Having spent much time at WDW, and also having spent many years working for a company that plays a big part in the movie, this was a must watch for me. I am surprised I had not heard of it before.
The quality of the movie leaves something to be desired. That most of it was filmed secretly inside both WDW and Disneyland was not only intriguing but also lowers your expectations. I have to say that many of those scenes are surprisingly well done. A lot of planning obviously went into the filming. At one point there are several shots of empty areas that were clearly shot after hours by a Disney employee. The movie is in black and white, which was reportedly done for technical reasons instead of artistic reasons. It does add to the surreal effect though, and it is possible that the technical need for monochrome video was tied to the decision to make the movie so surreal in the first place.
However, there were also a lot of scenes that were filmed green screen style with background video, and they were poorly done. I suppose that with the surreal nature of the film this might have been intentional to add to the effect, but it was distracting. The scenes filmed at Disneyland were also a bit distracting since the setting was supposed to be Disneyworld. Again, perhaps this was some intentional "Disney mash-up", but still distracting.
One thing to look for is the number of references to WDW trivia and urban legends that are embedded in the film. Some are well known (or were at the time the movie was filmed). Some are pretty obscure.
As for the overall film, it is an interesting concept. The plot owes a lot to American Beauty, with a much more surreal tint. The commentary on the theme park experience is actually pretty spot on. Families that visit "the happiest place on Earth" aren't always happy, and some are really messed up. Telling this in a "reality" where the urban legends and conspiracy theories true helps to make the commentary a bit less of a direct attack. Watching the movie in the midst of the COVID pandemic adds some unintended meaning as well.
The quality of the movie leaves something to be desired. That most of it was filmed secretly inside both WDW and Disneyland was not only intriguing but also lowers your expectations. I have to say that many of those scenes are surprisingly well done. A lot of planning obviously went into the filming. At one point there are several shots of empty areas that were clearly shot after hours by a Disney employee. The movie is in black and white, which was reportedly done for technical reasons instead of artistic reasons. It does add to the surreal effect though, and it is possible that the technical need for monochrome video was tied to the decision to make the movie so surreal in the first place.
However, there were also a lot of scenes that were filmed green screen style with background video, and they were poorly done. I suppose that with the surreal nature of the film this might have been intentional to add to the effect, but it was distracting. The scenes filmed at Disneyland were also a bit distracting since the setting was supposed to be Disneyworld. Again, perhaps this was some intentional "Disney mash-up", but still distracting.
One thing to look for is the number of references to WDW trivia and urban legends that are embedded in the film. Some are well known (or were at the time the movie was filmed). Some are pretty obscure.
As for the overall film, it is an interesting concept. The plot owes a lot to American Beauty, with a much more surreal tint. The commentary on the theme park experience is actually pretty spot on. Families that visit "the happiest place on Earth" aren't always happy, and some are really messed up. Telling this in a "reality" where the urban legends and conspiracy theories true helps to make the commentary a bit less of a direct attack. Watching the movie in the midst of the COVID pandemic adds some unintended meaning as well.