Keep Moving Forward

“Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things - because we're curious. And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. We're always exploring and experimenting.”

I've had numerous requests over the past few days to print the Walt Disney quote from the concluding moments of Meet the Robinsons. It was a very significant part of the film, as it ultimately focuses on Cornelius Robinson's mantra of "keep moving forward" and puts in perspective the crazy eccentricities of the extended Robinson clan and how fun and spontaneity are important components of any creative process.

While other Disney pundits are deep in Monday morning quarterbacking, analyzing box office receipts and comparing grosses, the relative financial success (or perceived failure) of Meet the Robinsons is really quite secondary to the message that is being communicated in those final frames of the film.

Walt Disney Feature Animation, and hopefully and more importantly the entire Walt Disney Company, are returning to their creative roots.

". . . moving forward . . . opening new doors . . . doing new things . . ."

For those words to emerge from a company that has been largely deemed creatively stagnant and bottom-line driven for the last ten years, it represents more than a quaint epilogue to an animated feature. I believe Ed Catmull, John Lasseter and Bob Iger are clearly telling us something. That the fundamental principles of the Disney company are still alive and well and have not been forgotten. That not all creative decisions are guided by fiscal projections and held hostage by corporate bureaucracy.

I loved Meet the Robinsons. It was happy, positive, and in my personal and very subjective opinion, very entertaining. And while the story of Lewis and his quest for family and acceptance tugged at my heartstrings, it was the extremely relevant words of Walt Disney that ultimately brought tears to my eyes.

Images © Walt Disney Pictures