Review by Jonathan Godfrey for Mr. Will Wong
Throughout his life, Walt Disney reminded us that “Tomorrow can be a wonderful age.” There is life in that line… and there’s hope in it too. Sixty years ago he named aptly this wonderful age Tomorrowland, and he housed it within the walls of Disneyland. Walt’s Tomorrowland was jam-packed with progressive thinking, and many of these innovations can still be enjoyed there today.
However, Disney’s attention soon waned as he turned his focus toward the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Disney’s efforts there are still in effect today, and the Company’s latest Film is a testament to that fact.
Mouseketeers will know Brad Bird from his work on The Incredibles and Ratatouille. While Sci-Fi Geeks will know David Lindelof from his work on Prometheus and World War Z. Together they’ve brought Tomorrowland to the silver screen in the most fitting way possible. It’s big, it’s beautiful, and it’s filled with hope.
The Film’s famous Poster Boy, George Clooney, plays Frank Walker. Frank as a Boy Genius finds himself at the 1964 New York World’s Fair eager to impress the Judges… and he does. So much so that one in particular invites him to join her in a world beyond his imagining. Years later, another youthful genius is discovered and taken to the same wondrous world… but things have changed.
Britt Robertson plays that Genius lost in the land of broken dreams. Her Character, Casey Newton, is the Daughter of a NASA Engineer and a bit of a rebel. She’s smart, she’s cool, and she brings light to the darkest situations. She is our guide through today and tomorrow, helping us see that though life is tough it is far from over.
She is aided in her efforts by other young minds. Her Brother Newt (Pierce Gagnon) and the commanding presence of Athena (Raffey Cassidy), help Casey in her quest to save the World. But perhaps the brightest Star of all here is Thomas Robinson who plays the young Frank Walker. He is a charming Boy who delivers whimsically and flawlessly.
Tomorrowland itself is delightfully picturesque. With suspended pools and rocket packs at the ready it’s certainly a place worthy of the Disney moniker. It’s a place where Kids – big and small – will dream about visiting themselves, and that is the most impressionable point. Because it’s important that amidst a World filled with the constructs of man-made obstacles they never forget to dream. And if there’s one thing you can take away from this Family-geared Adventure, that would be it.
Walt Disney Studio Motion Pictures Canada release TOMORROWLAND on Friday, May 23, 2015.
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