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When director Brad Bird made the jump from animation to live action for 2011’s Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol, he did so in the biggest, most eye-popping way imaginable. Now, for Tomorrowland, he blends live action thrills with the imagination of animation to create a striking—albeit cluttered—family adventure.
Tomorrowland travels to another dimension with a hopeful young girl and a disillusioned man. Frank Walker (George Clooney) was just a boy when he was recruited to join the world’s best and brightest in Tomorrowland—a place where artists and inventors and dreamers could work together to change the future. Now, decades after the project was abandoned, Frank learns that there might be hope for the planet after all—and an old friend convinces him to team up with unrelenting optimist Casey Newton (Britt Robertson) to solve the world’s problems.
With more and more movies using CGI for everything from set design to special effects, the line between live action and animation is becoming increasingly blurred. And that gives a director like Bird—one with years of experience with animated films—an advantage. With Tomorrowland, he proves that he’s got a gift for creating worlds that are both imaginative and visually stunning. Bird’s Tomorrowland is nothing sort of breathtaking. It’s retro and futuristic at the same time—the kind of place you’d love to explore, populated with the kind of people you’d love to meet. Sadly, the film doesn’t spend as much time in this fantasy world as you might expect, but its time there is simply magical.
The story surrounding this mysterious city, however, is a mess. It takes a long time to get to the point, spending most of the film taunting viewers with some kind of mystery involving a horrible disaster in this magical, faraway place. Poor Casey ends up battling deadly robots before going on a road trip with a strange little girl in search of a guy she’s never met, only to battle more robots before setting off on an unknown mission in another dimension. It may have a great message about working together to save the world instead of simply waiting for its demise, but it’s probably best not to think too much about the rest.
Fortunately, though, the rest of the film provides plenty of distractions—from the lovable cast to the sometimes shocking sci-fi action. And while some parts may be too scary for younger viewers, older kids will enjoy embarking on this fun-filled journey through Brad Bird’s imagination.
Tomorrowland may be a mess, but—thanks to the likable characters and stunning futuristic design—at least it’s a beautiful, entertaining mess. And that’s enough to make it a worthwhile choice for your next family movie night.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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