Review of Escape from Tomorrow (2013) by Andrew M — 13 Oct 2013

The Walt Disney company has always had a strong protection towards their intellectual properties. Use of their properties without official permission is sure to have a lawsuit filed in an instant. Their theme parks, located in California and Florida, allow visitors to record videos of their trips to the amusement parks, but guests are prohibited from using these videos for monetary gain. With all this in mind, Escape From Tomorrow becomes even more fascinating than it already is. Written and directed by first-time filmmaker Randy Moore, the majority of scenes within the movie were filmed inside Disney parks without the company even realizing it. Pairing this concept with fascinating themes, good acting, and impressive production quality considering the circumstances, Escape From Tomorrow is a huge success.

Jim White is an average everyman vacationing at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida with his wife, Emily, and their two children, Elliot and Sara. On the last day of their family vacation, Jim receives a phone call alerting him that he has been laid off from his job. This clearly distresses Jim, but he keeps it to himself in order to ensure as much happiness as his family can get out of their final day at the resort.

As the White family continue their vacation, Jim's sanity slowly begins to deteriorate. He begins hallucinating while on the attractions, where the audio-animatronic characters faces change from cheerful and happy to menacing and evil. He also crosses paths with two young French girls, whom he begins fantasizing about and follows around the park. Things for Jim continue to turn from bad to worse as he realizes that Walt Disney World may not be the "happiest place on Earth" that its slogan implies.

Escape From Tomorrow essentially feels like the basic plot from The Shining, with elements of Lolita and any David Lynch surrealist film mixed in, an obviously strange mixture that works surprisingly well. Randy Moore's story is more or less a jab, not at the Disney theme parks' legacy, but rather the corporate side of the company. Full of dark and surreal twists and turns, the plot line is extremely enjoyable to follow, with tiny plot points that become major elements of the storyline by the end of the movie. The film also manages to be surprisingly funny, filled to the brim with dark humor that works extremely well.

For a group of relatively unknown actors, Escape From Tomorrow succeeds due to surprisingly great acting. Roy Abramsohn takes the lead role as Jim, as a strangely likeable protagonist. Abramsohn finds the perfect balance between the aspects of a charming father and a delusional psychopath, almost like an understated Jack Nicholson to a certain degree. Elena Schuber is a fine addition as the nagging other Emily, even if she seems obnoxious at times. The young actors that play the children were also great.

The story of Escape From Tomorrow's production is arguably more fascinating than the film itself, but that was not Moore's goal with the film. Rather than being "that movie filmed illegally at Disney World," Escape From Tomorrow is a story about corporate Disney. The plot is phenomenal, managing to be surreal, dark, humorous, and entertaining all at the same time. The acting is especially fine, and the film looks great for a movie filmed for less than $1 million budget in an unauthorized manner. Escape From Tomorrow is an immensely great movie for a first-time directing debut, and has the potential to be a cult classic.