Visually sumptuous and truly kid friendly, Heavens: The Boy and His Robot proves dreams can come true. That’s a nod to one-man show Rich Ho, whose vision took 13 years to complete. Writing, directing, producing, scoring, shooting, and even co-starring, Ho wanted to create an inspirational mecha family film. It’s kind of right there in the title.
Subtle, it isn’t.
Kai (Jonathan See) lost both his parents in what the script calls a galactic conflict but is limited to the solar system. Either way, the human colonists on other planets threaten Earth because our home planet controls the water supply. There’s a chance here for a larger statement as we actually are approaching a time of water scarcity, but that’s not Rich Ho’s goal. Instead, Heavens packs a message about self-esteem.
The mechas in Ho’s world grow, learn, and somewhat evolve as a reflection of their pilots. Since Kai carries his family loss on his sleeve, his mecha is not as large as the others in his platoon. Named Little Dragon by Kai, the mecha at least has earnestness going for him. The majority of the film covers Kai and Little Dragon learning what makes them unique and particularly useful in battle when Jupiter launches an attack.
So social commentary isn’t on the menu, and that’s okay. Though occasionally plodding to adults, the film aims squarely at children, possibly inspired by Rich Ho telling stories to his own real-life son Elijah, who plays Kai as a child. As a love letter to his own child, I can’t find fault.
The characterizations are broad, partly justified by the need to identify the mecha/pilot combos. This isn’t anything unfamiliar to manga and anime fans. A montage narrated by Kai’s journal covers his fellow soldiers—the extremely strong one, the friendly one, and the earnest but perhaps dumb one constantly telling jokes that no one can understand. This is literalized by his speech being recognizably gibberish in any language.
Ho’s vision holds Heavens together, and not just because he oversaw just about everything on it. Gathering VFX artists and other talents from all over the world, they put everything on the screen. In an end credits acknowledgement, Ho reveals that most if not all (honestly, I’m not sure) of the props, sets, and even costumes are constructed from upcycled rubbish. If the credits hadn’t told me that, I wouldn’t have known. The craftsmanship is impressive.
As good a polymath as Ho is, it doesn’t feel like anyone had the ability to override his instincts. While the score on its own has beauty, it also treats every scene with equal emotional urgency. Sometimes the direction lags, and the first 15 minutes or so with young Kai whisks ancillary characters in and out with little or no time to actually identify who they are. That’s probably a consequence of pulling a Boyhood-like move on this film. Even if ideas and casting had changed over 13 years of production, it would be hard to let go of the initial footage.
Even in 2026, there’s something dated in the appearance of the film. A lot of it feels dream-like, and it definitely has that dark blue and orange wash that’s trendy now but will betray its time in years to come. Still, I’m going to keep an eye out for what Ho does next, because there’s so much talent coming out of one man. Not the least of which is his ability to get craftsmen all over the world to collaborate.
Premiering at Cinequest last week, Heavens will find life here on Earth. No doubt kids under 10 will like it. It just doesn’t have the magic to enchant this adult.
