Brad Bird's TOMORROWLAND trailer, website surprises (1 Viewer)

[Josh Steinberg]

Sorry to bring up this older thread. But, I was hoping someone can answer these questions and share their thoughts.....

-I wish we got more info on the alternate planet Tomorrowland is on.

-We are shown (via the pin) a vibrant very populated Tomorrowland. Yet, we hear Clooney say its a lie and when we see Tomorrowland for real it seems mostly deserted. So was the pin version completely fake? At first I thought so. Yet, we see a giant finished city. So my thinking was once Nix took over (and kicked Clooney out) he kind of set up martial law or at least restricted movement.
Does anyone have any info on this??

I'm not sure that it's ever completely clear. There's a prequel novel called "Before Tomorrowland" but it takes place in the 40s, so it doesn't touch on young Clooney at all.

From what I gathered from watching the movie a couple times and reading the prequel novel, the alternate planet is actually another version of Earth in another dimension.

According to the prequel novel, they had hoped to open Tomorrowland first in the 1940s, but had to cancel (the novel is about the events that led to the cancellation). I think it was supposed to open again at some point after the 60s period we see with the young Clooney character, but that obviously never happened.

The pin itself was an advertisement, they said - I think that there were probably some pins capable of transporting people there (or being used as keys to unlock doors to get there) but that the specific pin we take a trip with is meant to be like an infomercial to show what Tomorrowland would be like. I think that we see it built up corresponds to the reality we see when Clooney is young, but that it was never fully populated like we see in the pin. The pin I think is meant to be their vision for what Tomorrowland could be like. It's like one of those videos that real estate agents play when they want you to buy into a particular development.

I think - not 100% sure - what we're supposed to take away from all of this is that when Clooney's character first invented the future telling machine, he looked into the future and saw only despair, and lost hope, and for that, he was banished. I don't think they say exactly why he was banished. I think the visions of a bad future lead Nix (who never seemed like the friendliest or most hopeful person in the first place) to conclude that our Earth is doomed, so he seeks to turn Tomorrowland into a sort of Noak's Ark for people he deems worthy, which is why there are still a few people over there working on stuff when adult Clooney crosses back over there.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

From what I gathered from watching the movie a couple times and reading the prequel novel, the alternate planet is actually another version of Earth in another dimension.

That was my take as well, that Tomorrowland was geographically located on Earth, but on the Earth of a different dimension. The trip into outer space was just about building up enough momentum to make the jump across dimensions, since the 19th century technology was a lot less sophisticated than the equipment used by Tomorrowland's modern day occupants.

We see three Tomorrowlands in the film:
The advertisement vision of what Tomorrowland could be, via the pin, as projected into Casey Newton's brain. This was a simulation, or at the very least a carefully staged recording.

The real Tomorrowland circa 1964, which is still under construction but well on its way to becoming something very close to what the pin shows.

The real Tomorrowland circa 2011, which is a gray and desolate place. The bulk of the main city is complete, but many of the outlying structures appear to have been abandoned. This is likely because David Nix's decision to suspend recruitment meant that the population of the city was much smaller than originally intended, and only some of the structures that were originally planned for were still necessary.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

There's so much I like about this movie that it's a shame it isn't better. I love all of the big ideas behind the story but I'm less thrilled with the story itself.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I loved it from beginning to end. It was at once deeply cynical and deeply optimistic. It also reminded me of the kind of family movies I loved when I was growing up.

And it was anchored by two great performances from Britt Robertson and Raffey Cassidy.

But definitely a polarizing film. It it works for you, it really works for you. And if it doesn't, it really doesn't.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I guess I'm one of the rare in the middle people on this. I liked it. I bought it. I can't help but wish for more when I watch it. I'd like to love it as much as Adam does. I'm kinda like that on all the Brad Bird movies I've seen, where I like them and the ideas but the execution doesn't seem all that I'd hope for.

The performances are fantastic, absolutely agree on that.

 

[Keith Cobby]

I guess I'm one of the rare in the middle people on this. I liked it. I bought it. I can't help but wish for more when I watch it. I'd like to love it as much as Adam does. I'm kinda like that on all the Brad Bird movies I've seen, where I like them and the ideas but the execution doesn't seem all that I'd hope for.

The performances are fantastic, absolutely agree on that.

I'm with you on this. There was a great film in there somewhere but it felt unfinished to me. The sets/CGI for Tomorrowland (the advertisement version) were astonishing and looked very real, I wanted to spend more time there. The confusion needed clearing up for me!

 

[Lord Dalek]

I'm never going to get over the tremendous disappointment I had with this film. That third act...what a waste.

 

[todd s]

Thanks for the replies. I also wanted to hear more about the world of Tomorrowland. The population had to be rather large for two reasons....

-They needed a large population of scientists and dreamers to create these amazing inventions.

-Plus, the size of the city was so huge for it to be for only a small population.

On a side note. If Tomorrowland ever became what the pin showed. I would think it would be best for it to stay hidden from our Earth. Too many forces on earth political, military and corporate would want to exploit not only the inventions...but, the resources of the new Earth. Their best bet is too secretly give out new inventions for use on our Earth.

 

[RobertR]

Finally got a chance to see this. The movie does change tone a lot. I saw it after seeing these two documentaries:





which puts it in a definite context for me. It's as if Disney and BB put Walt's philosophy into a movie.