Take a road trip on the mysterious moon in new trailer for Disney's 'Crater'

Hailing from executive producer Shawn Levy ("Night at the Museum," "Real Steel"), part of the creative wizards who gave us the nostalgic magic of Netflix's "Stranger Things," "Crater" is a new family-friendly science fiction film headed to Disney+ on May 12, 2023. 

If you're getting those familiar warm and fuzzy '80s vibes from this initial teaser, you're not alone, as the producers and filmmakers are obviously tapping into the distinctive style of old-school coming-of-age adventure movies like "E.T the Extra-terrestrial," "Explorers," "The Goonies," and even "Stand By Me." 

Here in Disney's new sneak peek, a group of five precocious kids growing up inside a domed mining colony on the moon in the year 2257 embark on a danger-fraught road trip in a moon rover to investigate a massive remote crater. After a low-gravity game of lunar baseball, it appears that the gang encounters something unexplained way deep down inside the enormous dusty depression. 

Promotional art for "Crater" (Image credit: Disney+)

Directed Kyle Patrick Alvarez ("C.O.G."), "Crater" stars Russell-Bailey, Scott Mescudi, McKenna Grace, Billy Barratt, Orson Hong, and Thomas Boyce. The impressive special effects and detailed sets on display in this tantalizing teaser promise a fun, PG-rated outer space mission on the moon with a cool core mystery to unravel.

Here's the official synopsis:

"Crater" is the story of Caleb Channing (Russell-Bailey), who was raised on a lunar mining colony and is about to be permanently relocated to an idyllic faraway planet following the death of his father (Mescudi). But before leaving, to fulfill his dad's last wish, he and his three best friends, Dylan (Barratt), Borney (Hong) and Marcus (Boyce), and a new arrival from Earth, Addison (Grace), hijack a rover for one final adventure on a journey to explore a mysterious crater.

This retro-styled sci-fi project is produced by Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, and Dan Cohen alongside executive producers Emily Morris, John G. Scotti, Rpin Suwannath, Gordon Gray, Paris Latsis, and Terry Douglas.

With a screenplay by John Griffin ("From") and heralding from 21 Laps Production, "Crater" lands on the Disney+ streaming platform on May 12, 2023. 

Follow us @Spacedotcom, or on Facebook and Instagram. 

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Jeff Spry
Contributing Writer

Jeff Spry is an award-winning screenwriter and veteran freelance journalist covering TV, movies, video games, books, and comics. His work has appeared at SYFY Wire, Inverse, Collider, Bleeding Cool and elsewhere. Jeff lives in beautiful Bend, Oregon amid the ponderosa pines, classic muscle cars, a crypt of collector horror comics, and two loyal English Setters.