2007, Walt Disney Pictures
Animation
Rating: G
Approx. 93 mins.
THE STORY:
Lewis (Daniel Hansen, Jordan Fry) is a young boy with big dreams. Abandoned by his mother, he lives in an orphanage and passes the time between hopeless adoption interviews inventing amazing things, some of which actually work. Occasionally.
When he tries to present his latest invention-- a machine that projects memories from the brain onto a screen-- at the science fair, he is approached by a Wilbur (Wesley Singerman), a boy from the future who needs Lewis to fix his time machine. He then enlists Lewis' help to catch the man in the bowler hat (Stephen J. Anderson), who has also travelled from the future with an ax to grind against Lewis. Together they travel back to the future, hang out with Wilbur's eccentric family, and manage to stop the man in the bowler hat before he destroys the time/ space continuum and life as everyone knows it.
Through his adventures in the future, Lewis gets a glimpse of the life he can have if he makes the right choices. He learns to think to the future rather than dwelling on the past, and that he can achieve all the things he wants-- success, family-- is he just keeps moving forward.
When he tries to present his latest invention-- a machine that projects memories from the brain onto a screen-- at the science fair, he is approached by a Wilbur (Wesley Singerman), a boy from the future who needs Lewis to fix his time machine. He then enlists Lewis' help to catch the man in the bowler hat (Stephen J. Anderson), who has also travelled from the future with an ax to grind against Lewis. Together they travel back to the future, hang out with Wilbur's eccentric family, and manage to stop the man in the bowler hat before he destroys the time/ space continuum and life as everyone knows it.
Through his adventures in the future, Lewis gets a glimpse of the life he can have if he makes the right choices. He learns to think to the future rather than dwelling on the past, and that he can achieve all the things he wants-- success, family-- is he just keeps moving forward.
QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:
- none
VIOLENCE:
- nothing significant
TEACHING POINTS:
- keep moving forward
- dwelling on negative situations blinds us to the positive opportunities before us
- we have to claim responsibility for our own choices-- the right ones will have the right consequences
THE UPSHOT:
It's like watching a movie by people with ADHD for people with ADHD. There are so many characters doing so many simultaneously manic things for the most part that it's hard to keep who is doing what straight. Then you have to deal with multiple versions of several of those characters sometimes even co-existing within the same time period.
Younger viewers might get confused with the chronology due to all the time travel, but it's nothing a little selective explanation can't overcome. There is nothing genuinely scary or violent, no inappropriate innuendo or portrayals of female sexuality. There is some very positive messaging about failure being a positive and necessary step toward success, and about taking responsibility for accepting the opportunities life presents you with. Nonetheless, it was just too chaotic for the grown-ups and the 5 year-old in the room to truly enjoy.
BTW: Give the game included in the Special Features a miss unless you really paid attention to who did what. The questions are very specific, you have to choose from about 14 characters, and the promised hints are no more edifying than the questions themselves. You only get 3 chances before striking out, and younger viewers may get frustrated. We decided that it was a practical exercise in experiencing failure for the sake of future success.
Younger viewers might get confused with the chronology due to all the time travel, but it's nothing a little selective explanation can't overcome. There is nothing genuinely scary or violent, no inappropriate innuendo or portrayals of female sexuality. There is some very positive messaging about failure being a positive and necessary step toward success, and about taking responsibility for accepting the opportunities life presents you with. Nonetheless, it was just too chaotic for the grown-ups and the 5 year-old in the room to truly enjoy.
BTW: Give the game included in the Special Features a miss unless you really paid attention to who did what. The questions are very specific, you have to choose from about 14 characters, and the promised hints are no more edifying than the questions themselves. You only get 3 chances before striking out, and younger viewers may get frustrated. We decided that it was a practical exercise in experiencing failure for the sake of future success.
2.5/5
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