From magic pins to hovertrains, the opening of Disney’s “Tomorrowland” presents a future to be desired. However, despite its promising idea, the second half of the film becomes a difficult-to-follow cliché with lackluster acting that seems like a promotional piece for Disney.
The film, starring George Clooney as Frank Walker and Britt Robertson as Casey Newton, starts off with a nostalgic flashback to Walker’s youth at the 1964 World’s Fair. There, the young Walker meets the mysterious Athena, a young girl who lures him to Tomorrowland, a futuristic metropolis full of inventors and intellectuals with the freedom to create whatever they dream up.
Shortly afterward, we are brought back into the 21st century, as Newton’s plotline is introduced. Newton, the optimistic, genius daughter of a NASA engineer, finds a magical pin that momentarily transports her to Tomorrowland, and she is immediately mesmerized. She determinedly searches for another pin in the hopes of finding a way to travel back to Tomorrowland.
Directed by Academy Award winning Brad Bird—who also directed “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille”—Tomorrowland,” though primarily geared toward a younger audience, does offer a creative, original idea—something that modern children’s movies often lack.