Review of Escape from Tomorrow (2013) by Cameron E — 12 Oct 2013

Escape From Tomorrow is undoubtedly the most talked about film of 2013, in which a small crew decided to film a whole movie at Walt Disney World and Disneyland (without permission) and see what they could get away with.....and then release the final product to the public. I have been looking forward to seeing this film for a while now, but did it live up to my somewhat lofty expectations (the trailer promises a bizarre thrill ride, but does it deliver?)?

The story here is of Jim (Roy Abramsohn), an unhappy family man who takes his family consisting of "princess" daughter Sara (Katelynn Rodriguez), A-hole son Elliot (Jack Dalton), and ball-busting wife Emily (Elena Schuber) on vacation to Disney hoping for fun. Unfortunately, Jim gets something decidedly different as he loses his job, his family starts to crumble at the seams, and he continually stalks two hot underage french girls (Danielle Safady and Annet Mahendru) all while slowly uncovering a dark conspiracy (or, is it that he's losing his grasp on reality as he further explores the Fantasy Land?). Doesn't sound like your typical Disney film, huh?

First off, I have to commend the film for it's aggressive style of film making, it's one of the most impressive things about the film. Escape From Tomorrow uses several cool film making tricks that actually wowed me a good deal (some impressive green screens that had me questioning if it was actually a green screen being used, the film is shot in black and white but I actually didn't notice this somehow, hired actors portray the Disney princesses at one point....and maybe even a bell man for the Contemporary Resort at another point)., and for the most part the picture quality is pretty great (especially for a film that was shot on the cheap). The film makers had to be quick and stealthy while shooting, and they make up for this (or cover this up) with the above mentioned tricks.

Another interesting aspect of Escape From Tomorrow is just how dirty and perverted it can get. The film clearly finds a naughty joy in seeing how many fucked up things it can fit into Disney including but not limited to nudity, sex, pedophilia, and prostitution of the Disney Princesses (in one scene only, and then it's implied). Let's face it, who doesn't enjoy seeing increasingly naughty, dirty, and maybe even sinister things going on at the Happiest Place on Earth? It's fun because it's the very last place we would expect these things to occur. In fact, that's one of the themes of the film: That bad things happen everywhere, including "The Happiest Place On Earth".

While there are plenty of other supporting characters here, Escape From Tomorrow is basically a one man show. Roy Abramsohn plays Jim, a seemingly unhinged family man that is either uncovering a conspiracy at Disney or is slowly losing his grasp on reality. Roy does a fairly impressive acting job, believably portraying his role. He does over-react here or there, but for the most part his acting is fairly consistent. This film really does fall on his shoulders, and he carries the weight surprisingly well. I'm not sure if he will ever break big, but if enough people see this film that is certainly a possibility.

Escape From Tomorrow does indeed follow through on it's promise of a bizarre thrill ride. For the duration of it's run time the film continually ups the bizarre-o-ness of it all until at the end it's unclear what was reality and what was fantasy (by the end it's clear that something was indeed going on under neath the polished,good-clean-fun surface of Disney, but as to what is left unclear) . The numerous "fantasy" sequences are balanced by sequences of family drama (I do appreciate the irony of the fracturing of a family unit while on vacation at the biggest family destination spot on Earth), and the film does a pretty decent juggling act concerning what the film is really about in the end...unfortunately, the film never fully decides what the point of it all was.

Escape From Tomorrow is part bizarre nightmare, part family drama, part experimental film, and part dirty exploitation. It's an interesting mish-mash of elements, but it never really adds up to anything in the end. I did enjoy how naughty the film could be and the idea that maybe "The Happiest Place On Earth" is really the most sinister place on Earth. It's a fun film filled with half-ideas and fascinating film making tricks. While it's nowhere near as good as I would have hoped...it's still good enough (it's certainly fun enough) and is sure to keep you watching and scratching your head. I'm going to say go ahead and give it a watch.