WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY, THE: A WRINKLE IN TIME (TV)
Summary
One in this series of Disney movies presented under the umbrella title "The Wonderful World of Disney." This made-for-television production, an adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle's 1962 Newbery Medal-winning novel of the same name, tells of three children who journey through space and time to find their missing scientist father.
The narrative begins with a teenaged girl, Meg, watching the night sky and remembering moments she shared with her father, Jack, who disappeared a year ago without warning. Meg's younger brothers -- twins Sandy and Dennys and the brilliant and eccentric Charles Wallace -- appear to have adjusted to their father's absence, but Meg longs for his return. Meg feels like a freak and an outsider, exemplified the next day at school when she gets into trouble for correcting a condescending teacher's error, then faces bullies after class. When some boys later harass her and Charles Wallace, older student Calvin O'Keefe intercedes. Charles Wallace immediately takes a liking to Calvin, confessing to Meg that he can "read" people, including her and their mother, Dana. When they arrive home, Meg catches her mother doing an Internet search for the word "tesseract," but she declines to explain. She mentions Meg's trouble at school, and says she hopes her daughter can find a "happy medium" and fit in. Later that night, a storm blows up, and Meg and Dana find Charles Wallace in the kitchen. He says that he can't sleep because his head is "busy," but assures his mother that she needn't worry. Meg asks her mother why she can't find their father. Charles Wallace suggests that their father wants to contact them, but can't, and says he should introduce his family to "Mrs. Whatsit," who can help. Meg and her mother are confused, until a crow that has been appearing to both Meg and Charles Wallace flies into the house and transforms into a woman -- the gray-haired Mrs. Whatsit. Meg and Dana are shocked, but Charles Wallace greets her fondly, and says that she's "come for him." Mrs. Whatsit stays long enough to tell Dana that there is, in fact, such a thing as a tesseract, and then leaves. Dana is shocked by the statement, but refuses to elaborate. She tells the children not to let Mrs. Whatsit in the house again. The next day, Calvin rides his bike past the Murry house and tells the family that he felt "called" to go there. The usually shy Charles Wallace greets him and invites him to stay for dinner; to Meg's surprise, Calvin accepts. After dinner, the children play games as Dana continues to research "tesseract," with no luck. Suddenly, Mrs. Whatsit's voice whispers to Charles Wallace to show Calvin some home movies of their father, which Meg dismisses as "ordinary." Calvin disagrees. Just then, Mrs. Whatsit's face appears in the TV and tells the three youngsters that it's time to go to the "star-watching rock" near their house. There, Mrs. Whatsit tells them to hold on to each other, and spirits them away in a rush of color and wind.
The trio lands in a beautiful, flowery field on the planet Uriel with Mrs. Whatsit. They soon meet Mrs. Whatsit's companion, the spectacle-wearing Mrs. Who. She admits that she "called" Calvin along with the siblings. Mrs. Whatsit then explains that a tesseract is a "gateway" to connections in the universe that allow travel through space and time, as they just did -- like a "wrinkle" in the continuum of time. She then transforms into an enormous winged creature and tells the three children to get on her back, and transports them to another place on the planet. There, Mrs. Who shows them a dark cloud over the land and explains that it is a "plague of evil" on the universe and that their father is trapped somewhere "behind that darkness." The two women's other companion, the gold-garbed Mrs. Which, arrives and is displeased to see the children. Later that night, Meg overhears the three women talking, and learns that Mrs. Which does not believe that the children are capable of defeating the darkness. She calls them "primitives," with undeveloped powers. Meg tells Calvin what she heard and confesses that she feels unsure about finding her father. The next day, Mrs. Which shows the children a model of the universe and points out that the darkness is on Earth, too. Mrs. Who states that it could eventually engulf the world, just as it did Meg and Charles Wallace's father. Mrs. Whatsit tells Meg and Charles Wallace that their father is stuck on the planet of Camazotz, but that they can save him. Mrs. Whatsit notes that battles are often won by seemingly unimportant people with the use of "grace and understanding." She says that they need a "happy medium" to guide them, and shepherds them into a mysterious cave to begin their quest.
They board a rowboat in the cave and venture through the dark until finding the "happy medium" -- a merry, turbaned individual, neither male nor female, who possesses a crystal ball. Upon Mrs. Which's request, the medium displays "the darkness," and reveals that Mrs. Whatsit was once a star, a form that she loved, but that she gave it up to fight the evil in the universe. The medium then shows Calvin's dysfunctional family in the crystal ball, which embarrasses the boy. Finally, the medium shows the Murry home, where Dana is still missing Jack. Meg declares her intentions to find her father, seconded by Charles Wallace, who says he's unafraid of danger. Mrs. Which cautions him against overconfidence, and Mrs. Whatsit reminds the children to stay together. Mrs. Who lends the trio her enchanted glasses, adding that she and her companions will watch over them. Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace "tesser" to the planet Camazotz, where Jack is a prisoner, and land in a stormy desert. They quickly make their way to the city and walk through the dark streets, seeing inhabitants behaving mechanically, and realize that they are controlled by "IT," although no one will explain just what "IT" is. The three are quickly identified as "foreigners," and are told they will be in trouble if "IT" finds out that they are there. The trio enters the austere building in the middle of the city and finds it filled with more robot-like people, all obeying identical orders. When Charles Wallace says that he senses his father's presence, Calvin attempts to distract the guards so Meg and Charles Wallace can search for Jack. However, Calvin is quickly captured and "stunned." When Meg finds Calvin, he has been hypnotized into a fantasy state in which he's a basketball star, but she brings him to his senses. Meg then sees an image of her father, captured and stunned. She panics until donning Mrs. Who's magical glasses, which transport her from a stunned Charles Wallace and Calvin to her father's side, elsewhere in the palace. Jack initially thinks she must be a dream, but Meg convinces him that she is real and the two have an emotional reunion. When Meg and Jack reach Calvin and Charles Wallace, their attempt to escape is blocked by a sinister man with red eyes. After stating his "cause" to make all things alike in the universe, he goes after Charles Wallace, saying that he is special and belongs in this "amazing place" which has no grief or conflict.
Meg, Calvin and Jack try to convince Charles Wallace that the man is controlling his mind and lying to him. Charles Wallace resists him at first, but Red Eyes quickly splits the floor in half and separates Charles Wallace from his family. Charles Wallace is enticed as Red Eyes brings his beloved books to life. Despite the others' pleas, Charles Wallace is entranced and soon goes red-eyed as well. Using Mrs. Who's glasses, Jack rescues Meg and Calvin and they tesser away; Charles Wallace is left behind. Landing on the snowy planet of Ixchel, Meg is angry about Charles Wallace's fate. She is comforted by Aunt Beast, a large, furry and intelligent creature who instructs her to see things "as they are, not as they seem." She helps Meg comprehend her insecurities, and aids her understanding of how to fight off the darkness -- telling her to "take time to see the unseen." When Meg later meets up with Mrs. Which, she is told to abandon Charles Wallace and return to Earth. Meg counters that he is still her kid brother, regardless of his psychic skills. Mrs. Which is impressed and tells Meg she has "unexpected power." Calvin then confesses to Meg that he fears being ordinary, rather than special. She admits to being afraid of an inability to "do what she has to."Jack and Calvin both offer to return to Camazotz to rescue Charles Wallace, but Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which tell them that Meg must go alone. Mrs. Which admits that she has learned much from Meg, and they all offer Meg advice and solace as she says farewell. Before parting, Meg and Calvin acknowledge their mutual attraction. She then tessers back to Camazotz, where she finds Charles Wallace and Red Eyes together. Red Eyes attempts to manipulate Meg, telling her she should join them. Charles Wallace, still under Red Eyes' spell, cruelly tells Meg that their father abandoned her and that everyone has failed her. When Meg still tries to convince him to go with her, they are transported to Earth and their home. Their mother is overjoyed to see them, but Meg realizes that it is an illusion and that they are still on Camazotz.
Red Eyes continues to tell her that she is special and stuck in a "wasteland" on Earth, where she is misunderstood. Meg firmly states that "like and equal aren't the same thing," and tells Charles Wallace repeatedly that she will always love him, no matter what, and that she knows him better than anyone. As Red Eyes threatens to kill Meg, her words break the spell cast by Red Eyes, who is swallowed into the ground. As the palace implodes, Charles Wallace comes back to his senses and the two of them run from "IT," which is revealed to be an oversized, sentient brain that controls the planet. Meg encourages inhabitants of the planet to fight the brain's influence. They slowly come out of their trances, and the sun shines on the planet for the first time. Meg and Charles Wallace tesser back to Earth, as do Jack and Calvin. They tearfully reunite with Dana and the twins, after which Calvin is declared an honorary Murry. Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which arrive and Meg introduces them to Dana and the twins. The ladies admit that they made their own "wrinkle in time," so that Meg and Charles Wallace only appeared missing for a few minutes. Mrs. Whatsit gives Meg her shawl and tells her that she did well. The three women offer parting words before vanishing, stating that they must all continue to battle the darkness. Later, Calvin asks Meg what she possessed which allowed her to save Charles Wallace. After musing that it is "bigger than words," Meg explains that it was simply love. Also includes Disney president Michael Eisner addressing the ongoing series of original films produced for "The Wonderful World of Disney." This program is closed-captioned. Includes commercials.
(Network varies; this series was also telecast on NBC from 1961 to 1981, and on CBS from 1981 to 1983.)
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: May 10, 2004 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 2:52:58
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:82868
- GENRE: Drama, fantasy/science fiction
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, fantasy/science fiction; Time travel; Science - Experiments
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1997-2008
- COMMERCIALS:
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- TV - Commercials - Bush's baked beans
- TV - Commercials - Carnival cruise lines
- TV - Commercials - Chili's restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Citicard banking
- TV - Commercials - Clairol Nice 'n Easy hair coloring
- TV - Commercials - Clarinex allergy medication
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- TV - Commercials - Fannie Mae Foundation
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- TV - Commercials - Phillip Morris USA smoking prevention services
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- TV - Commercials - Quilted Northern toilet paper
- TV - Commercials - Re/Max realtors
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- TV - Commercials - Revlon cosmetics
- TV - Commercials - Scrubbing Bubbles Fresh Brush toilet brushes
- TV - Commercials - Sprint cellular services
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- TV - Commercials - Tums antacid relief
- TV - Commercials - V-chip television parental control
- TV - Commercials - Verizon wireless
- TV - Commercials - Volkswagen automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Wal-Mart stores
- TV - Commercials - Wendy's restaurants
- TV - PSA - Partnership for a Drug-Free America
- TV - Promos - "20/20"
- TV - Promos - "According to Jim"
- TV - Promos - "George Lopez"
- TV - Promos - "Good Morning America"
- TV - Promos - "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"
- TV - Promos - "Hope & Faith"
- TV - Promos - "Jetix: Beyblade V Force/Power Rangers Dinothunder"
- TV - Promos - "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
- TV - Promos - "Less Than Perfect"
- TV - Promos - "Miracle" home video
- TV - Promos - "Motown 45"
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- TV - Promos - "Super Millionaire"
- TV - Promos - "That's So Raven"
- TV - Promos - "The Bachelor"
- TV - Promos - NBA playoffs
CREDITS
- Josanne B. Lovick … Executive Producer
- Jay Firestone … Executive Producer
- Adam Haight … Executive Producer
- Patricia Rozema … Executive Producer
- Catherine Hand O'Dell … Executive Producer
- Jordan Kerner … Executive Producer
- Fitch Cady … Producer
- Chris Capell … Visual Effects Producer
- John Kent Harrison … Director
- Susan Shilliday … Writer
- Madeleine L'Engle … Based on the novel by
- Jeff Danna … Music by
- Katie Stuart … Cast, Meg Murry
- Gregory Smith … Cast, Calvin O'Keefe
- David Dorfman … Cast, Charles Wallace Murry
- Chris Potter … Cast, Dr. Jack Murry
- Kyle Secor … Cast, The Man with Red Eyes
- Sean Cullen … Cast, Happy Medium
- Sarah-Jane Redmond … Cast, Dr. Dana Murry
- Kate Nelligan … Cast, Mrs. Which
- Alison Elliott … Cast, Mrs. Who
- Alfre Woodard … Cast, Mrs. Whatsit
- Munro Chambers … Cast, Sandy Murry
- Thomas Chambers … Cast, Dennys Murry
- Ellen Dubin … Cast, Aunt Beast
- Guy Fauchon … Cast, Bingo Man
- Alexander Pollock … Cast, Eric O'Keefe
- Bryce Hodgson … Cast, Max
- Matthew Brevner … Cast, Louie
- Rachel Victoria … Cast, Isabel
- Norman Armour … Cast, Mr. Porter
- Roger Haskett … Cast, Mr. Jenkins
- Angela Moore … Cast, Ms. Myles
- Angelica Kero … Cast, Young Meg
- Nancy Lilley … Cast, Calvin's Mom
- Jeffrey Ballard … Cast, Billy
- Anita Adams … Cast, Billy's Mom
- Apollonia Vanova … Cast, Valentina Tereshkova
- Alexa Fox … Cast, 14-Year-Old "IT" Girl
- Noel Fisher … Cast, 16-Year-Old "IT" Boy
- Jacoba Rozema … Cast, 6-Year-Old "IT" Girl
- Christine Kennedy … Cast, School Girl #1
- Sarah La Greca … Cast, School Girl #2
- Robbie Ruddell … Cast, Camazotz Boy #1
- Peter Benson … Cast, Stone Face
- Iris Quinn … Cast, Camazotz Lady
- Shawn Reis … Cast, Guard #1
- Sarah Hayward … Cast, Secretary