5 Reasons to Run Out and See Tomorrowland This Weekend

About halfway through the movie, there's one word that kept popping into my head — "hope." I kept my mouth shut, and when it ended, I turned to my 9-year-old and asked him what one word he would use to describe the film's message, and he looked at me and said, "hope!" It was a proud mom moment, but it was also true.

At one point in the film, the camera pans to an Albert Einstein quote saying, "Imagination is more important than knowledge." And that is truly the basis of the film. There is so much negativity in this world, but if we let ourselves believe that things can be better, if we let ourselves imagine a better place, we can actually achieve it. It is a wonderfully positive message that is sprinkled throughout the film and summed up nicely at the end when the baton is handed off to the next generation — a way of saying that children are the future and our only hope (I had visions of Princess Leia's message to Obiwan Kenobi multiple times!)

The film may be called Tomorrowland, but it felt an awful lot like Epcot to me. Anyone who's spent anytime at the Florida Disney resort will appreciate pieces of the rides that make up the utopian world Frank, Casey, and Athena visit. The characters blasting off to Tomorrowland easily feels like you're riding Mission Space, while riding along with Frank on his jetpack is an awful lot like the Soarin' ride. And don't forget the PeopleMover in the film — it is straight out of Disney World's Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover. And, of course, the secret entrance to Tomorrowland is a part of the It's a Small World ride. The Disney magic is felt throughout the entire film.

My 5-year-old was a bit hesitant to see the film — it looked scary to him. But once it was over, he told me he wasn't scared for a second! Yes, the film is mysterious — that's why no one really knows what the film is about! — but it isn't scary at all. There are a few fight scenes throughout the film, but they're actually more comical than they are frightening, and they're nothing more than what kids see in the average animated flick.

With so many movies about dystopian worlds and kids-killing-kids aimed at tweens and teens these days, Tomorrowland is a nice change of pace. Where so many of those movies focus on negativity, this film rewards positivity and leaves moviegoers thinking about what they can do to make the world a better place. It's a nice message that doesn't feel as "kumbaya" as it sounds! Plus, the characters are so lovable – especially Athena — that you feel a connection to them by the time the credits start rolling.

OK, this one may be more for the moms than it is for the kids, but seeing George Clooney on screen (in IMAX no less) was a sight for sore eyes. He played a curmudgeonly Frank with a certain familiarity that took me a while to place, but once I did, I loved it — he was Dr. Doug Ross back from his ER days. But parents aren't the only ones who'll appreciate him in the role, my 9-year-old asked me who he was and told me he seemed "fun." George's charitable and political initiatives are certainly in line with the film's messages, so the perfect fit is conveyed throughout the film.