Tomorrowland’s futuristic world, set in another dimension, is a visual feast of special effects, captivating story, mystery, suspense and action. And of course, George Clooney is one of the stars! Here, George reveals why he signed up in a flash…
Academy Award®–winning actor George Clooney plays an inventor and scientist in the new Disney flick, Tomorrowland. The futuristic film sets itself up between the reality of our current world and inevitable future, and Tomorrowland, a place that exists but is set in another dimension, where smart, hopeful people are singled out and allowed to visit and contribute to building a better future. But things arent all rosy in this utopia, as George Clooney’s character, Frank, soon finds out. “It was supposed to be a utopian world – a place where the ideas of science and exploration and medicine and all the things that we’ve developed over the last three or four centuries, particularly in the last century, are able to grow and flourish without politics holding them down,” explains George. “The problem is, of course, that if anything toxic comes in, you start to see things deteriorate.”
It’s this very threat of toxicity and the protagonists that set the film up for a two hour ride of mystery and adventure. Frank’s life is catapulted from hibernation to survival mode when a smart, scientifically curious teen, Casey (played by Britt Robertson) arrives on his doorstep with questions about a lapel pin that has the power to transport her momentarily into Tomorrowland – the optimistic, innovative world we ‘could’ have. But she is followed by the protagonists, and both her and Frank suddenly find themselves on a survival run that can dictate the shape of the future for everyone, while trying to unlock the secrets and mysteries of Tomorrowland.
But this is not your average ‘end of civilization’ flick. In fact, it’s the opposite. George says the big attraction to the film was in fact its positive theme.
“What makes this film and this story unique is that the films we have seen about the future in general over the last few years have always had some real dark undertone to them,” explains George. “It’s been a long time since we looked at the future with some idea that there’s some hope and a positive outcome. I liked that about this story. I responded to the idea of doing a film that isn’t about death and destruction and the end of the world but rather about hope and inspiration. The theme of the movie is that your future doesn’t necessarily have to be preordained and predestined – you can improve it but you can also destroy it by negative thoughts and negative elements in your lives.”
Tomorrowland was directed and produced by Brad Bird, who has an incredible mix of awards and films under his belt – from Iron Giant to The Incredibles, Ratatouille and Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol, and who George admits has never made a bad film. “Brad Bird has made a really wonderful entertaining film where everybody can come out and feel as though their two hours were well spent,” explains George. “It’s good to be able to talk about things that are bigger than just entertainment, too, but that’s not what’s really important – what’s important in movies is to make sure that the story itself is entertaining. Movies have been made for 100 years and they’re most popular during depressions and things like that – people want to get out and have a good time and that’s what I hope this film is to them.”
Tomorrowland opens in cinemas nationally on May 28.
Watch the Tomorrowland trailer below…
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