Synopsis

Accident-prone computer programmer Fred Randall gets an unexpected chance to join NASA's first manned mission to Mars after a navigation problem forces the agency to recruit him. Despite his clumsy behavior and fear of spaceflight, Fred completes astronaut training and blasts off with an experienced crew and a mischievous chimpanzee. Once on Mars, his unconventional skills may be the mission's only hope.

Factoids & Trivia

• The concept began with writers Craig Mazin and Greg Erb imagining an "Apollo 13" story with a goofball replacing the heroic central astronaut. At the time, Mazin was working as an advertising copywriter for Walt Disney Studios.

• Mazin and Erb had not previously written a feature film, but their screenplay impressed Disney executives enough for the project to be fast-tracked.

• Harland Williams said he rewrote portions of the script without receiving a writing credit. His reported contributions included expanding the sound-deprivation and g-force sequences, adding Fred's celebratory scream after being accepted, and creating the romantic scene in which Fred and Julie connect while looking at the stars.

• The production filmed at Houston's Johnson Space Center for nine weeks, including work around Rocket Park and in Building 32, which housed a large thermal vacuum chamber used to simulate the conditions of outer space.

• NASA interiors were also created at Lake Point Plaza in Sugar Land, Texas. The building's exterior was dressed with NASA signs to resemble the real space center.

• Mars surface scenes were filmed around Moab, Utah, whose red-rock landscapes had already made the area a popular location for science-fiction and adventure productions.

• The principal performers portraying astronauts attended Space Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where they used simulators and took part in astronaut-training activities.

• Filming took place from September 16 through November 25, 1996. The film was released by Disney on October 10, 1997, with a PG rating and a runtime of approximately 94 minutes.

• The film's comic approach deliberately contrasts the seriousness of earlier space dramas. Its premise and several situations play as a broad parody of NASA mission movies, while still using familiar genre elements such as Mission Control, zero gravity, technical malfunctions, and a dangerous landing.

• Roger Ebert compared the movie's broad comic style to the work of Jerry Lewis and Jim Carrey, while noting that the film was more interested in slapstick than scientific accuracy.

• RocketMan was among the early Disney titles to receive a DVD release. After becoming unavailable for a period, it was reissued by the Disney Movie Club on DVD in 2006 and on Blu-ray in 2018.