Projected on the walls inside the Saunders Castle at Park Plaza, “The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks” is a powerful embodiment of humanity’s enduring fascination with the moon and the history of the Apollo missions.
The immersive experience, written and narrated by the Oscar-winning actor, debuted in London in 2023, and premiered in North America in Boston on June 27, 2025.
The 50-minute production, which shows once every hour, is projected on all four walls and the floor of the exhibit room. The screening not only informs the audience about the Apollo missions, but, as Hanks narrates a story, he shares his experience as a 12-year-old boy watching the first moon landing, and how his passion for space shaped his life.
The production not only features breathtaking and immersive visuals, but it also reflects the passion and drive of humankind. The show allows the audience to not just learn history, but to become immersed in it. The audience steps into the Apollo missions and becomes engulfed in the visual of the moon’s surface. Many leave visibly moved, having relived the raw emotions of one of humanity’s greatest achievements.
“It sort of tricks you. You’re not really expecting to get emotional about it,” said producer Richard Slaney at the Boston premiere.
The concept was born out of Slaney’s David Hockney exhibit in London. Hanks was a guest at the exhibit and became captivated by the venue and the immersive format of the show. That night, Slaney recalled Hanks saying, “Well, you can walk on the moon in here. You can do anything.”
So that is exactly what they created.
Hanks, being so engulfed by the topic already — including his starring role in “Apollo 13” — wrote the script himself and sent it to Slaney. With a clear vision of how he wanted to tell the story, the project quickly took off.
The production only took around six months to complete, with a team of more than 50 people. It uses 22 projectors, more than 100 million pixels per frame, and 70 terabytes of data.
Following its successful debut in London, where more than 250,000 people were in attendance, “The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks” launched its North American tour.
Slaney felt that Boston was a great starting point for this journey, due to the great downtown venue at the Saunders Castle, and the city’s deep roots in history, culture and learning.
“There’s something about this city that really speaks to curiosity,” he said.
He’s already seeing this curiosity surrounding the topic pique while sharing his project around the world.
“What I love about this show is when it unlocks something for people that they didn’t really know they were interested in, and you see them leaving and going down a rabbit hole of wanting to learn more,” Slaney shared.
With NASA’s Artemis II mission set to send humans to the moon again for the first time in more than 50 years, there is no better time for audiences to reflect on the legacy of the Apollo missions, and imagine what the next mission will mean for the future.
(For tickets, times, and more information, visit www.lightroomexperiences.com.)
–June 28, 2025–
