“A Wrinkle in Time”
Are you scratching your head wondering what the hype is about this movie? I have spoke to a few people who had never heard of this story before and wondered why Oprah Winfrey was dressed like the good witch from a different children’s classic. I also have heard a few even question “Why is Disney making a movie not for kids?” We were invited to a screening of Disney’s newest release, and, in spoiler-free fashion, I will share what you need to know.
“A Wrinkle in Time” started as a book…
Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time” originally started out as a book, written in 1962 by Madeline L’Engle. The book won many awards: the Newbery Medal, Sequoyah Book Award, and Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and was a runner-up for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. And somehow, in my 12 years of Catholic school, I do not recall ever reading it. I do not remember my older children ever reading this book, either. In light of this, I made sure that my Neurotic Disney Kid(NDK), who is an avid reader, sat down with this book before the movie. In her expert kid opinion, she highly suggests reading the book before seeing the movie.
The Plot (spoiler-free)
Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” an epic adventure based on Madeleine L’Engle’s timeless classic takes audiences across dimensions of time and space, examining the nature of darkness versus light and, ultimately, the triumph of love. Through one girl’s transformative journey led by three celestial guides, we discover that strength comes from embracing one’s individuality and that the best way to triumph over fear is to travel by one’s own light.
What I thought
Having not read the book, I went into this movie blind. The title alone had me a bit confused as to what this movie could be about. During our screening, we were shown a special message from Ava DuVernay, the director, and asked to let our 11-12 year old imagination run with this film. In the blink of an eye, the movie takes off, and you really are a bit unsure of where you are and how this is going to play out. Within minutes, pieces come together and you realize what the story is about, but how this story will play out is not so obvious. Characters start appearing and confusion was still present, but the story became understandable once I decided to follow DuVernay’s advice and breathe. I started to watch this as if I was a pre-teen myself.
I realized that this movie faces issues that are relevant to today’s children. Bullies. Mean kids. Broken families. Emotional abuse. Body issues. These are serious topics that can haunt our children in today’s society. This movie does show that everyone has an issue that they are dealing with. No one has a perfect life. Kindness towards everyone is so important. This movie offers a beautiful opportunity to discuss empathy with your child.
This movie offers a bit more than a lesson in empathy. “A Wrinkle in Time” is a female dominated movie, showing girls can make a difference. As the mom of a pre-teen girl, seeing a strong female lead that she can relate to is important.
Is this movie for young kids?
While this film is devoid of colorful language and violence, it is rated PG. There are a few intense instances, but nothing cringe-worthy. As I stated above, the movie does address bullies, body issues, broken families, and an evil “darkness” that one needs to overcome. I think it might be a bit much for a young child. This most certainly is a perfect movie for older elementary-aged children, with many opportunities for discussion afterwards.
But what will my kid think?
This really is not a movie for adults. Sometimes, we just tear a movie apart, looking so deep, that we can lose sight of what the real message is. Ava DuVernay wanted to do something that her 11 year old self would have been proud of. With that being said, the following is what my almost 11 year old thought:
The NDK Review
“A Wrinkle in Time” is one of the best children’s movies Disney has ever made. “A Wrinkle in Time” (the movie version) differed slightly from “A Wrinkle in Time” (the book version). Books are never usually exactly like the movie. The movie follows the story line in the book, but the movie puts a modern twist on the story.
Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon), Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling), and Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfry) are the three celestial beings. They are known as “The Mrs.’s” in the movie. They help guide Meg (Storm Reid) and Charles Wallace (Derric McCabe) throughout the movie. My favorite character was Mrs. Which because she has a sense of humor but is also very wise. Mrs. Which brought out the best in Meg, which helped Meg along her journey.
This movie was important because you should never give up and always fight for what you believe in. This is important because growing up can be hard, and that can make you give up easily. You may not get what you want when you first try, so you have to keep at it in order to be successful.
You should know what tessering is. Tessering is a mode of travel between space and time. My actual favorite part in the movie is when they all tessered to Uriel (a planet), but Meg isn’t very good at tessering so she doesn’t feel so good when they get there. Mrs. Which asks Mrs. Whatsit to see if Meg is alright, so Mrs. Whatsit kicks Meg, who moans. Mrs. Whatsit says, “She’s alright!” and Mrs. Which says, “Whatsit, we don’t kick people” and Mrs. Whatsit says, “I didn’t know that”. I thought this was very funny.
The Darkness, also known as The It, is the problem that Meg and Charles Wallace encounter in this movie. The Darkness can take over anything and anyone. It’s important to stay strong and fight for what’s right to defeat the darkness in your life. The darkness can be any problem you have. It is important not to let it take over.
I would recommend this movie to anyone who loves science fiction. Also, if you have not read the orginal book, you probably should read it or the movie will be very confusing. I’m NDK, and this is my review.
A Disney blooded, crafty, fun-lovin’ wife/mom/organizer/planner, etc who is obsessed with all things Disney 🙂 Maria grew up with the Magic Kingdom and has loved watching WDW evolve into what it is today. A firm believer in the Power of Pixie Dust, she is the owner of The Disney Driven Life – A Community for Neurotic Disney People & a d.i.y. crafty blog, Carousel of Projects – create~inspire~share.
