First Disney makes ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ based on the amusement ride, now they have ‘Tomorrowland’, coming from one of the theme parks. Now I’m just waiting for the ‘Small World’ movie…

When aspiring inventor Casey Newton (Britt Robertson) finds a small pin, she discovers a whole new dimension, Tomorrowland. While only there for a short time, she decides to seek Frank Walker (George Clooney) to go back to the future (puns are my specialty) to learn about this amazing world.

Director Brad Bird who’s worked on films like ‘The Incredibles’ and ‘Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol,’ had expectations extremely high entering the theater. Bird’s visual and commendable work shines in ‘Tomorrowland’ but ultimately makes a lackluster film.

Yes, this is a Disney film and marketed towards children, but it’s almost too childish. Films like ‘Lego Movie’ and ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ were also kids films, but were highly enjoyable for the older crowds. ‘Tomorrowland’ fails to hit the middle ground to appeal to both audiences. Throughout the entire film it is very apparent that it is trying to be funny, but far less than half of the jokes hit, with few chuckles to be spared.

Bird lacks the ability (in this instance) to establish a consistant tone and a story that is intriguing and shows the wonderful world they created. It is also expected that the title would be the main focus of the film, but there is so little of Tomorrowland that is actually shown it deteriorates the excitement when it is actually on screen. When able to see Tomorrowland, it really is absolutely beautiful.

In the third act of the film, it takes place in Tomorrowland, yet it’s just contained to a large room in a building. Not only that, but the third act is so cliche-filled and just ridiculously predictable. It falls apart completely, and didn’t pick up the already mediocre film, but dragged it down further.

‘Tomorrowland’ tries to slap you in the face with the same theme over and over again. “Dream big, have aspirations and never give up.” If I had a quarter for every time that came up, I’d have enough money to cover the cost of my ticket, twice. Again, it’s Disney and these themes are pretty much expected, but in the past they have achieved getting these fantastic messages across without having them shoved down the audiences throat.

Both Clooney and Robertson were very likable and believable. Clooney was able to drop his “playboy” persona and deliver a solid and realistic performance. He was able to embrace the “old-man” stigma quite well for a man who’s jaw-line is still better than that of the Crimson Chin. Robertson is a rising star and continues to elevate her performances with each role. In the short time Hugh Laurie was in the movie, he was solid, as well as the rest of the cast.

The best thing ‘Tomorrowland’ has going for it, is it’s originality. Though based on a theme park, Bird and the rest of the creative team are able to create such a vast and expansive world with flourishing characters. With hardly any backstory of Clooney’s character, you can tell that he has a vibrant past, adding to an already rich history.

Especially this summer, it is refreshing to see something that isn’t a comic book adaptation or a huge franchise. ‘Tomorrowland’ is a great looking movie with originality, but unfortunately being a bit childish and having the same theme played out repeatedly leads to only a slightly above average movie.

Final  Verdict: 6.1/10