Earlier today, I saw Disney's A Wrinkle in Time with my ten year-old grandson. The story begins by focusing on two physicist parents and their science-oriented children. When the father disappears into the Universe after discovering a "wrinkle" in the time-space continuum, the children and a friend are induced to search for him.
From this point on, the story takes on a moralistic tone, with emphasis on the struggle between "light and darkness" and on the universal power of love. In other words, there is a shift from science to human mysticism.
While the film offers valuable lessons for children, especially related to self-esteem and one's relationship with friends and family, it seemed to ridicule the value of science that is devoid of humanistic qualities. Rather than pointing out our relative insignificance in this vast Universe, the story, with its Disneyesque ending, implies that natural forces can be altered or diminished by human behavior. Once again, mysticism conquers science, rescuing believers from the cruel, godless Universe.
From this point on, the story takes on a moralistic tone, with emphasis on the struggle between "light and darkness" and on the universal power of love. In other words, there is a shift from science to human mysticism.
While the film offers valuable lessons for children, especially related to self-esteem and one's relationship with friends and family, it seemed to ridicule the value of science that is devoid of humanistic qualities. Rather than pointing out our relative insignificance in this vast Universe, the story, with its Disneyesque ending, implies that natural forces can be altered or diminished by human behavior. Once again, mysticism conquers science, rescuing believers from the cruel, godless Universe.
