Tomorrowland: A World Beyond

Directed by Brad Bird and based on the futuristic ideals and plans of Walt Disney, Tomorrowland: A World Beyond is an exciting joyride of a film. It follows the exploits of a former boy-genius called Frank (George Clooney), who is now an exiled and jaded old man, and an energetic, scientifically curious teenager, Casey (Britt Robertson). Casey finds a pin that allows her to see another world full of technology and promise called Tomorrowland. Only the brightest are given a chance to see this world, and now she wants to discover more of it. With the reluctant Frank leading the way from deadly, smiley robots, it appears that the journey will change their lives forever. The film also stars Hugh Laurie, Tim McGraw and Raffey Cassidy.

Unlike a lot of the Disney’s recent releases, this offering has a new-and-shiny feel that only comes with a story that hasn’t really been told before. The ideas for the film started with an untouched box hiding in the Disney Studios archive. It contained models, blueprints, photographs and letters relating to the inception of the Tomorrowland section of Disney’s theme park, and the 1964 World’s Fair. Damon Lindelof recalls: “I began to imagine that the contents of the box were a guide to a secret story that nobody knew. But if so, what would that story be? And the most obvious answer to me was that there really was a place called Tomorrowland that was not a theme park but existed somewhere in the real world.”

Another intriguing source of inspiration for the film was the French structural engineer Gustave Eiffel, who designed and built the infamous Eiffel Tower. Supposedly, he built himself a private compartment within the tower to be later used for meteorological observations and various scientific experiments. Stories also mention that Eiffel quietly gathered together three other great minds in the apartment – Thomas Edison, Jules Verne and Nikola Tesla – to discuss the future.

This film is delightfully and typically Disney in its sense of wonder, curiosity about the future and ability to leave the audience’s imagination running wild. Tomorrowland: A World Beyond will surely be a classic for many generations to enjoy.

Amaliah Sara Marmon-Halm

 Tomorrowland: A World Beyond is released nationwide on 22^nd May 2015.

Watch the trailer for Tomorrowland: A World Beyond here: