Walt Disney Worldis one of the most popular vacation destinations on the planet, and it also served as a setting fortwo movies that were secretly filmed on theme park property. Guerrilla filmmaking has a long and complicated history, and with Hollywood productions becoming the norm, it has largely faded in favor of a movie made through the proper channels. Filming on location requires a bevvy of permits and is also typically an expensive prospect, because the locations themselves usually demand some sort of compensation for loaning out their space for a movie.
Locations like Walt Disney World are almost always off-limits, and a mega-corporation like Disney is not keen to allow anyone but themselves to shoot something on theme park property. Except for the short-lived Disney’s MGM Studios, which was built around film production, only a handful of shows and films have been shot at Disney World in Florida. However, a few filmmakers have been brazen enough toshoot films secretlywithin the confines of the Happiest Place on Earth (without Disney’s permission), butonly one is actually worth watching.
Escape From Tomorrow & The Florida Project Secretly Shot Inside Disney’s Parks
Two Very Different Movies Shot At Walt Disney World
Only two major movies have secretly shot scenes at Walt Disney World, but they are quite different in tone and execution.2013’sEscape from Tomorrowis a horror film that was shot almost exclusively inside of Disney’s parkson both coasts, and tells the story of an unemployed father who begins suffering from strange delusions while on the last day of his vacation at Disney World. The movie caused quite a splash when it arrived at the Sundance Film Festival, and was bound to gain a lot of attention because of its guerrilla style.
Disney has not pursued legal action against either film.
The next film to attempt the feat was Sean Baker’s critically acclaimed 2017 outing,The Florida Project, which follows the lives of a young mother and her daughter as they live in various motels along US Highway 192 in Kissimmee, Florida, near Walt Disney World. Baker’s film is a slice-of-life story that explores real issues like hidden homelessness, and equal parts tragic and humorous.InThe Florida Project, Baker only shot one scene within Walt Disney World, though it’s the crux ofthe movie’s divisive ending.
The films intentionally juxtapose the squeaky-clean image of Disney’s parks with the harsh realities of their stories.
Besides the inherent challenge of filming at the theme parks, there’s a pretty clear reason why both films were shot at Walt Disney World. The films intentionally juxtapose the squeaky-clean image of Disney’s parks with the harsh realities of their stories.Escape from Tomorrowlampoons the parks' forced friendliness and turns them into a realm of nightmares, whileThe Florida Projectcasts it as an impossible dream for the movie’s young protagonists, who are merely struggling to get by. No other location could be substituted, and both films would have been weaker without their Disney World scenes.
The Florida Project Is A Better Movie Than Escape From Tomorrow
Despite Using Disney World Less, The Florida Project Is More Effective
Comparing and contrastingEscape from TomorrowandThe Florida Projectisn’t necessarily fair, and the films have two very different goals. One is a tongue-in-cheek horror movie made on a shoestring budget, and the other is a gripping character drama with established actors like Willem Dafoe. However, it’s clear thatThe Florida Projectis more effective at accomplishing its goals, even when ignoring all the other factors that went into making the movies.
Budget can be blamed for some shortcomings, but most aspects of strong storytelling are free.Escape from Tomorrowis an impressive feat of guerrilla filmmaking, but the actual finished product isn’t particularly clever or interesting. Once the viewer gets over the shock of seeing the Disney Parks used onscreen, the horror concept is stretched thin and doesn’t have any satisfying payoffs.
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On top of that, the commentary about Disney’s corporate greed and fake cheer is surface-level at best. Finally, the film isn’t particularly appealing to look at, and the use of visual effects is jarring and sometimes laughable instead of frightening. On the other hand,The Florida Projectfeatures a light plotline, but shines becauseit is a character-driven dramathat actually delivers fascinating and complicated characters.
It’s a commentary about Disney World, but it is also so much more, and every detail serves to build its compelling narrative. The lives of the characters are shown unflinchingly, which makes the unusual ending so unique. It inspires conversation about what Moonee is actually experiencing, and it elevates the story as opposed to anchoring it to a concept it can’t fulfill due to technical constraints.
