Welcome to my weekly discussion of the films of the Walt Disney Studio. I’m proceeding mostly chronologically. The title comes from a quote from Walt, “I never called my work an ‘art’ It’s part of show business, the business of building entertainment.”

Title: Tomorrowland. In mainland Europe, Tomorrowland is the registered trademark of a Belgian electronic music festival. The movie’s title was changed to Disney Project T. When the music festival came to the US, it had to change its name to TomorrowWorld.

Year: 2015

Budget:  $180–190 million

Box office: $209 million

Plot: Inventor Frank Walker addresses an unseen audience about the future. When he was a young boy, Frank attended the 1964 New York World’s Fair, to sell his prototype jetpack. It is rejected by judge David Nix on the basis that it doesn’t work. Frank is approached by a young girl, Athena, who hands him a blue lapel pin with an orange “T” embossed on it, telling him to follow her onto Walt Disney’s “It’s a Small World” attraction at the Fair’s Pepsi-Cola Pavilion. Frank obeys and sneaks onto the ride, where the pin is scanned by a laser, and he is transported to Tomorrowland, a futuristic cityscape, where advanced robots fix his jetpack, allowing him to fly and join the secretive world.

Frank passes the narration to the optimistic teenager Casey Newton. In the present, Casey repeatedly sabotages the planned demolition of a NASA launch site in Florida. Her father, Eddie, is a NASA engineer, but faces losing his job. Casey is eventually caught and arrested. At the police station, she finds a pin in her belongings (which appears similar to the pin young Frank was given by Athena, but colored oppositely). While touching it, the pin transports her to Tomorrowland. Her adventure is cut short when the pin’s battery runs out, frustrating her.

With help from her younger brother Nate, Casey finds a Houston memorabilia store related to the pin. The owners, Hugo Gernsback and his wife Ursula, attack her when she is unable to divulge where she got the pin, insisting that Casey knows about a “little girl.” Athena, who gave Casey the pin, bursts in and defeats the owners, actually Audio-Animatronics, who self-destruct, blowing apart the shop. After Casey and Athena steal a car, Athena reveals she is an animatronic, purposed to find and recruit people who fit the ideals of Tomorrowland. Athena drops Casey off outside an adult Frank’s house in Pittsfield, New York.

The reclusive, cynical Frank declines Casey’s request to take her to Tomorrowland, having been banished from it years ago. Inside Frank’s house, Casey finds a probability counter marking the end of the world. Frank warns her that the future is doomed, but she disagrees, thus lowering the counter’s probability. Animatronic assassins arrive to kill Casey, but she and Frank escape, meeting Athena in the woods outside Frank’s house. Frank resents Athena for lying to him about her true nature, but reluctantly agrees to help them get to Tomorrowland.

Using a teleportation device, the trio travel to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Frank explains that Gustave Eiffel, Jules Verne, Nikola Tesla, and Thomas Edison co-founded Plus Ultra, a secret society of futurists, creating Tomorrowland in another dimension, free to make scientific breakthroughs without obstruction. The trio use an antique rocket hidden beneath the Eiffel Tower – called the Spectacle – to travel to Tomorrowland.

There, they find Tomorrowland in a state of decay. David Nix, now Tomorrowland’s governor, greets them. They travel to a tachyon machine, invented by Frank, which accurately predicted the worldwide catastrophe. Casey refuses to accept the world will end, causing the future to temporarily alter. While Frank attempts to convince Nix to listen, he refuses and intends to have the group leave Tomorrowland.

Casey realizes the tachyon machine is telling humanity that the world will end, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. They confront Nix, who admits he tried to prevent the future by projecting such images to humanity as a warning. Instead, they embraced the apocalypse in fiction, refusing to act to make a better future for their world. Believing that humanity simply gave up, Nix has also given up and intends to allow the apocalypse to happen. Casey, Frank, and Athena attempt to use a bomb to destroy the machine, leading to a fight with Nix. The bomb is accidentally thrown through a portal to an uninhabited island on Earth, the explosion pinning Nix’s leg. Athena sees a vision of the future where Frank is shot by Nix, and she jumps in the way of his attack, mortally wounding herself. Making peace with Frank, Athena activates her self-destruct sequence, destroying the machine which falls on Nix, killing him.

In the present, Casey and Frank lead Tomorrowland, recruit Eddie and Nate, and create a new group of recruitment animatronics like Athena, whom they were addressing at the beginning of the film. Given pins, the animatronic children set out to recruit new dreamers and thinkers for Tomorrowland.

Background: In 2010, Damon Lindelof began discussions with Walt Disney Studios about producing a modern science-fiction Disney film, with Tomorrowland as a basis. The project was greenlit by Walt Disney Pictures’ president of production, Sean Bailey in June 2011 with Lindelof signed on to write and produce a film with the working title of 1952. Lindelof asked Jeff Jensen — who had previously published material on Lindelof’s Lost television series — if he was interested in contributing to story elements. Jensen agreed and began to research the history of the Walt Disney Company, particularly Walt Disney’s fascination with futurism, scientific innovation and utopia, as well as his involvement with the 1964 New York World’s Fair and Disney’s unrealized concept for EPCOT. In May 2012, Brad Bird was hired as director.

Originally, the film included overt references to Walt Disney’s involvement with Plus Ultra, the fictional organization founded by Gustave Eiffel, Jules Verne, Nikola Tesla, and Thomas Edison — including the idea that Disneyland’s Tomorrowland was intended to be a cover-up for the real one developed by the group — however, the scenes and dialogue were omitted from the final cut of the film. Pixar Animation Studios created an animated short film, narrated by Maurice LaMarche, that explained the backstory of Plus Ultra, which was planned to be incorporated into an excised scene where a young Frank Walker is transported beneath the “It’s a Small World” attraction, and through an informative series of displays, reminiscent of Disney dark rides.

Music: The musical score for Tomorrowland was composed by Michael Giacchino, a recurrent collaborator of Bird’s. Songs not included on the album, but featured in the film include “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” and “It’s a Small World (After All),” both written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, and “I Got Mine” by The Black Keys.

Cast:

George Clooney as John Francis “Frank” Walker. Clooney gained wide recognition in his role as Dr. Doug Ross on the medical drama ER from 1994 to 1999, for which he received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Before his breakthrough, he appeared in television and film roles on  The Facts of Life, The Golden Girls, Roseanne, Bodies of Evidence, Sisters, and  Return of the Killer Tomatoes. He appeared in the films like  From Dusk till Dawn, Out of Sight, Three Kings, Batman and Robin, One Fine Day, The Peacemaker, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?, Ocean’s Eleven, and its sequels, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Gravity, and Hail, Caesar! He made his directorial debut a year later with  Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and has since directed Good Night, and Good Luck, Leatherheads, The Ides of March, and The Monuments Men. Clooney won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for  Syriana, and subsequently earned Best Actor nominations for Michael Clayton, Up in the Air  and The Descendants. In 2013, he received the Academy Award for Best Picture for producing the political thriller Argo. He has been nominated for Oscars in six different categories, a record he shares with Walt Disney. Britt Robertson as Casey Newton. She appeared in films like Dan in Real Life, Delivery Man, Ask Me Anything, The Space Between Us, A Dog’s Purpose and  I Still Believe. Robertson also starred in television series such as Life Unexpected, The Secret Circle, Under the Dome, Girlboss and For the People.

Hugh Laurie as David Nix. Laurie is perhaps best known for starring in House, for which he received two Golden Globe Awards. His other television credits include arms dealer Richard Onslow Roper in the miniseries The Night Manager,  for which he won his third Golden Globe Award, and Senator Tom James inVeep, for which he received his 10th Emmy Award nomination. Laurie first gained recognition for his work as one half of the comedy double act Fry and Laurie with his friend and comedy partner Stephen Fry. The duo acted together in a number of projects including the sketch comedy series A Bit of Fry & Laurie and  Jeeves and Wooster. Laurie’s other roles during this time include the period comedy series Blackadder and the films Sense and Sensibility, 101 Dalmatians, The Borrowers, and Stuart Little. Raffey Cassidy as Athena. Cassidy’s credits include  Snow White and the Huntsman, Dark Shadows, Molly Moon and the Incredible Book of Hypnotism, and The Killing of a Sacred Deer. On television, Cassidy co-starred in Mr. Selfridge.

Tim McGraw as Eddie Newton. McGraw has released fifteen studio albums, ten of those albums have reached number 1 on the Top Country Albums charts, with his 1994 breakthrough album Not a Moment Too Soon being the top country album of 1994. All of these albums have produced 65 singles, 25 of which have reached number 1 on the Hot Country Songs or Country Airplay charts. He has also won three Grammy Awards, 14 Academy of Country Music awards, 11 Country Music Association (CMA) awards, 10 American Music Awards, and three People’s Choice Awards. He has sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Acting roles include The Blind Side, Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, Four Christmases, The Shack, Flicka, and  Country Strong. He was a minority owner of the Arena Football League’s Nashville Kats. Kathryn Hahn as Ursula. She began her career on television, playing Lily Lebowski in Crossing Jordan. Hahn went on to appear in the films How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Step Brothers, Our Idiot Brother, We’re the Millers, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Afternoon Delight, Private Life, Bad Moms, A Bad Moms Christmas, Revolutionary Road, This Is Where I Leave You, The Visit, and Captain Fantastic.In 2017 she received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work in Transparent.

Keegan-Michael Key as Hugo. Key co-created and co-starred alongside Jordan Peele in Key & Peele and co-starred in Playing House. He spent six seasons as a cast member on Mad TV. He also appeared onFargoand Parks and Recreation. He hosted the U.S. version of The Planet’s Funniest Animals on Animal Planet. Key has had supporting roles in several films, including Pitch Perfect 2, Don’t Think Twice, and Toy Story 4. Also in 2015, he appeared at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner as the Key & Peele character Luther, President Barack Obama’s anger translator. Judy Greer as Jenny Newton. Film roles include What Women Want, 13 Going on 30, 27 Dresses, Adaptation, The Village, Elizabethtown, Love Happens ,Love & Other Drugs, The Descendants, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Jurassic World, Ant-Man, War for the Planet of the Apes, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Halloween. She made her directorial debut with the comedy-drama film A Happening of Monumental Proportions. On television, Greer is best known for Arrested Development, Archer, and Kidding. Greer made guest appearances on the television series Just Shoot Me!, CSI: Miami, My Name Is Earl, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Californication, ER, House, Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, and Warren the Ape.

Critical Reception:

• Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying “Brad Bird’s Tomorrowland, a noble failure about trying to succeed, is written and directed with such open-hearted optimism that you cheer it on even as it stumbles.”
• Stephanie Merry of The Washington Post gave the film two out of four stars, saying “Maybe the ultimate goal of Tomorrowland remains obscure because once you know where the story is headed, you realize it’s a familiar tale. The movie can conjure up futuristic images, but the story is nothing we haven’t seen before.”
• Moira MacDonald of The Seattle Times gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying “Though it’s made with great energy and inventiveness, there’s something ultimately muddy about Tomorrowland; it’s as if director Brad Bird got so caught up in the sets and effects and whooshing editing that the story somehow slipped away.”
• Colin Covert of the Star Tribune gave the film two out of four stars, saying “A well-oiled machine of visuals, and yet a wobbling rattletrap of storytelling, the sci-fi fantasy Tomorrowland is an unwieldy clunker driven into the ditch at full speed.”
• James Berardinelli of ReelViewsgave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying “For a while, it doesn’t matter that the plot meanders. The story seems like a jigsaw puzzle inviting us to solve it. That’s the fun part. However, when the resolution is presented, it underwhelms.”
• A. O. Scott of The New York Times gave the film a negative review, saying “It’s important to note that Tomorrowland is not disappointing in the usual way. It’s not another glib, phoned-in piece of franchise mediocrity, but rather a work of evident passion and conviction. What it isn’t is in any way convincing or enchanting.”
• Lou Lumenick of the New York Post gave the film two out of four stars, saying “The film never adds up to the sum of its parts, effectively a two-hour trailer for a movie I’d still be interested in seeing.”

Easter Eggs:

• Among the many memorabilia in the sci-fi collectible shop Casey visits are a collection of Iron Giant figurines from The Iron Giant and a figure of Mr. Incredible from The Incredibles. Brad Bird directed both animated films. There are also numerous toys and figurines from The Simpsons, where Brad Bird worked as a Director and Creative Consultant for nine years. Other collectibles shown are from Star Wars, Planet of the Apes, Flash Gordon, Forbidden Planet, Toy Story, and The Day the Earth Stood Still.
• When the police return Casey’s property, among the items is a pack of Beeman’s gum. In Disney’s The Rocketeer – another film featuring a character wearing a jet-pack – the Rocketeer himself always carries a pack of Beeman’s for luck.
• Disneyland is mentioned in the early scenes when young Frank first visits Tomorrowland and sneaks onto the It’s a Small World ride. one park employee is dressed as the Big Bad Wolf from Three Little Pigsand another is dressed as the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland.
• The upstairs bedroom of Frank Walker’s house features purple Haunted Mansion wallpaper on its walls.

My take: So what I liked was the whole look of it. I thought Robertson was great. I saw this at Disney Springs and I couldn’t for the life of me find one of those pins!

  Available on Disney +?: It will be available September 21, 2021

Next Week: BFG