Disclosure- I went on an all expense paid trip on behalf of Disney to cover the Blu-ray release of Tomorrowland and Aladdin as well as Disneyland’s 60th Anniversary.  All opinions are my own.

The day has finally arrived. Tomorrowland arrives on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere (DMA) October 13. Not only does it come with exclusive bonuses including deleted scenes, casting Tomorrowland, and more, but it also includes something very exciting- Brad Bird Production Diaries! The director, Brad Bird filmed the unique vantage point for the Director Diaries with a steady cam. How cool is that? Talk about behind the scenes! Brad Bird is not only a director but he’s also a writer and producer. He directed the worldwide hit “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” the fourth installment of the Tom Cruise-starring franchise. He won Oscars® for writing and directing the “Ratatouille” and “The Incredibles.” His feature directorial debut was the critically acclaimed 1999 animated feature “The Iron Giant,” which won the International Animated Film Society’s Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Theatrical Feature. So yeah, he’s crazy talented. It was such an honor to meet and chat with Mr. Bird on my recent trip to Los Angeles. Here are just a few of the things I learned.

Brad started drawing at the young age of three. His very first drawings were sequential.  They were meant to be viewed in a certain order.  So he was trying to make movies from the very beginning.  He would tell the story while he would show these pictures. (How cute!) Then when he saw Jungle Book, something snapped in him, and he realized that it was somebody’s job to figure out how a stuffy panther would move.

It wasn’t just any animal.  It was a cat.  It wasn’t just any cat, it was a panther.  It wasn’t just any panther, it was a stuffy panther, and somebody got paid to sit down and imagine that.  And suddenly, the adult world which seemed kind of dull and boring to me seemed suddenly very exciting to me, and that that was somebody’s job.  And I started to realize that there are a lot of cool jobs in the world.

We asked Brad what he would like audiences to take away from Tomorrowland and he said he doesn’t want to make it sound like broccoli, like something that is good for you. But it will provide them with nutrition later.  He wanted to convey that first and foremost, they tried to make an entertaining movie that was a good ride.  (I think they succeeded at that, don’t you?) He also stressed the message of the movie:

The future is not set. It’s in our hands; it’s fluid; it’s made every day by the actions of everyone, and that, um, don’t resign yourself to the negative future; help build another one.

What an amazing and true message! It is such a good reminder for everyone that we all have the power to make our own future. Another answer that Brad gave us echoed the same sentiment. We asked him about the future of his career and he said he would never want his career to be predictable. He wants to do all different types of movies. As a fan of Brad Bird’s work, I am excited to see what the future holds for his work and can’t wait to see what’s next.

TOMORROWLAND
SYNOPSIS:                           Dreamers Wanted…Disney invites you to an incredible world of epic imagination where anything is possible.  Buckle your seat belt, as the director of The Incredibles takes your family on an action-packed thrill ride.

Join former boy genius Frank (George Clooney), optimistic, science-minded teen Casey (Britt Robertson), mysterious Athena (Raffey Cassidy) and the brilliant David Nix (Hugh Laurie) in a world of pure Disney imagination.  Tomorrowland transports you on an inspiring and magical journey of wonder and adventure to a place where if you can dream it, you can do it.

CAST:                                        George Clooney as Frank Walker (“Gravity,” “Up in the Air”), Britt Robertson as Casey Newton (“The First Time,” “The Longest Ride”), Raffey Cassidy as Athena (“Snow White and the Huntsman,” “Dark Shadows”), Hugh Laurie as Nix (“Monsters vs. Aliens,” TV’s “House M.D.”), Tim McGraw as Eddie Newton (“The Blind Side”)

PRODUCERS:                      Brad Bird (“The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille”), Jeffrey Chernov (“Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol,” “Star Trek Into Darkness”), Damon Lindelof (TV’s “Lost,” “Star Trek Into Darkness”)