Making a Better TOMORROWLAND

I remember being so excited when I first heard
about this movie. I remember reading that the
script was based on objects found in a box from
Walt Disney's old office. Pretty sure that was just
PR BS now, since I didn't come across any reference
to this box in reviews or interviews with the director.

I know--this seems like an easy target, but nothing frustrates me more about a bad film than if it's a missed opportunity to do something that could have, and in this case should have, been amazing.  When it comes to optimistic science fiction films, I'm in the camp that believes we need more of them (despite the fact that I generally prefer dystopias and post-apocalypses in my stories).  In that sense, I agree with this film's message, but not how it goes about expressing it--as everyone who has seen it knows, this film does damn near everything wrong.

No, that doesn't mean I'm going to write a ten-part series on the failings of this film (though, I could).  What I am going to do is explain how I would have recut and reshot portions of TOMORROWLAND so that it would make a better, more watchable movie.  I usually focus on how I would have rewritten the script, but this time, I'd have rewritten the entire thing from scratch, making it pretty much unrecognizable, compared to what Disney let reach the screen.  It really is that wrong-in-the-head.  After the spoiler alert, I will go into a short explanation of the thing biggest problems I had with the film and then I will get to how I'd retool the final cut.

SPOILER ALERT: YOU ARE ABOUT TO HAVE TOMORROWLAND RUINED FOR YOU (if you haven't already, by watching it)

OK, so, one of my biggest problems is...

Saving "SAVING MR. BANKS" (from #Sexism and the Deification of Walt #Disney)

Sticky-note ink drawing by me.

What a sentimental, oversimplifying, disrespectful, sexist, and at times nonsensical, mess, Disney's "SAVING MR. BANKS" is.  I understand that, when telling a true story, said story needs to be simplified.  However, it was what was simplified and how it was propagandized that bothered me.  For starters, a wildly successful female author was distilled down to a caricature based on her nationality and gender.  What's more fun to laugh at than a stuck-up woman from Britain?  Not much, apparently, since that's where most of the laughs came from in this film.  But, I'll get into more of this in a bit.

SPOILERS AHEAD.  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

What was Wrong with "SAVING MR. BANKS"

To start, the story structure was confusing as hell.  The flashbacks that served only the most superficial of functions to try to explain how Travers became such an eccentric, annoying person plagued the entire film. Meanwhile, a much better structure kept being suggested every time we saw the film refer to the audio recordings Travers demanded be made of their development meetings.

These should have been used as the structure--unless they prove she wasn't anywhere near as obnoxious as she is made to look in the film.  In which case, perhaps a more balanced portrayal of both Travers and Walt Disney would be in order.

Fixing "FROZEN." Yes the Disney Hit is Great but Could Have BeenGreater.

WARNING: Mild spoilers ahead! If you're one of the three people on Earth who have yet to see "FROZEN," please proceed with caution! I try to avoid mentioning major plot points, but we all define the word "spoiler" differently, so you've been warned!! By continuing to read this, you absolve me of all responsibility for possibly ruining the movie for you! That said, I don't think I will...

So, I really enjoyed the Disney's latest CG animated movie. It really resonated with me in a few ways that I suppose I should be embarrassed by--what with me being a male who is thoroughly into adulthood. However, there were some huge problems with that film. Three, to be exact--three missed opportunities with story, humor and music.

I'll start with the part that I am least qualified to criticize--the music.