Movie Review: As Dreamers Do

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I recently had the privilege of watching Logan Sekulow’s Walt Disney biopic called “As Dreamers Do”.  I had counted down the days to its prerelease after ordering it a few months earlier, and it didn’t disappoint!

Logan’s film, unlike many others, covers the earliest years of Walt’s life – really before he even made it to California.  Admittedly, the acting in the beginning (many children, but also the adults with whom they interacted) made us a little nervous about the film after so much anticipation.  The stories moved forward with little effort though, and gave so much insight to Walt’s passion; his uncle Mike’s love for trains, his earliest drawings, the influence of the people of Marceline on his business practices… origin stories of so many things that have made the Disney brand what it is today were all evident throughout Walt’s childhood.

From quite a young age, Walt liked to escape the everyday world.  Not surprising, because he didn’t have the world handed to him.  Even as a boy he worked hard on a paper route at 3:30am without seeing any of the money for it.  His father, of whom Walt always spoke highly, took quite a while to warm up to his more creative son’s ambitions.  The movie captures this transition in their relationship beautifully.

As Walt gets older, we are introduced to actor Olan Rogers.  A Youtube star, I honestly had never heard of Olan prior to interviews I had heard with Logan and other people involved with the film.  He was outstanding though, truly capturing exactly the personality I’ve always given Walt.

This particular look at Walt’s life is not all pixie dust and roses, though, by any stretch of the imagination.  The creators don’t shy away from the fear of losing his older brother and hero to illness, the impact his smoking habit had on cutting his life short, the years in which he was left more and more alone with no money or food.  Eventually, Walt sells everything he has left – which isn’t much – for a train ticket to California.  There’s a touching scene about him giving up all he has already lost to keep moving forward.  He recalls the advice he had been given as a child:

“Sometimes you have to give up on the things you love. Sometimes you have to move on. There’s a whole world out there for you to see.”

Disney aficionados will love references to Ghost Hosts, Club 33 and so many other fan favorites.  You can find out more about the film in anticipation of its full release here.  You won’t be disappointed!

UPDATE: The movie is available on iTunes now, or on DVD on September 16, 2014! Find it near you at waltmovie.com or order it today on Amazon.com!

Disclaimer: There isn’t much of one to give. I bought the film, though Logan and crew were extremely accommodating when I had paypal problems. I wasn’t asked to review it, but was happy to do so.  I don’t get anything for recommending it but still think you should watch it.  The end.