
Themes
Climate change · space exploration · teamwork · courage and friendship · satellite technology · environmental awareness
Pipeline
Unreal Engine; close collaboration with book illustrator Stefan Lohr to translate 2D book art into 3D fulldome animation
Production Notes
Watch the film in the Planetariums :)
