Casey Newton lives in Cape Canaveral with her Dad and little brother. After a run-in with the law she comes into possession of a mysterious badge, which transports her to a fabulous futureworld. But where did it come from, and why was she chosen to receive it ?
This Disney sci-fi thriller is a beautifully made, highly original, hugely entertaining film which is consistently gorgeous to look at but also a wonderful story with great characters and terrific themes. What I like best about it I think is its driving sense of optimism and its faith that humanity can overcome any problem once we realise that our destiny lies in our hands. Frank and Nix represent opposite sides of this philosophy - one disgruntled but never giving up hope, the other pragmatic and visionary but resigned to humanity's shallow indifference. The film explores these ideas through rich motifs - the story of the two wolves, the contrast of Frank's youth in the sixties with Casey's in the twenty-first century, the whole Paris Edison/Tesla sequence, Frank and Nix's literal clash of interests. It's a story about not giving up, and not accepting the never-ending tide of bad news the media loves to spoon-feed us all, and it's joyous, exciting, scary and terrific. Clooney and Laurie are both excellent, but it's really Robertson and Cassidy as the kids who hold the picture and who the story is really all about. Twelve-year-old Cassidy in particular steals it, continuing the rich tradition of cinematic robot heroes (see also Aliens, A.I. Artificial Intelligence or I, Robot) who encompass humanity's best qualities. I also love MacCaull's brief role as cheesy android villain Dave Clark - his toothy smile alone is worth catching the movie for. There is a fantastic bombastic string score by Michael Giacchino, which surges through the whole picture - he is rapidly becoming the John Williams of modern cinema - upping the dramatic stakes, and adding warmth and tension. Equally wonderful is Scott Chambliss' fabulous production design, which runs a gamut of imagination from the multi-layered swimming pools and gliding transportation hubs of Tomorrowland to the charmingly kitschy cult movie memorabilia shop in which Casey first encounters the enemy agents. A sensational achievement for Bird (the creator of animated classics The Incredibles and Ratatouille), and a fabulous family movie which reminds us that it's okay to have hope, encourage creativity and strive to make the world a better place. Released here in the UK as Tomorrowland: A World Beyond.
This Disney sci-fi thriller is a beautifully made, highly original, hugely entertaining film which is consistently gorgeous to look at but also a wonderful story with great characters and terrific themes. What I like best about it I think is its driving sense of optimism and its faith that humanity can overcome any problem once we realise that our destiny lies in our hands. Frank and Nix represent opposite sides of this philosophy - one disgruntled but never giving up hope, the other pragmatic and visionary but resigned to humanity's shallow indifference. The film explores these ideas through rich motifs - the story of the two wolves, the contrast of Frank's youth in the sixties with Casey's in the twenty-first century, the whole Paris Edison/Tesla sequence, Frank and Nix's literal clash of interests. It's a story about not giving up, and not accepting the never-ending tide of bad news the media loves to spoon-feed us all, and it's joyous, exciting, scary and terrific. Clooney and Laurie are both excellent, but it's really Robertson and Cassidy as the kids who hold the picture and who the story is really all about. Twelve-year-old Cassidy in particular steals it, continuing the rich tradition of cinematic robot heroes (see also Aliens, A.I. Artificial Intelligence or I, Robot) who encompass humanity's best qualities. I also love MacCaull's brief role as cheesy android villain Dave Clark - his toothy smile alone is worth catching the movie for. There is a fantastic bombastic string score by Michael Giacchino, which surges through the whole picture - he is rapidly becoming the John Williams of modern cinema - upping the dramatic stakes, and adding warmth and tension. Equally wonderful is Scott Chambliss' fabulous production design, which runs a gamut of imagination from the multi-layered swimming pools and gliding transportation hubs of Tomorrowland to the charmingly kitschy cult movie memorabilia shop in which Casey first encounters the enemy agents. A sensational achievement for Bird (the creator of animated classics The Incredibles and Ratatouille), and a fabulous family movie which reminds us that it's okay to have hope, encourage creativity and strive to make the world a better place. Released here in the UK as Tomorrowland: A World Beyond.