The story of young Walt Disney may not be familiar to us all. His life admiration and ways of inspiration all started out with a simple dream. Recently, I attended the Los Angeles premiere of “As Dreamers Do” at the UCLA campus. The film was great and tugged on a few heart strings.
If you enjoy Walt Disney’s work and what it stands for, this film sure to leave you inspired. This independent film, directed by Logan Sekulow, leads us from Walt’s childhood all the way up through his departure from Missouri to California.
Upon entering the theater, there was a nice array of refreshments on the table for students and film goers to enjoy. Very yummy snacks if I do say so. There was also a table set up in the lobby with post cards about the film as well as the UCLA Disney Club. On top of that, pens were handed out in the shape of a paint brush. The film’s title was written across the pen. As time neared, the film was about to begin. Quick side note, Alice Davis was in the audience.
Filmed in Nashville, this movie look authentic with time pieces and costumes. The film was produced in a manner that paid homage to the ways movies were filmed back in the day. A lot of mixed artistic ways were encompassed in the film such as cartoon images crossing over into live action. It was really clever. There was also a case when the characters mentioned a new town, instead of a visual set, an artistic sketch of the town was depicted. The creative touches that were placed in the movie were fresh and added much character to the film.
With a movie based on the young life of Walt, it paid close attention to the people in his life that inspired him. The film showed a lot of attention to his aunt. She bought his a sketch pad and pencils so that he could let his imagination run on his free time. There was even a mention of his dream tree. Living on a farm, it was not always easy and the movie was sure to show that hardships that his family went through. There were even several cases of showing how stern his father was.
In addition to his youth as a child, his passion to join the Red Cross was a big part. In a way, it seemed that he was able to discover who he truly was based on his time at the Red Cross. The movie gave a lighthearted aspect on his time away and that even there he was able to share his passion for the arts.
Once arriving back to the United States, he realized what his passion in life was meant to be. To create art that inspired him and others. Still we could see that he was struggling in life with trying to accomplish his goals. Money was tight and his brother Roy had become sick. When his brother left for California, Walt had to search hard for what he really wanted to do. Art was what he wanted. After the troubles with his company, California was the next stop. And as we all know, the rest is history.
There was a panel after the film ended. With several questions and answers, it was sure that much research was completed before filming even began. They wanted to put out the best possible movie that they could and be accurate to the truth of Walt’s life. They did a great job in doing so. After countless hours of research, their hard work paid off greatly in helping the story line.
Overall, the film was great. It taught me that in life you must work hard for what you want. There will be struggles along the way, but if you try your best, life will be what it is supposed to be.
If you would like to hear more about the movie, please visit the “As Dreamers Do” website.
