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Disney’s history with theme park movie adaptations is mixed. Pirates of the Caribbean charmed audiences, but The Haunted Mansion and The Country Bears fell short. Consequently, I entered the theater to watch Tomorrowland back in 2015 with both trepidation and excitement. The result exceeded my expectations, and I anticipated box-office success for Disney.
Sadly, the poor numbers and critical reaction shocked me. Three years later, I still don’t understand why the movie didn’t click. A variety of factors led to the end result, and they included marketing, timing, and audience expectations.
On the latest episode of The Tomorrow Society Podcast, I go in-depth with Executive Producer John Walker about Tomorrowland. During the podcast, we discuss that movie’s origins, production, and message. Our conversation includes the following:
- Why were Walker and Director Brad Bird interested in Tomorrowland?
- What was it like to recreate the 1964 New York World’s Fair and shoot at Disneyland?
- Why were references to Walt Disney limited in the final film?
- How powerful was shooting at Kennedy Space Center?
- Why didn’t audiences and critics have a better response?
- If Tomorrowland had been a hit, was there a chance to continue the story?
In addition, Walker and I discuss his work as a producer with Bird on The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and The Incredibles 2. He has so many interesting stories about those movies from his diverse Hollywood career. I loved the chance to talk with Walker, and I learned a lot in the process.
Show Notes: John Walker
Screen Rant Interview with John Walker and Brad Bird on The Incredibles 2
Wired Interview with Brad Bird and Damon Lindelof on Tomorrowland
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So interesting to hear a discussion of this movie,a few years on. I’ve had mixed feelings about it, but think it’s a good movie overall; I must not have hated it because I’ve seen it three times 🙂
It was visually stunning to be sure. The whole idea of Tommorrowland being in a different demension, yet in the same physical space was a fun concept. Seeing the girl pop in and out of that alternate reality was cool. The action was fun to watch as well, from Athenas feats, to Frank’s crazy booby trapped home, and holographic guard dog. I loved the old nostalgic look at the worlds fair. Seeing it’s a small world always puts a smile on my face, that’s my must-do attraction every time i go to the MK
Mr Walker raised a good point, that I could never quite put my finger on, but realized he hit the nail on the head when he said it. Before seeing the movie, it really seemed like we would be treated to spending some time in that awesome optimistic future world. Sadly, there are only glimpses of it. Most of the movie takes place in the real world, and in the dystopian future. I also didn’t really enjoy all the hopping about, the Eiffel Tower, etc, seemed like a lot of filler that really didn’t contribute much to the story, I can hardly remember the back story of the scientists who created it all, and it would have been fascinating if that had been a bigger element of the story,
Walt Disney himself was driven by the idea of the city of tomorrow. Of course he will always be known for Disneyland, but by the time the Florida project came along.., the new park was only a secondary interest. His real love was Epcot (the city). We all know Epcot didn’t turn out the way he planned, but maybe that was a good thing, Rather than fulfill Walts dream right away, the Epcot of the eighties inspired countless young minds to think about the future in new ways. Perhaps Walts legacy has just begun.
Chris, it was really interesting for me to hear a few new reasons from John about why Tomorrowland didn’t hit. His comment about not seeing George Clooney for a while also made me better understand the odd opening with Casey and Frank introducing the story. That gave us a chance to see the star. If not, we wouldn’t have met him until we reached his house.
I’m a big fan of Tomorrowland, but I can see why it didn’t click with some audiences. Like John said, I also don’t think the marketing was the best way to draw the biggest crowds. I liked the mystery of the trailer, but that sometimes can backfire. Regardless, I still think it’s an interesting original concept with a lot of cool nods to Disney history, especially the World’s Fair.