No, I’m not talking about the EDM festival by the same name.
The recent film, originally released in France, is inspiring, to say the least. Brad Bird, the director, producer, and screenwriter for the film constructed an amazingly visual and entertaining story that ties together motifs of hope, imagination, and optimism for the future.
The movie starred big names like George Clooney and Hugh Laurie, and also up and comer Britt Robertson. The story was fantastic, in my opinion. A little confusing, but truthfully a cute and moving tale I was from start to finish interested in understanding. The beginning of the movie sets the scene in Flushing Meadows Corona Park at the World’s Fair, where a young Frank Walker (later played by Clooney) brings a personal invention to enter it in a competition and win $50. A young girl, Athena (Raffey Cassidy), takes an interest in him and allows him to follow her, finding his way into the future, called Tomorrowland. This future is essentially a utopia for the dreamers, optimists and creators, designed so that they may be free to develop their ideas without worry of everyday stresses, such as money, transportation, or support.
The twist of the movie was unexpected, but quiet. You had to think a little to really understand, even with Clooney’s character almost explicitly spelling it out. There isn’t necessarily a hero, but there is a villain, who is exactly who you’d expect, but only because of the music they play throughout.
I loved the reoccurring theme of choice and positivity. It was slightly cheesy to appeal to a younger crowd, but regardless of age, I think the lessons to take away could stick with someone in any walk of life. In the film, they focus on a particular tale of The Two Wolves. This tale is about a battle that goes on inside people. The battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside all of us. One wolf is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other wolf is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. The one who wins is the one you feed. I really enjoy this tale because it has that fierce spirituality no one can denounce as irrelevant or unrelatable. I’ve seen it before but never used in a movie, and I’m glad it’s a message that’s gaining traction because I think it’s a message everyone should hear about in our day and age.
All in all, I would rate this movie probably a 4.5 stars, only because I got slightly confused with all of the terminology they used, but overall I really enjoyed watching it. It made me feel smarter at some points. If you’re looking for a witty, ‘proponent of positivity’ movie, look no further.