If you have ever found yourself staring at a starry sky and wondered how on earth we all ended up here, Andrew Stanton has a film for you. The visionary director behind WALL·E and Finding Nemo is back in the director’s chair, but this time he’s trading animated fish for a live-action triptych that spans the entire breadth of human existence.
The first trailer for “In The Blink of An Eye” has officially landed, and it is every bit as ambitious as you’d expect from the man who made us fall in love with a silent trash-compacting robot. Based on Colby Day’s highly-regarded 2016 Black List script, the film is set to stream exclusively on Disney+ from 27 February 2026.
A Tale of Three Eras
Rather than a straightforward narrative, Stanton gives us three interwoven stories that act as a mirror to the human condition.
In the distant past, we follow a Neanderthal family (played by Jorge Vargas and Tanaya Beatty) struggling to survive in a world that is literally evolving beneath their feet. It is a raw, physical look at the very first sparks of human connection and the drive to protect one’s kin.
Fast forward to the present day, and we meet Claire (Rashida Jones), a dedicated anthropologist whose life revolves around studying the very people we saw in the previous segment. Her world expands when she strikes up a tentative, charmingly awkward relationship with a fellow student, Greg (Daveed Diggs). This “middle” chapter grounds the film’s loftier sci-fi themes in the relatable, messy reality of modern love and career burnout.
Finally, we leap two centuries into the future. Kate McKinnon stars as Coakley, a woman aboard a high-tech vessel bound for a distant planet. Her primary companion? A sentient onboard computer. Together, they must solve a mysterious blight threatening the ship’s oxygen-producing plants. It feels like a spiritual successor to WALL·E, swapping the lonely robot for a lonely human trying to keep the last gasps of Earth’s greenery alive.
Watch it Here
Why Everyone Is Talking
While the film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival last month left some critics divided there is no denying the sheer scale of the swing Stanton is taking here. It’s a film that asks big questions: Does technology bring us closer? Does grief feel the same in a cave as it does on a spaceship?
The cast alone is enough to warrant a spot on your watchlist. Seeing Kate McKinnon move from her signature comedic brilliance into a more restrained, poignant sci-fi role is a particular highlight. Combine that with Rashida Jones’ grounded performance and the sweeping, poetic visuals Stanton is known for, and you have a film that aims for the heart as much as the head.
It may not be a traditional blockbuster, but in a landscape of endless sequels, an original story about the thread connecting us all is a welcome change of pace.
SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES’ “IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE” TO STREAM FEBRUARY 27, EXCLUSIVELY ON DISNEY+
