While we always think that our world is so unique, some things never change.
Debuting on Disney+, In the Blink of an Eye tells depicts three interconnected stories set in three very different eras. A caveman wrestling with the perils of family during the prehistoric age, a PhD student reckoning with love and family during the present day and a mysterious woman and her AI companion hurdling across the cosmos are all held up against one another in a way that might reveal something cohesive about the human condition.
Directed by Andrew Stanton, In the Blink of an Eye is an ambitious and fascinating exploration of the human condition. Similar to the Wachowski’s Cloud Atlas, Blink effortlessly manages to rip down the boundaries that seem to exist between timelines and worlds. There are no massive set pieces or action sequences. Instead, this is a philosophical inquest into the human experience by way of intersecting timelines. As an icon of Pixar animation, Stanton brings the same genuineness and sentimentality that made the animation studio famous into the real world, creating characters that feel authentic, even in the midst of otherworldly circumstances.
Rashida Jones and Daveed Diggs in IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE. Photo by Searchlight Pictures/Kimberley French, Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2025 Searchlight Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
Ironically though, the main character of Blink seems to be its narrative structure. By tying three stories together, Stanton weaves them into one seamless fabric. The stories are (mostly) disconnected yet the similarities of their themes and ideas become clearly highlighted when juxtaposed together. After all, this is an exploration of the things that have united us and continue to do so.
In short, every time period matters for surprisingly similar reasons.
By holding past, present and future up against one another, Stanton points to the life strands that feel universal. Whether characters are on a futuristic space shuttle millions of lightyears away or the first humans attempting to create culture from nothing, everyone’s journey has certain aspects of it that are passed from generation to generation (or millennia to millennia). Conversations surrounding death, loneliness, and childrearing may be felt in different contexts and in a variety of ways – but they are all felt.
Kate McKinnon in IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE. Photo by Searchlight Pictures/Kimberley French, Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2025 Searchlight Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
Obviously, the story that feels most relevant remains the one set in the present day. As Rashida Jones’ Claire and Daveed Diggs’ Greg fumble through their long-distance relationship, their journey together feels familiar on every level (and that’s a good thing). We understand the struggles of ailing parents, tech issues and trying to figure out what it means to leave a lasting legacy in the modern world.
Yet, at the same time, Claire and Greg’s dynamic echoes in the midst of Kate McKinnon’s performance as Coakley. While the stories appear to have nothing in common, Stanton mines the future for the same emotional gems that came before. We empathize with her losses as well as her victories. Every decision that she makes carries the potential life or death for humankind but, somehow, her world feels all too similar to that of a couple who lived potentially hundreds of years before her. (What’s more, credit must be given to McKinnon who gives arguably the film’s best performance. As Coakley, she feels vulnerable and strangely honest, leaning away from the comedy that made her a star for a more muted and engaging performance.)
Having said this, if there’s an issue with Blink, it may lie in the past. While stories in the present and future give us characters that we feel like we know, the distant past feels murkiest. Although the story is touching and the character journeys feel familiar enough, the film does tend to slow down during its prehistoric phase.
Skywalker Hughes and Jorge Vargas in IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE. Photo by Searchlight Pictures/Kimberley French, Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2025 Searchlight Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
Nonetheless, what matters most about In the Blink of an Eye is summarized in the title itself. This is meant to be a film that unravels the mysteries of time by revealing how brief our lives actually are on this planet. As each story passes the torch to one another, so too are we reminded of the ways that our legacy is part of the larger fabric of humanity’s journey. No matter how small we may be, each of these characters finds a way to impact the next in some way. They never know one another, and yet they impact each other as well.
There’s something beautiful about that.
No, the film isn’t always perfect. But Stanton’s work remains well worth engaging. In Blink, he simply wants to remind us that, despite our differences, there remain similarities that bring us together. And, most importantly, the ripple effect of our lives echoes throughout space and time.
In the Blink of an Eye is available on Disney+ on Friday, February 27th, 2026.
