“If you believe you can make the futur e then you will”
to be any different. But we’ve come up with a slightly different spin on the whole ‘ chosen one’ story, which has gotten a little bit tired I believe. It’s a song that we all love to listen to, but one that’s being played in a slightly different tempo. The Matrix is certainly a movie that Brad and I talked about as having done it beautifully in a sci- fi construct. But this is a story that we return to time and time again – this idea of being chosen by forces that are greater than yourself to help resolve this great battle between good and evil. We’re aware of that story. We’re kind of telling that story, but hopefully in a new and exciting way.
“As far as the Harry Potter of it all goes… Tomorrowland is not a school in the same way that Hogwarts is. But we love the idea that Harry Potter is set in the real world, a world where most people, most muggles, are not aware of the world of magic that is hidden from them. Tomorrowland uses a very similar language, except instead of magic it’s technology and invention and innovation. That’s where the Harry Potter parable kind of starts and ends. We don’t have a Voldemort.”
Though Tomorrowland: A World Beyond doesn’t feature a school, Lindelof says the film itself serves as a celebration of education, particularly in the field of science.
“As pie- in- the- sky and as old- fashioned as this may sound, if you believe you can make the future then you will. But if you believe that the future is something that’s going to happen to you, and that you have no power to change, then that’s definitely what’s going to happen. ‘ Why should I change my light bulbs? Why should I buy an electric car when the data says that with the pollution that the United States and China and South America is putting out there, any choice that I make is inconsequential?’ If everybody on the planet makes that decision it’s going to have a direct effect on what environment our children are going to inherit. That’s not old- fashioned. That’s not corny. That’s just fact.
“So how do you take this idea of the self- fulfilling prophecy about a clap to save Tinkerbell and infuse it into a movie without it feeling like we’re demanding the entire world eat its vegetables? That was one of the challenges that the movie faced, and hopefully one that we’ve overcome. But it was really important to us as filmmakers to say, ‘ Hey, we want you to leave the movie theatre feeling a little bit more optimistic about what’s in store for you.’ But we also want to tell you that that’s not going to happen without a little bit of elbow grease. The future is something that you’ve got to make happen.
“We hope that you’re inspired,” adds Lindelof. “But we also hope that you get out there and do something about it.”
Tomorrowland: A World Beyond opens on Friday 22 May.