Dave McClain
"World of Tomorrow" (United States, 17 min.) – This film tells its story by animating stick figures and laying them over simple, but colorful and imaginative backgrounds. A little girl who sounds like she's 3 or 4 is visited through her television set by a clone of herself (a few clone generations removed) from 200 years in the future. The future Emily tells "Emily Prime" about life in the future and how all this came to be, as well as taking Emily Prime into the TV so she can see a place called the "outer-net". This film is silly, but inventive, deriving its humor from the quirkiness of people in the future, their whimsical references to death and from the reactions of a toddler hearing and seeing things that adults would have a hard time understanding. The script also works in some social commentary and even a couple deep thoughts such as, "You only appreciate the present when it's the past." Enjoyable, but weird. "A-"
thephantomgoddess
i first saw this at the IFC Center as part of a Oscar nominated short thing. i was very touched by the main character, Emily. i liked the animation and the story of World of Tomorrow. it was very amazing and somewhat emotional. i really hope this wins the Oscar because it touched me and i bet it will touch you heart too and i recommend going to see it because you will not regret seeing it and it will make you feel like a kid again. i also want to add that the actress who plays Emily did a very good job. i also liked the whole techno theme of the short. i loved the basic overall plot and i just loved everything about it. if you want something funny and sweet this movie is for you.
cosmicfish14
I know it may be strange to do a full length review on a short film, but I felt this one deserved it. Don Hertzfeldt is one of my favorite animators right now and he's done other work that I loved like "It's Such A Beautiful Day" (which I will review at some point in the future) and the disturbingly funny "Rejected". "World Of Tomorrow" is his most recent work, and probably his most critically praised. What do I think of it? I think its absolutely fantastic. Personally, I don't think its as good as "It's Such A Beautiful Day", but still great. Anyways lets continue.One thing to note is the animation. Hertzfeldt is known for using a somewhat minimalistic but unique style for most of his work, and this is probably his most visual work, since it presents other planets and parts of space. It does use a lot of techniques to create this style like using live action, special blur effects and so on. The short also has an amazingly creative and original story, so creative that it kinda reminds me of those famous short stories from Phillip K. Dick. It does bring up these great concepts, but also has time for emotional and funny moments. There is also some nice voice acting with the clone of Emily and her younger self. So in the end "World Of Tomorrow" is a creative, funny, and touching animation that makes you think long after you have viewed it. Honestly guys, go watch it now, its on Netflix its only 15 minutes long and I promise you that you won't regret it.Final Score: 8.5/10
David M Farrington
The science fiction genre is no stranger to themes of artificial intelligence surpassing human capacity, the exploration of space and the discovery of space creatures, or even the pursuit of immortality through social media or other means of preservation. World of Tomorrow, the latest piece from Oscar nominated writer/director Don Hertzfeldt (Rejected), manages to wrap all of these themes into a 16 minute animated short film. Too much to cover in too little time you say? Hertzfeldt's short masterpiece will prove you wrong, taking its audience on a mind bending journey into the future and acting as a humorous allegory for the dangers of human disconnection in a world lived via the internet.World of Tomorrow follows Emily, a young girl voiced by Winona Mae (Hertzfeldt's own four-year-old niece who was recorded at play with the recordings subsequently being fit into the film). Emily receives a video call from 227 years in the future when humans live between space and earth and survive in what is known as the outer- net, a vast empty space which is the...Read the full review on David 'n the Dark!https://davidnthedark.wordpress.com/2016/01/17/worldoftomorrowreview /#more-2061
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