New Happy Dad and Son 5: My Alien Friend, the latest installment of the titular animated franchise, is scheduled to open on Oct 1.

An enduring animated franchise, which was originally launched in 1995, the new movie follows the two protagonists — the "small-headed" father and his "big-headed" son, both family nicknames — to embark on a new adventure.

In order to help his son realize a dream, the father, who works at a technological company, takes use of a suit of high-tech outfit to disguise himself as a rabbit-shaped alien visitor from a remote planet called Telescope. However, the father discovers he is stuck into a plight after his son invites the "alien" friend to join him in a school competition, which digitally simulates the space environment for participants to compete for establishing their own space bases.

As the only such space-themed animated movie this year, the film interweaves a growing-up story about courage and love with the backdrop of China's progress in space exploration.

Producers attending a Beijing premiere on Sept 28 said they wish the movie could stir national pride among the Chinese children and youngsters and encourage those who are passionate about space to pursue their aerospace dreams.