When I was a little kid, I went to Disneyland a few times. It's the Happiest Place on Earth, you know. And indeed, I did have a great time there. Except, there was always something that freaked me out: the characters. These gigantic representations of beloved cartoon characters did not sit right with me. It felt wrong. And I would run away from them. (I still get incredibly uncomfortable around mascots and try to avoid being around them. It's called masklophobia and it's totally a thing, people. I have a four-year-old, so this might be a problem some day. Her birthday is on Tuesday and people keep telling me to take her to Chuck E. Cheese. No way, man, there's a giant rodent that lives there.) So, while Disneyland (or Disneyworld, which is actually what we'll be talking about momentarily) may be full of happiness and magic and imagination... there can be a dark side, too.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls: some very exciting news. Perhaps you have heard of this year's indie film sensation, Escape From Tomorrow. Randy Moore is the creator, and he took the idea of guerrilla filmmaking to a whole new level, making an entire movie within the bounds of Disneyworld while on a family vacation – without the permission of the Disney company, which is famously very possessive of their property rights. The film tells the story of a man whose sanity comes into question when strange things start happening on his family vacation at the Happiest Place on Earth. It has been universally lauded as a surrealist masterpiece, but due to potential legal issues, there was some question about how wide of an audience it would reach.
Well, Disney hasn't taken any moves against it, and now you have one single chance to see this phenomenon on the big screen here in Louisville: tomorrow night, Saturday, at midnight at Baxter Avenue Theaters. Don't miss it for anything. (Meanwhile, I have to work late and thus will be unable to attend. I feel great sadness about this.)
Baxter Avenue Theater is located at 1250 Bardstown Road. Further theater information and advance ticket sales can be found at the Baxter Avenue Theater website.
Image: Internet Movie Database