Disney’s newest film, “Tomorrowland,” directed by Brad Bird, follows the story of a science-loving, driven teenage girl and her unlikely acquaintance, a grown man who was once a child-genius. The pair ventures into an unknown, futuristic world while discovering many twists and turns that they, and the audience, do not anticipate. The film kept me intrigued throughout its entirety and left me feeling much more impressed with it than I had intended to be.
From the trailers I had seen, I was excited. The story seemed interesting and unique in a way that good children’s movies are. However, many reviewers stated that the movie became “preachy” and “angry towards those who disagree” with the idea that humans have changed the concept of the future from something glamorous and powerful to something dreary and dreadful. After watching the movie, I found that I did not agree at all with the majority of big time movie-reviewers. Upon leaving the film I actually felt inspired as though Bird and the writers had done a very good job of turning a cool science-fiction story into something that matters. While it did seem like the message of protecting the environment was rather blatantly stated, I felt the characters had a very strong presence on the screen and were able to turn their fictional views into a reflection of the world today. Without giving away the punchline, the writers left me feeling inspired and determined in a way that Disney always seems to be able to do.
In addition to the message of the movie, the overall plot of the film was so creative and interesting that I found myself intrigued until the end. What I felt most proud of during the film was the fact that two of the main, bad ass characters of the film were young girls. Casey Newton, (Britt Robertson), and Athena, (Raffey Cassidy), never once let anyone who appeared above or older than them prevent them from staying true to what they wanted to accomplish. Since it was a children’s movie there was not an excessive amount of violence, but it was still very evident that when there was fighting, these girls were on their toes and always took the victory.
All in all, the film was a children’s story that should inspire and enhance the imaginations of a young mind. However, no matter how old you are, the movie was entertaining and requires you to give it all your attention, while also offering the audience, a sense of responsibility in deciding what the future really will hold, in a real Tomorrowland.