Andrew Stanton’s ‘In the Blink of an Eye’ Dumped on HULU With February Release Date

Back in March, we received a positive update on Andrew Stanton’s much-delayed “In the Blink of an Eye”: The film had received an MPA rating of PG-13 for sexual content, thematic material, and some bloody images. This confirmed that post-production had finally wrapped.

The film finally has a release date, and it’s worrisome. Not only is it being dumped in February, but it’s skipping theaters and going straight to HULU? What gives? The film certainly wasn’t made cheap — how bad can it be? A positive sign has the film world premiering at this coming January’s Sundance Film Festival — then again, being selected by Sundance doesn’t automatically indicate quality.

A few months back, a source had told me that Disney was uncertain how to release ‘Blink of an Eye,’ with rewrites and reshoots delaying the film. Disney reportedly favored streaming, but Stanton insisted on a theatrical debut. Looks like Disney prevailed.

Stanton, the Oscar-winning filmmaker known for Pixar classics “WALL-E” and “Finding Nemo,” is directing “In the Blink of an Eye.” The film, which began principal photography in March 2023, stars Kate McKinnon, Rashida Jones, Daveed Diggs, Jorge Vargas, Tanaya Beatty, and Skywalker Hughes.

Having read the script, the film wasn’t made cheap. ‘Blink of an Eye’ appears to be one of the most ambitious big-studio projects in recent years, aiming to explore the entire history of the world and tackle the nature of life, love, hope, and connection. The story opens with the Big Bang and then unfolds across three interwoven timelines: 45,000 years ago during humanity’s early days, the present in America, and a spacecraft journey roughly 200 years in the future.

In the distant past, we follow Thorn, one of the first humans, as he navigates raising a young family. In the present, Claire, a 29-year-old scientist at Princeton, takes center stage. Meanwhile, in the future, Coakley embarks on a solitary space mission, tending to her plants and maintaining her ship, accompanied only by an AI named Rosco.

Without giving too much away, the film gradually reveals connections among these three eras. Call it Stanton’s “The Tree of Life,” if you will, but he seems to be drawing inspiration from other films as well. In 2022, when the project was first announced, THR reported that “In the Blink of an Eye” was said to be inspired by “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Interstellar,” and “Magnolia.” Talk about ambition.

Although Stanton is primarily known for his Pixar creations, his live-action debut was 2012’s “John Carter,” which became one of the biggest box-office bombs in movie history. Reviews were equally harsh. A series of “John Carter” sequels were canceled after Disney lost close to $200M on the original film.