Read till the end for my rate of the film.
Setting: The setting is the main basis of this film. It takes places at the wonderful and magical Disney World in Florida. The film is shot in both Disneyland and Epcot as well as an unnamed Disney hotel. Obviously this is really special because how often do you see a full length film not made by Disney shot at Disneyland. This led to a whole court case but since then its still up, entered a few film festivals, including Sundance, and is being distributed. It's safe to say Randy Moore got the better of Disney.
Plot: A family of 4 is on their last day of vacationing, in Disney World. Jim (the father) takes his son and daughter (Sara and Eliot) along with his wife (Emily) to Disneyland. Jim's life currently sucks. He just got fired from his job and he has a wife that refuses to give him any affection. So lets just say that Jim's subconscious and primitive side decide to externalize during the tip to Disneyland. Jim then notices strange things at the Disney parks beginning to surface, leading to the question is the park as innocent as it makes itself out to be or is there more going on? After some of the events that follow you are faced with the ultimate question, is what Jim seeing really happening or it it all a figment of imagination?
Technical Aspects
Camera Work: The camera work was probably the most impressive thing about the entire film. You have to realize that Disney most likely would not have allowed the filmmakers to shoot at the parks. This means that the camera men had to look like everyday tourists making a homemade video. This also gives the film a sort of creative style (usually called guerilla-style). All things considered the shots were very clean and well executed for the way it had to be shot.
Lighting: The film is black and white giving it the cool old-fashioned horror movie vibe. But such a style also has its drawbacks you'll often see parts of the film where the camera is pointed toward a screen or a projection and it makes it exceedingly difficult to make out what is being shown because of over exposure. Because the film was shot guerilla-style they obviously couldn't bring a lighting kit so they had to make due with natural lighting. This worked quite well but at night the tables turned dramatically. It was often hard to make out details of the shot and see what is going on. This, beside hiding the fact that they are actually shooting a film, was probably the most difficult variable to endure and get around. Altogether the lighting was very well executed. my favorite part was probably the firework show, even though it was dark the light from the fireworks created a contrast on the scene and characters which made it look pretty freaken stellar.
Sound: The sound was very well done for being done almost entirely by lavaliere mics, which are usually clipped on to people's cloths, because they obviously couldn't bring boom mics into the park or it would be a dead giveaway that there was filming being done. Lavaliere mics can often be problematic because you can here every bump the clothing makes against the microphone itself. Lavalieres are also very sensitive to direction. If not pointed directly toward the actors mouth then the microphone may only pick up a whisper. With that in mind the sound was recorded and mixed beautifully. Adding to the praise on sound in the film you will hear the great work the crew did on foley sound. That would be the sounds that are not dialogue, for example children laughing in the distance, a book being dropped, announcements being made on speakers and a dog barking. The detail that was added really elevates the films quality. Music was also very important to the film feeling like it really was Disney, but you'll notice they don't use any of Disney's music. For example when the family is taking a ride through It's a Small World they're not using the iconic song. That's because a low budget film like this can't afford the copyrights and they didn't want to ask for them in fear of getting busted. Instead the filmmakers use music that fits with the scenes and sounds like something Disney would use at the parks, for example the opening credits and the Small World scene.
Sound: The sound was very well done for being done almost entirely by lavaliere mics, which are usually clipped on to people's cloths, because they obviously couldn't bring boom mics into the park or it would be a dead giveaway that there was filming being done. Lavaliere mics can often be problematic because you can here every bump the clothing makes against the microphone itself. Lavalieres are also very sensitive to direction. If not pointed directly toward the actors mouth then the microphone may only pick up a whisper. With that in mind the sound was recorded and mixed beautifully. Adding to the praise on sound in the film you will hear the great work the crew did on foley sound. That would be the sounds that are not dialogue, for example children laughing in the distance, a book being dropped, announcements being made on speakers and a dog barking. The detail that was added really elevates the films quality. Music was also very important to the film feeling like it really was Disney, but you'll notice they don't use any of Disney's music. For example when the family is taking a ride through It's a Small World they're not using the iconic song. That's because a low budget film like this can't afford the copyrights and they didn't want to ask for them in fear of getting busted. Instead the filmmakers use music that fits with the scenes and sounds like something Disney would use at the parks, for example the opening credits and the Small World scene.
Critiques: Oh boy, here we go. The film really wasn't cohesive. There were pieces that really didn't seem to fit together and could often get the viewer lost. Then, there are certain parts of the film that really leave you asking, "Was that really necessary?" Trust me the film unrated for a reason. Some of those scenes really don't push the story forward at all and just leave you thinking, "What the hell was that about?" Now everybody at the end of the day wants to go home knowing that they understood what the writers and director were trying to tell the audience. In other words the main purpose of the film, beside the entertainment. Given sometimes it is a little more difficult to read into with indie films than studio films, but this one really leaves you in the dust. I mean, I think I've got it and I wouldn't want to spoil it for people who really do want to watch it, but you really have to read into meaning on a psychological level. Lastly there are also a couple scenes where you can tell that a green-screen as used and the background was filmed on location. When the editing done with the green screen is shabby it eliminates the sense of realism for the viewer.
My rating for the film: A solid 5/10. No more, no less.
