Andrew Stanton (Wall-E) Returns to Live-Action with ‘In the Blink of an Eye’, a Time-Spanning Sci-Fi Meditation

Andrew Stanton, the renowned filmmaker behind WALL-E and Finding Nemo, has come back with live-action films after a decade-long hiatus. However, this time he has come back with a thought-provoking science fiction movie titled In the Blink of an Eye, featuring a blend of three vastly different stories over a large span of time. It hits Hulu beginning on February 27th, 2026.

Each of these three different storylines has its own unique point of view on what it means to be human, not just in the present day, but in the past and certainly in the future. The first tells the story of a Neanderthal family as they try to make their way through a world that forces them out of their home around 45,000 years ago. Not an easy job, I’m sure, but when was it ever? They’re fighting for their children, making do with what they have, and trying to make sense out of the fact that other creatures seem to be popping up and making life difficult for them. The second story brings us back to the present day as we meet Claire, an anthropologist played by the great Rashida Jones. Her character is trying to learn from the past as she studies as many old bones as she can get her hands on. Along the way, she gets herself involved in a complicated relationship with her co-worker Greg, played by the outstanding Daveed Diggs. It should come as no surprise that Claire has a great many questions about where she comes from and how she fits into the greater picture.

Meanwhile, the third thread takes place on a spaceship as it travels to a new world. It’s a crisis situation for Coakley, portrayed to perfection by Kate McKinnon; a disease is threatening the very plants that the crew relies on to breathe, and she must figure out how to prevent it. Throughout the process, she collaborates with a sentient AI that is essentially her sole companion in the expanse of space. You can already detect echoes of WALL-E in this one; this time, it’s all about preserving the natural world and discovering new methods to make it work.


These three stories are not straightforward. Instead, they kind of overlap and cross, explore all the ways that humans have always been able to interact with one another, with the world, and with the technology that keeps us moving forward. It turns out that love, survival, and the need to connect with all of these diverse things, people, nature, and technology, are some of the threads that tie everything together.


Andrew Stanton has drawn on some genuine influences here, with films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Magnolia, and Interstellar all leaving an impression. You can tell by the way he’s arranged the film and how he’s delving into some of life’s fundamental topics. Colby Day’s writing focuses on the characters and the concepts behind them rather than trying for all the bells and whistles.