| Escape from Tomorrow | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Randy Moore |
| Written by | Randy Moore |
| Produced by | Soojin Chung Gioia Marchese |
| Starring | Roy Abramsohn Elena Schuber Katelynn Rodriguez Jack Dalton Annet Mahendru Danielle Safady Alison Lees-Taylor |
| Cinematography | Lucas Lee Graham |
| Edited by | Soojin Chung |
| Music by | Abel Korzeniowski |
Production companies | Mankurt Media Producers Distribution Agency |
| Distributed by | FilmBuff Cinedigm |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $650,000 |
| Box office | $171,962[1] |
Escape from Tomorrow is a 2013 American independent horror film written and directed by Randy Moore in his directorial debut. It tells the story of an unemployed father having increasingly bizarre experiences and disturbing visions on the last day of a family vacation at the Walt Disney World Resort. It premiered in January at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and was later a personal selection of Roger Ebert, shown at his 15th annual film festival in Champaign, Illinois. The film was a 2012 official selection of the PollyGrind Film Festival, but at the time filmmakers were still working on some legal issues and asked that it not be screened.[2]
The film drew attention, because Moore had shot most of it on location at both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Park without permission from The Walt Disney Company, owner and operator of both properties. Due to Disney's reputation of being protective of its intellectual property, the cast and crew used guerrilla filmmaking techniques to avoid attracting attention, such as keeping their scripts on their phones and shooting on handheld video cameras similar to those used by park visitors.[3] After principal photography was complete, Moore was so determined to keep the film a secret from Disney that he edited it in South Korea. Sundance similarly declined to discuss the film in detail before it was shown. It has been called "the ultimate guerrilla film".[4] Rather than suppressing the film as Moore claimed would happen, Disney chose to ignore it.[5]
It has been compared to the work of Roman Polanski[6] and David Lynch.[3] Although many who saw it at the Sundance Film Festival expressed strong doubts that the film would be shown to a wider audience due to the legal issues involved and the negative depiction of the parks, The Walt Disney Company did not prevent the film from being released. At the time of its premiere, Disney stated that it was "aware" of the film; since then the online supplement to Disney A to Z: The Official Encyclopedia has included an entry for the film.[7]
It was released simultaneously to theaters and video on-demand on October 11, 2013, through Producers Distribution Agency, a Cinetic Media company.[8] It has received mixed to negative reviews, praising its visuals and ambitious production, but criticizing its execution.
- ^ "Escape from Tomorrow". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
- ^ "Chiller | Scary Good". Fearnet.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- ^ a b Zeitchik, Steven (January 19, 2013). "Sundance 2013: How did a newbie make an unapproved film in Disney parks?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
- ^ Davis, Erik (January 21, 2013). "'Escape from Tomorrow' Cinematographer Explains How He Shot an Entire Movie Secretly in Disney Parks". Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
- ^ Jones, J.R. (October 23, 2013). "All the Disney World's a stage in Escape From Tomorrow". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on October 31, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
- ^ Goss, William (January 20, 2013). "Sundance Review: 'Escape From Tomorrow' Takes Viewers On A Mind-Melting Vacation from Hell". IndieWire. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
- ^ "Disney A to Z: Escape from Tomorrow (film)". D23: The Official Disney Fan Club. August 7, 2013. Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 7, 2013.(subscription required)
- ^ Zeitchik, Steven (August 19, 2013). "Guerilla Disney film 'Escape From Tomorrow' headed to theaters". Archived August 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved August 19, 2013.