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Walt Disney

Why Live Action Remakes?

July 15, 2019 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

Often when we grow up, we look back at our parents’ lives and think that we can do things better than they did. Sometimes we are right, but not always. New technologies lead to different ways of telling stories. My parents listened to radio. I had TV. My sons had video games (hooked up to a TV). My grandson has all kinds of things I’ll never grasp on a handheld device. What is better and most imaginative? It’s a matter of perspective, I think.

But when a big media company grows up, it may think its technology outshines what has come before it. The Walt Disney Studios are currently working on a number of live action remakes of earlier animated features. They have already done Beauty and the Beast¸ Jungle Book (really more computer animation than live action), Dumbo, Aladdin, and currently the Lion King (also computer animation). In the pipeline in various stages of development or discussion are live action remakes of Mulan (coming next March), The Little Mermaid (currently getting a lot of buzz from casting Halle Bailey as Ariel, causing some racist backlash), Winnie the Pooh, Pinocchio, The Sword in the Stone, and a number of spinoffs from Disney cartoons, such as a Tinkerbell film.

My question is whether or not this is a good thing. The cynic in me might say, Disney just wants the money that comes with a ready-made audience. But actually, I think that that is not enough of an answer. I think that the extent of this live action remake trend reminds me of those generational difference I note above. It’s like my thinking TV is better than radio, or my grandson thinking his tablet is better than my TV.

I don’t think I’m just being a grumpy old guy. I liked the live action Dumbo better than most reviewers. I think Mulan could be an intriguing remake that works especially well in live action. And I expect Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alan Menken will make some wonderful songs to enhance The Little Mermaid. But overall, I think Disney is making a mistake in making all these remakes. The underlying premise to these remakes is that live action (or in the cases of Jungle Book and The Lion King, computer animation) is intrinsically better than the animation of the originals. I find it only slightly ironic that the studio that bears Walt Disney’s name, no longer makes any of the kind of animation that Walt Disney was the master of. The new versions of animated classics essentially diminish the originals. They say by their very existence that those older versions are not good enough for today’s world. I dissent.

Animation—both computer and hand-drawn—makes for an excellent medium for storytelling. Many of the original Disney classics were based on fairytales or other stories that were especially conducive to the use of animation: Snow White, Cinderella, Pinocchio, Peter Pan. Each of these could easily have been made as live action films at the time, but the choice was made to do it with animation. And I believe that was the best choice. These stories and the magic they weave for the audience is enhanced by being told through animation.

Of course the studio continues to tell stories with animation under both the Disney and Pixar names. These are almost always well received and of great quality. (Although I personally mourn their decision to rely entirely on computer animation. I still love to see traditional animation as we get from Studio Ghibli and Cartoon Saloon.) This format is still an important tool in the studio’s storytelling. But just as I’d hate to see Disney’s classic Old Yeller made into an animated feature, I wish that they would respect the animated gems of past generations enough to let them be the wonders that they are.

Filed Under: Editorial Tagged With: animation, Live-Action Remake, Walt Disney

3.15 Retelling BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

March 26, 2017 by Steve Norton 17 Comments

http://screenfish.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/3.15-Beauty-and-the-Beast.mp3

This week, Steve welcomes ScreenFish newbie Derek Wong to delve into the tale as old as time when they chat about Disney’s remake of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Can the 2017 version live up to the legacy of the original? What does it mean to be timeless?Has true beauty changed? All this and more, only on ScreenFish.

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

3.15 Beauty and the Beast

A special thanks to Derek for coming on the show!

Filed Under: Film, Podcast Tagged With: Beauty and the Beast, Belle, Bill Condon, Dan Stevens, Disney, Disney Princess, Emma Watson, fairy tale, Gaston, LeFou, musical, musicals, Walt Disney

The Best Films of 2016 (Updated)

December 15, 2016 by Jacob Sahms 1 Comment

deadpool
This year, there are no blockbusters, no Marvel superheroes, on my list of my favorite films. This year, the films that caught my eye – and held onto my imagination, days later – weren’t the ones with the biggest budgets, or even always the most-known cast and crew. This year, the films were films that captured my heart thanks to the power of their story, the visual presentation of their message, and the size of heart that that they conveyed.

Film criticism is a lot like politics in the media – everyone has an opinion, but they think they’re objective. [Seriously, Trolls holds a better Rotten Tomatoes score than Allied, Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them, and Collateral Beauty? C’mon, people. Trolls are just little plastic guys from a 1980s fad – or are we rating Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick?]

So, with apologies to Benedict Cumberbatch, and that unkillable antihero Deadpool, here are my top ten for 2016, trimmed down from the 135 films I saw. We won’t all agree, but we have to start somewhere.

hf

Hidden Figures is the best film I didn’t see coming. Thanks to solid performances and an incredibly bold story about faith, race, power, dreams, and engineering, it left me in tears – laughing and crying at the same time. When several women dream about breaking the glass ceiling of race and gender, they literally put a man on the moon. Octavia Spencer, Tariji B. Henson, and Janelle Monae provide a film that inspires and entertains.

 

unknowns

At Arlington National Cemetery, Tomb Guards or Sentinels keep watch over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier twenty-four hours a day, 365 days of the year, regardless of weather. In Ethan Morse’s film, The Unknowns, we were treated to an inside look at how the men of The Old Guard, a select unit from the U.S. Army, serve. With simple interviews, ‘live’ shots of the work these men do in front of the public and behind closed doors, the film carries with it a reminder that our flag still waves thanks to the bravery of some whose names will never be known. Months later, I am still reminded of its beauty, both in pure patriotism but also in faith – faith that one day, war will end and all people will be free.

 

rogue-one-jyn-ersa-geared-up

Bumping The Accountant from the list, Rogue One, a Star Wars Story proved to be the best film I’ve seen from the Rebel Alliance in thirty years. While the field has been increased – we finally have a non-Skywalker family drama – the power of the Force remained strong. With ample banter about faith, a wildly diverse cast, and a story that squeaks in at Film #3.5, we had a prequel to A New Hope with plenty of time to spare.

 

kubo

Startling in its animation, thanks to the beauty of Laika’s stop-motion  capture, Kubo & the Two Strings spins a fantasy adventure around a one-eyed boy and his epic adventure to thwart his grandfather’s evil plan. Accompanied by a giant beetle (Matthew McConaughey) and a snow monkey (Charlize Theron), the young boy goes questing. With fewer laughs and more intensity than you might expect from a ‘kid’s cartoon,’ Kubo asks us to consider how we forgive, and what it means to care for our ancestors as they age. In a wonderful way, the fantastical road trip morphs into deeper explorations about life, death, and where we go from here.

 

birthofanation

While it was impossible to watch The Birth of a Nation without considering the allegations against the story’s creators, Nate Parker and Jean McGianni Celestin, it was equally impossible to watch the film blind to the racial unrest in the United States almost two hundred years after the Nat Turner rebellion. Powerful in its simplicity, poignant in its relational dynamics, and spiritual in its evaluation of the use of religion to control, direct, and comfort, Parker’s film is haunting in its violence, and its awareness of the latent power of racism. While Turner was himself a preacher, the film’s use of Scripture from both sides stirred and troubled my soul.

 

insanity

This year, two documentaries captured my attention, with The Insanity of God shining a light on the family of missionary Nik Ripken as he struggled with his faith after great tragedy. While this is Ripken’s story, it is also the story of others who bled and died for the gospel, told unflinchingly. I’ll never forget Ripken’s own admission, after interviewing others persecuted for their faith: “Now, I’m in deeper danger, because the Bible is coming alive. Satan had tricked me into believing that the Bible was an old book, with things that God used to do. And here I was experiencing the Bible in the present tense, with the things God did coming alive.” A movie that will surely ask you to consider what you believe, and what you would do to pursue your faith.

 

midnightspecial

What would you do to protect your child? What sacrifices would you make if you saw how beautiful, special, or powerful they were that no one else understood? Those are the questions that Midnight Special poses, thanks to writer/director Jeff Nichols’ emotionally wrestling with his own son’s mortality. In a stripped-down sci-fi exploration that would make Philip K. Dick or Steven Spielberg proud, the director of Loving gives us another chance to unpack our own humanity.

 

hellorhighwater

On the surface, Hell or High Water is a Jesse James/Butch Cassidy & Sundance kind of Western lark, set in the present. But thanks to Taylor Sheridan’s script, we explore the aging process of Jeff Bridges’ senior Texas Ranger and the us-against-the-system dynamics of two brothers, Toby and Tanner (Chris Pine and Ben Foster). [Ironically, I don’t always enjoy Foster’s movies, but he always impresses with his performance.] While there’s a bit of clever banter and action/adventure, the film’s heart is driving at the financial crisis of America and the futility for some when trying to improve themselves. Who is the villain here in this spiritual parable about love and grace? The bank and its overarching line of credit.

 

zootopia

It was a good year to be animated, and Zootopia was the crown jewel. I declared it a candidate for Best Film of the Year when I walked out of the debut, and it didn’t miss by much. Disney’s film about a ‘utopia’ where animals are divided into different boroughs, showed kids and adults alike what it meant to fight and get along. While the struggle was real, it also blended in some lessons about what it means to follow your dream – and be who you’re supposed to be even when others say you shouldn’t. In our bipartisan day and age, Zootopia asked us to consider whether we could love each other for what we brought to the table, rather than manipulating each other for what we could get out of it.

 

hacksawridge

My most anticipated film of the year – Hacksaw Ridge – did everything I hoped it would. Challenging patriotism, courage, and pacifism, the film asked us to consider the stances we take, and that others make, and how we respond to them. While faith was front and center, it still felt subtle – and somehow, more powerful. Andrew Garfield’s portrayal of Desmond Doss tied the legend of the Medal of Honor winner to a story that felt real and grounded. Mel Gibson’s direction plus Terry Benedict’s research? This is one I hope to hear talked about next spring.

What did I miss? What do you need to see now? What criteria would you use instead? Post below and share your thoughts.

[Editor’s note: I still haven’t seen Collateral Beauty, Loving, Rogue One, or Sing as I write this. Edits pending?]

Filed Under: Current Events, DVD, Editorial, Featured, Film Tagged With: accountant, Birth of a Nation, Deadpool, Desmond Doss, Dr. Strange, Hacksaw Ridge, hell or high water, insanity of god, Jeff Bridges, kubo and the two strings, Marvel, Mel Gibson, Midnight Special, Moana, Rogue One, storks, the unknowns, Walt Disney, zootopia

Moana – Breaking The Status Quo

November 30, 2016 by Arnaldo Reyes 1 Comment

moana posterIt’s no surprise that Disney holds a monopoly when it comes to films about fairy tales and princesses. Not only are the films all-time classics, but the princesses themselves cross generation to generation, with the help of the parks of course. Over the last few years, Disney has made a 180 degree turn in the stories they tell about their princesses. Early on, these young beautiful princesses needed a prince to save them and define them, but now in our ever-changing culture, that is no more, and that’s a good thing. There was a prince near to Tiana, but she was a strong and independent character that didn’t need him. Merida taught young girls to be brave. Anna showed us the power of love and fearlessness when the odds were not in our favor, and taught us to be there for your family even when everyone is against them. Moana follows this same path and, quite frankly, goes beyond it as well.

Moana is the daughter of the chief of her tribe and next in line to be chief. The island is all she has known her entire life, yet she feels drawn to the Ocean. It is forbidden to go past the reef because beyond it the Ocean is an unforgiving and relentless force of nature. As her father and mother try to teach her the ways of her tribe, her grandmother (known as the crazy lady) pushes her to follow her own path and what she was truly called for. Her island is dying, the world is dying, and the only way to fix it is to right the wrong that the demigod Maui caused many years ago. Moana discovers the true identity of her people, ancient voyagers and then sets sail on a mission that will allow her to discover her own identity and not be tied to the one her people say she should be.

moana2A few years ago, Frozen fever took over and it still goes strong today. As good as the film was, I feel Moana is leaps and bounds better. Maybe it’s because I find the Broadway style to the Island music more entertaining, but also, I felt that the story was much more powerful and heartfelt. Moana is a strong-willed character that tries with all her might to do what she thinks is right, and that’s be the chief her father is teaching her to be, but she can’t ignore the pull inside of her to go out into the ocean and explore. She teaches us that we should embrace the path that we are called to and not the one everyone says we should live, even if it goes against what the popular position is. Her courage and resolve blended with her heart and compassion jumps out on the screen and is really felt as she interacts with Maui.

Maui is a fun and dynamic character who is full of himself but Moana teaches him more about himself than he’s ever known. That is what is so great about Moana is that during an ocean adventure, the film makes you laugh (sometimes hysterically), cry, cheer, and feel hopeful all in one. Moana brings that out because she isn’t just on an adventure to save the world, but it’s a journey of finding herself.

mauiMaui is strong, immortal, arrogant, funny and yet sad and lost. Maui just wants to be loved but has no idea how that works. He tries and tries and tries and it’s never enough. The world is dying because Maui just wanted to be loved and did something that he shouldn’t have done. We’ve met many people like Maui. Good people that are lost because at some point when they were young they were abandoned. It’s only when they reach a low point that we can learn who they really are. Moana was on an adventure to save the world and find her identity, but during that adventure Maui ended up finding the same. With all of his great charisma, we are able to see a vulnerability in the character that allows us draw close and emotionally connect with him and fall in love with him. It was a well-developed character that was perfectly cast with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

What strikes me most about the story is the similarities of not just the story of creation, but really the story of man and God. The film shows that man is not satisfied with what God has done for us. With everything in the garden, Adam and Eve were tricked into thinking it wasn’t enough, that ultimately being equals to God was the end goal. Sin entered the world and since then mankind suffers with a bout of “god-complex”. We are not equipped for that and in our effort to achieve it we have let loose darkness in the world. But darkness cannot hinder the light. When Christ died for us, it is similar to Moana restoring what was broken and at the end, just like Maui was forgiven, we also find forgiveness when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, in other words restoring the heart back to where it belongs.

Moana is getting lots of praise, and rightfully so. It is a fun and heartwarming film that is perfect for this time of year. A princess that breaks the status quo a long with a fun and charismatic companion in Maui that just makes a for a great time with the family. And if my daughter is any indication, the music can very well catch on just like Frozen fever (and frankly, I don’t mind).

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Dwayne Johnson, Frozen, Moana, musical, The Rock, Walt Disney, zootopia

Finding Dory – We’re in This Together

November 15, 2016 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

FINDING DORY – When Dory finds herself in the Marine Life Institute, a rehabilitation center and aquarium, Hank—a cantankerous octopus—is the first to greet her. Featuring Ed O'Neill as the voice of Hank and Ellen DeGeneres as the voice of Dory, "Finding Dory" opens on June 17, 2016. ©2016 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Finding Dory served up a sequel/spinoff of the world that Nemo inhabited, with Ellen DeGeneres’ squeaky regal blue tang heading off in search of the family she had long forgotten about. With the help of Nemo and his dad Marlin, as well as a new cast of characters including the near-sighted whale Destiny, the echo-location-free beluga whale Bailey, and the scene-stealing red octopus Hank, Dory treks from the exotic wild back to the Marine Life Institute. Along the way, she splashes through wild adventures and colorful seascapes that will delight children and adults.

While the film itself could be silent – the visuals that writer/director Andrew Stanton provides in the latest entry to his long Pixar career (Toy Story franchise, Wall.E, A Bug’s Life, Finding Nemo, etc.) are breathtaking – but it has genuine laugh-outloud moments thanks to DeGeneres and a host of other well-cast voices. In addition to Ed O’Neill’s Hank, there are the two sea cantankerous sea lions, Fluke and Rudder (Idris Elba and Dominic West), and the batty seagull, Becky. That’s a powerful combination for an animated flick already – hilarious adventures and stunning visuals.

DO I KNOW YOU? -- In Disney?Pixar's "Finding Dory," everyone's favorite forgetful blue tang, Dory (voice of Ellen DeGeneres), encounters an array of new?and old?acquaintances, including a cantankerous octopus named Hank (voice of Ed O'Neill). Directed by Andrew Stanton (?Finding Nemo,? ?WALL?E?) and produced by Lindsey Collins (co-producer ?WALL?E?), ?Finding Dory? swims into theaters June 17, 2016.

But like Finding Nemo, Finding Dory doesn’t settle for simple entertainment. Here, we have a long look at what it means to be family (both Dory’s adoptive family and her ‘birth parents’), and what it means to live with mental illness (her short-term/middle-term memory loss). Throughout the story, we see different characters interact with Dory’s forgetfulness with varying degrees of grace and understanding (Nemo is helpful and kind; Marlin… not so much all the time). One might even say that Destiny’s blindness and Bailey’s temporary concussive/PTSD-related problems make them a better team because they work together. It’s a reminder of the way that we work in community, and the way that we care for the “least of these.”

In the end, Dory gets where she needs to go because the community comes together. Without help, Dory doesn’t make it, and if we’re realistic and honest with ourselves, neither do we.

FINDING DORYSpecial features on the Blu-ray combo pack include my favorite PIXAR short film ever – Piper – about a baby sandpiper learning the ropes. There’s also a short about the Marine Life creatures discussing Dory, and several looks at the way the animators put together an undersea world that really seems alive. Ironically, Hank’s character proved super difficult – his characterizations get their own feature, “The Octopus that Nearly Broke Pixar.” Overall, Disney nails special features in a way that puts other home media to shame!

Filed Under: DVD, Featured, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Andrew Stanton, community, disabilities, Ellen DeGeneres, Family, Finding Dory, Finding Nemo, Walt Disney

Tomorrowland: How You View The Future Impacts The Present

October 13, 2015 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

tomorrowlandAnytime you watch a Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) or Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers) vehicle, you know that you’re in for a wild ride of the imagination. Given that they were handed the keys by Walt Disney Pictures for Tomorrowland, the comparisons to visual, family-inspiring flicks like Escape to Witch Mountain are representative of the genre. Examining the struggles we currently face – loss of loved ones, pollution, overpopulation, etc., the film takes a shot at two views of what the solutions might look like.

Representing the power of hope (and youth), Casey Newton (Britt Robertson, Dan in Real Life, Under the Dome) chases down one-time inventioneer Frank Walker (George Clooney) and demands he help her find a way to the future. On the other side of the equation, David Nix (Hugh Laurie) sends his electronic minions back from the future to change the past, believing that society is too limited in intellect and resources to ever right itself without obliteration. Newton and Walker are joined by Athena (Raffey Cassidy), a droid working for the side of the (positive) futurists, and the trio strikes out to save the world.

tomorrowland2This is fine, fine science fiction. Yes, there’s an inspirational aspect, as Newton is a dreamer who has been seeking purpose and meaning in her life, and finds it in the pin that Athena “recruits” her with. It unlocks a world of belief, meaning, and possibilities that she could’ve only imagined prior, based on the world of Disney’s EPCOT (“Tomorrowland”). Still, it also has a theological aspect that I find more and more necessary in today’s world by discussing our future and the role we have to play within it.

Given that the East Coast has just been rocked by storms and flooding, the topic of floods has been bantered about. When the waters rise, pastors seem to dust off their sermons about Noah’s Ark – recounting the story of that righteous man (not Russell Crowe) from Genesis 5-10. Unfortunately, several of those pastors seem to forget that a) God said he’d never destroy the world by flood (Genesis 9:11) and b) God set a rainbow in the sky to bring hope of that covenant to the people on Earth (Genesis 9:13). We’ve somehow allowed recent developments to color the picture of what the future looks like, and not in a good way.

tomorrowland 2We’ve allowed the narrative to be written in terms of desolation and trouble, rather than hope and redemption. We’ve allowed things to be steered away from an ark of salvation to a lifeboat of temporarily surviving. Sometimes, we need people to remind us of the promises that God has said in the past: we need our hope to be renewed.

When I first saw the film, I wrote that Newton renews Walker’s hope, reminding him of all the things he dreamed could be, all the things he thought possible, and all the good that he once wanted to do. It’s the opposite of Laurie’s twisted humanitarian who figures that he’s “in,” so it doesn’t matter who is out. When we’re focused on hope, we can’t be stopped, we’re focused on the good– we can’t be crushed (Romans 5:5). It’s hope, in the power of God’s renewing power to transform the world, that drives us forward to care for the poor, to heal the broken, and liberate the captive. To dream in a world (not like Figment but like Martin Luther King, Jr.) that is better, healthier, happier, and where all have enough.

That’s the world of Walker and Newton.

May that world be like the kingdom of God.

May that world be tomorrow.

Special features on the Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD copy include severe bonus features, including a look at the story from Brad Bird’s perspective about the importance of the film in today’s culture called “Remembering the Future.” Other sides include an animated short that tells the origin of the shadowy organization, Plus Ultra, as well as the casting and music of the film. Overall, it’s an excellent package of extras for fans of the film!

Filed Under: DVD, Film, Reviews Tagged With: EPCOT, George Clooney, Hugh Lawrie, Tomorrowland, Walt Disney

Tomorrowland: When Heaven Invades

May 23, 2015 by Jacob Sahms 2 Comments

tomorrowland3“Dreamers must stick together.”

That’s the thesis of Tomorrowland, the Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) and Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers) flick that hit theaters this weekend. It’s classic Disney film (think Escape to Witch Mountain or The Rocketeer) that thinks out of the box but brings an “old school”-style to it. It’s about the present troubles, the future hopes, and the technology that could aggravate the first or help with the second – all loves of Walt Disney himself.

There are two ways to perceive the world as we survey the lay of the land: as broken but fixable or damaged and damned. There is just too much pain and suffering seen by one-time dreamer Frank Walker (George Clooney), so he’s drawn himself up into a hermetic ball of self-loathing and pity. But then Casey Newton (Britt Robertson, Dan in Real Life, Under the Dome) arrives with one of the transformative Tomorrowland pins, capable of transporting its holder to another world, and a gleam of hope penetrates  Walker’s heart again.

The film changes time and space frequently, giving it a blend of The Time Traveler’s Wife science with a Disney-level mentality. Newton is the daughter of a NASA engineer, and she dreams of soaring to the stars; the pin that futurist Athena (Raffey Cassidy) leaves her to find takes her to a magical world that resembles EPCOT’s Tomorrowland. But there are killer robots and a nefarious dictator (Hugh Laurie) intent on preventing the future that Walker once helped build and that Newton hopes for. There’s epic, soaring history-meets-imagination moments (check out the prequel YA novel by Bird, Lindelof, and Jeff Jensen for more) and serious, ethical questions about the world we live in. [For more on the back story, check out Arnaldo’s take on Tomorrowland, including a fantastic exploration of the Native American “two wolves” parable.]

Disney’s TOMORROWLAND..Casey (Britt Robertson) ..Ph: Film Frame..?Disney 2015

I was struck by the way that the film explored what I’ll call the “Ark versus Lifeboat” mentality about the world. I grew up in an evangelical church that trumpeted the Book of Revelation and the end times as a way that all of the sickness, sadness, and evil would be wiped from the earth. Everyone who believes would be gathered up in the heaven-tinged “lifeboat”. It didn’t always jive with the way that it seemed Jesus told his disciples (and therefore, the church) to behave because Jesus’ teachings focused on caring for the people right in front of us. As I grew up, I found myself struggling with the idea that there were those who would be saved who “got it,” and that everyone else would be left to the terrible existence (whether you were pre or post millennial made a difference) of trial and tribulation.

Thanks to time in seminary and further study, I realized that not all Christians actually believe the world is going to hell in a hand basket which initially surprised… the hell… out of me. I thought it was what you had to think because, well, there was just too much wrong with the world for it to be fixed, right? It’s the mentality Laurie’s character has, and one which taints the way many of our churches see handling the least, the last, and the lost. It’s what happens when we get caught up in sin and lose track of grace, when we fail to see the power of the cross for everyone – even those who haven’t grasped its importance yet. It impacts the way we see key issues about health care and politics and war, even impacting the way that some churches and political leaders fund issues they think will precipitate the apocalypse through the future of Israel.

But the thing is that God is in the business of making arks, not lifeboats. God had Noah build an ark for two of every kind of animal (which I believe is allegorical, by the way) – Jesus goes to heaven to prepare a place for those who will believe but he says he’s coming back to earth. There’s plenty of talk about judgment but there’s even more discussion about how Jesus’ followers are supposed to take care of everyone else a la Matthew 25:31-46, where Jesus riffs on sheep and goats. And how you view heaven affects how you live your life in the here and now.

tomorrowland 2If all this sounds abstract to you, thank God. There are too many times where the church’s focus on heaven means we’ve failed to do what we could in the here and now, like heaven is a playground so Earth is just for the getting by. Some folks stand with one finger on the jetpack booster ready to bail on everyone and everything but, the truth is that Jesus’ renewal of the world started well before his crucifixion and resurrection. It started with creation, covenants, and teachings about the kingdom of God. It’s supposed to be ongoing–and that includes the way we use technology, handle population growth, and explore new ways to heal people. It’s the thing that’s supposed to give us hope, not an eternal punch card.

In Tomorrowland, it’s the renewal of hope in Newton that reminds Walker of all the things he dreamed could be, of all the things he thought possible, of all the good that he once wanted to do. It’s the opposite of Laurie’s twisted humanitarian who figures that he’s “in,” so it doesn’t matter who is out. When we’re focused on hope, we can’t be stopped, we’re focused on the good– we can’t be crushed (Romans 5:5). It’s hope, in the power of God’s renewing power to transform the world, that drives us forward to care for the poor, to heal the broken, to liberate the captive. To dream in a world (not like Figment but like Martin Luther King, Jr.) that is

better, healthier, happier, and where all have enough.

That’s the world of Walker and Newton. May that world be like the kingdom of God. May that world be tomorrow.

Filed Under: Featured, Reviews Tagged With: Britt Robertson, EPCOT, George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Tomorrowland, Walt Disney

What Does Hope Look Like? Ted Williams, Walt Disney, & Tomorrowland

May 18, 2015 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

tomorrowlandAt 7895 East Acoma Drive in Scottsdale, Arizona, the greatest hitter in baseball history lives. Well, Ted Williams’ body hangs cryogenically frozen, awaiting that moment in the future when science will allow for those who have been preserved indefinitely to be reanimated.

Another innovator, Walt Disney was rumored to be cryogenically frozen (he was actually cremated a month before the first person was ever cryogenically frozen), but his involvement here is really over the creation of the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT), originally intended to be an organized city aimed at optimism and positive futuristic developments. Disney’s understanding of the future was one aimed at utopia, or a perfect community. Isn’t it ironic that the land he purchased to build such a community is now “just” a theme park?

Both men believed that the world they lived in wasn’t the best that there was. They longed for a future. Ironically, Williams hoped to have his life preserved until it could be reanimated, although he spent most of his life hating his parents, separated from his children, and wishing he was a better person. [What about that screams, “I want to do this longer?”] Disney, on the other hand, was less concerned with what was, and hoped for what could be? Disney believed in better. He wanted to inspire people to look up, to wonder, to recognize the good that could be, rather than be stuck in the now that included orphans, bankruptcy, and other kinds of suffering.

In Genesis 3, in the archetypal story of the fall of humanity from the right relationship with God, humanity achieves ‘knowledge,’ specifically the recognition of good versus evil. Before that, they had lived in bliss, in a utopia so to speak of God’s infinite love and grace. But now, as God recognized, humanity ” has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever” (Genesis 3:22). So, God removed humanity from the Garden of Eden, and prevented them from living forever. Forever in pain, violence, sickness, shame, and sin. God didn’t kick humanity out of the garden because God was threatened but because God knew humanity would suffer, indefinitely. God believed that there could be something better. [And ultimately, he sent his Son to die on the cross to show us just how much better that could be.]

tomorrowland2Cryogenics seems like a bad idea. I happen to believe our souls and our bodies aren’t necessarily one and the same, although they’re all part of the whole. I also don’t want to live forever like this, because I believe there’s something better. I believe there’s a time in the future where the kingdom of God will come upon the Earth, when all of that stuff we wrestle with will be no more. Because I believe God is going to make all things new.

Now, does that mean we can’t get better, that technology, that Tomorrowland can’t be a reality? That the future can’t hold technological and scientific advances that can make our lives better? No, I think the future can be good, because I believe God continues to move and create, even in a broken world, and we can be part of that.

So, I think between Disney and Williams, I’ll choose Disney. And maybe even give ole George (Clooney) a shot this weekend. Why might Brad Bird’s vision of Tomorrowland look like? What can we learn? How can we grow? How might the future shows us brighter glimpses of the kingdom of God?

Just be careful what you put your hope and faith in today, and tomorrow.

Filed Under: Editorial, Featured, Film Tagged With: Brad Bird, Cryogenics, Ted Williams, Tomorrowland, Walt Disney

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