There is a terrible fight between two wolves… One is evil – he has anger, greed, self-pity, arrogance, lies, and inferiority. The other is good – he is truth, joy, peace, compassionate, kind and generous. Which wolf will win? … “The one you feed.”
Tomorrowland is a story meant for dreamers, optimists, and those who want to change the world. Through this adventurous and imaginative tale, Casey Newton (played by Britt Robertson) is selected by an Audio-Animatronic, Athena (played by Raffey Cassidy) to enter Tomorrowland and fix the future. With the reluctant help of Frank Walker (George Clooney), the three optimists re-enter Tomorrowland and figure out the world is focused on negativity, doom and gloom, all of our problems, and in turn they opt to attempt to change “which wolf the world is feeding” and focus on what will bring about a positive change.
Review
I have mixed feelings about this film. The storyline was a little choppy, and several ‘take away’ themes were attempted to be shown – be a dreamer, only the creative are sought after, choose to feed the good wolf, etc. World problems were identified (climate change, over-population, starvation) but despite repeated questioning from Casey of “How do we fix it?,” a real solution was never given. (Spoiler alert, next sentence –> ). They just stopped the end of the world from happening and suddenly all was well with the world.
What I loved was the first 1/3 of the movie. It was very nostalgic to the Walt Disney era – as it portrayed scenes from the 1964 World’s Fair. They played the song It’s A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow, and even showed segments of the It’s A Small World attraction (with the song too!) It was very futuristic, colorful and imaginative. Parallels to the actual architecture of Tomorrowland at Walt Disney World could be seen – true Disney fans will enjoy and appreciate the beginning of this movie! The rest of the movie was “doom and gloom.” Lots of action, intense fight scenes, certainly creative, but a stark contrast to the beginning of the movie. If you go into it knowing it’ll be pure fantasy, you’ll enjoy it. If you’re the type to be bothered by a little bit of political agenda (it was mild) or lack of a decent resolution, then perhaps wait for it to come out on DVD.
The Child Factor
Tomorrowland is rated PG…. but so was the recent live-action Cinderella. I happily took my 4 and 7 year old kids to Cinderella, but did not take them to see Tomorrowland, and I think that was a wise decision. Tomorrowland has dark moments & scenery at times, there are intense fight scenes, the word “hell” is used 4 times as a curse word, and a few of the Animatronics do have their heads decapitated and/or limbs severed. Because they are animatronics, there isn’t any blood (just cords and wires), so these scenes aren’t too gruesome – but if your child hasn’t been exposed to such violence, this is something to consider before showing them this film. Another scene depicts “the little girl” (Athena, about age 12) getting hit by a truck at full speed. Since she’s an animatronic, she doesn’t suffer any injuries. But again, take this into consideration as it is a bit shocking initially. This movie is also 2 hours in length, and kind of seemed “long” at times. I’d say this movie is best fit for children over the age of 10, but some 8 – 10 year olds may have the maturity to handle the violence and have the stamina to sit through it. You know your child best.
Stay Through the Credits?
There are a few creative ‘lines’ of text thrown into the credits. There is also a 2 second clip at the very end of the credits. Does it add anything to the movie? No. It’s up to you whether to stay a bit longer or not.
Disclaimer: Thanks to Disney, the Owens Group and See It First for allowing us to attend a complimentary, special screening of Tomorrowland on May 19 before it’s official release. All opinions expressed are our own, no other compensation was received.
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