Andrew Stanton, the Oscar-winning director of Wall-E and Finding Nemo, is going to have a big year. This summer, he’s taking the reins of Pixar’s marquee franchise as the director of Toy Story 5. And, before that, he’s dropping his latest live-action movie, which spans all of human existence and beyond. You know. Something small like that.
That movie is called In the Blink of an Eye, and the first trailer is now online. It stars Rashida Jones, Kate McKinnon, and Daveed Diggs in a film that both sounds like and looks like the bold 2012 film Cloud Atlas. This film follows “three storylines, spanning thousands of years,” as they “intersect and reflect on hope, connection, and the circle of life,” and here’s your first look.
What did we say? It feels like Cloud Atlas, right? But not quite the same as Cloud Atlas, as that had more characters and more scope, especially in the future bits. Here, the future bits feel more isolated. But the trailer’s music and editing all suggest a film that will carry those same messages about the timeless nature of love and the way life carries mysteries across generations.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that In the Blink of an Eye is not coming to theaters. It’s being released straight to Hulu and Disney+. That’s not a kiss of death, of course, as direct-to-streaming films are often very good (remember when Disney did the same thing for Prey?) But this one premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last month, and the reviews were not particularly kind. As of the publication of this article, it’s sitting at 18% from 17 reviews. That’s putrid.
But Andrew Stanton is a filmmaker who takes bold swings. His previous foray into live-action was John Carter, a film that didn’t quite wow as much as it wanted but is better than history gives it credit for. Maybe In the Blink of an Eye will be the same. We’ll find out later this month. Either way, we’re intrigued.
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