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A Wrinkle in Time: A Fantastic Adventure

By Meredith Miller

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ANAHEIM, CA – JULY 15: (L-R) Actors Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Storm Reid of A WRINKLE IN TIME, director Ava DuVernay of A WRINKLE IN TIME, and President of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production Sean Bailey took part today in the Walt Disney Studios live action presentation at Disney’s D23 EXPO 2017 in Anaheim, Calif. A WRINKLE IN TIME will be released in U.S. theaters on March 9, 2018. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)

I’m one of those people who always says the book is better than the movie. However, I love when a movie exceeds the bounds of my imagination.  A Wrinkle in Time looks to do exactly that.

I have been a voracious reader since I was very little. I also have a pretty vivid imagination. When I read a book, I see it play out in my head. Not just generally, but with great specificity. I hear the voices of the characters. I see the world mapped out. Basically, if the author describes it, I can visualize it. When books are turned into movies, I tend to prefer the books because filmmakers rarely manage to create something that matches or compares to what I visualized as I read.

I don’t remember how old I was the first time I read Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, but I was likely far too young (maybe 8 or 9). While I enjoyed the adventure of a young girl bravely risking everything to travel through space and time to rescue her father, I could not visualize the worlds she visited. It was simply beyond my child brain. Since normally I could see and hear things as I read, it was frustrating, as though a dark cloud was blocking my view.

Last year, when I heard that A Wrinkle in Time was being made into a movie, I decided to revisit the book. My second try, roughly three decades after the first, was a vast improvement. I remembered the basics of Meg’s journey from when I was younger, but it was as though a whole new world started to appear before me. I was entranced by the mysterious beings that guide Meg on her journey – the wise Mrs. Which, the enthusiastic Mrs. Whatsit and the intriguing Mrs. Who. Reading the book as an adult, I could envision a clearer picture of the worlds Meg visited. At least, I thought I could…

This is so far beyond anything my imagination ever came up with! Vibrant, beautiful and fantastic. The trailer pulsates with electricity. It draws you in, creating a desire to see more, to hear more. The worlds look, at times, both Edenic and terrifying. The haunting cover of the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” gives the trailer a hypnotic quality. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched this trailer since it was released at Disney’s D23 Expo on Saturday. I am fascinated by Ava DuVernay’s vision of this universe. As are many others…

The cast of this film is impressive. I’ll admit, learning that Ava DuVernay was directing and that this strong, diverse, talented cast had signed on, is what made me want to read the book again before the movie came out.  Storm Reid (as Meg Murry) leads the cast including Oprah Winfrey (Mrs. Which), Mindy Kaling (Mrs. Who), Reese Witherspoon (Mrs. Whatsit) and Chris Pine (Dr. Murry). If all of these people at the top of their game felt this was a story worth telling again, I had to find out what I had missed as a child.

ANAHEIM, CA – JULY 15: (L-R) Actors Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, and Storm Reid of A WRINKLE IN TIME took part today in the Walt Disney Studios live action presentation at Disney’s D23 EXPO 2017 in Anaheim, Calif. A WRINKLE IN TIME will be released in U.S. theaters on March 9, 2018. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)

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I expect that part of the inspiration to reimagine this universe was to put the message of this story out into the world today. That Meg didn’t need to be anything other than her true self.  That she was capable of anything.  That love and light are more powerful than any darkness.  Thank you, Ava DuVernay, for opening this universe up for all of us.

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