The article I read about the movie talked about Disney being shown as a gruesome world and images of the parks being construed in a dastardly way. As a huge fan of the Disney theme parks, I was upset a film was made without Disney's consent. I was more angry that people at Disney (primarily cast members) are featured in the film without their consent as well.
Some of my friends thought the movie should be watched first and that I was harsh to say this movie should be done away with. I thought, maybe they are right. Although my problem was more with consent- what is this movie anyways?
I looked more into the movie to find out what it is about.
"Escape from Tomorrow" is about a man who finds out on vacation at Disney that he has lost his job. He realizes how unhappy he is with his life, which includes being in a loveless marriage and not having a tight relationship with his kids. He becomes virtually insane and sees the parks in a dark way He also becomes obsessed with two underage girls while trying to come to grips with reality.
Since the movie's premiere at Sundance, it has become the most-buzzed about movie this year at the film festival. The movie was shot guerrilla-style at Walt Disney World and Disneyland using a video camera almost anyone can buy for cheap at a store and they were not caught.
Disney has not commented on the film being released. This is probably the first (and maybe only ever) commercial film to be shot at in the parks without consent from Disney. Any TV show, special or video you have seen with Disney World being featured was used with consent.
So, how should Disney react to such a thing?
The film itself looks good. Although the parks are the setting, the movie is not about Disney or trying to make a statement about the parks. It's truly a character-driven story that uses the parks as a backdrop. Does it show a different side of Disney? Yes, and it seems a little creepy but maybe cool in a film noir sense (as seen in the image on the right).
But, will Disney sue? It's quite possible- they have every right to. The film will probably never been screened in theaters or put out on DVD due to legal issues with the parks. It will probably rule the internet in the months to come for people to be able to see it. But, should they sue? Well, here is what I think.
Although I originally thought the film should not be screened and be pulled immediately, I believe I am going to retract my original thoughts. I was originally angry with it. But, learning more about what the film entails, I think it should be seen and be out there.
My main problem (personal and PR standpoint) with this movie is the "consent" thing. There are cast members that will be featured in this movie and have a role in this who didn't know and were not compensated. It's possible that this will be where the trouble with this movie will be. I know if I were to have some kind of role in this movie, I would not be thrilled. I believe that is the problem Disney will have. They may find some angry workers who were featured in this movie and are not happy. The company could be angry at themselves for not catching this (or just impressed that they could not catch the filming). It could become a huge liability issue for the parks.
Another issue would be with the movie poster and imagery in the movie. The film poster clearly shows icons known at Disney (the monorail, Spaceship Earth and Big Thunder Mountain) so that would definitely give Disney a case. They may not be happy with their likeness being portrayed in such a way as it seems to be in the movie with gruesome images of the characters (as has been reported).
If I were Disney, I think I'd let it go... for now. They should definitely watch the movie before they make any decision. And they should not make a decision right away. But, cast members should definitely watch this film (I know that once I can, I will watch it since I go to Disney all the time). I could see legal action being taken by a few of them (though not all). Do I think they should take legal action if they are in the movie? That is entirely up to them- since it's dealing with their own self, they should be the ones to decide.
But, they should definitely make sure it doesn't land in nearby theaters soon because if they do nothing and let that happen, then the legal battle will be hard to win.
Here is a clip of the movie. This scene (I believe) is one not filmed in Disney parks. But, it shows a little of what this movie truly is about:
