Pixar Veteran Stanton Stumbles With Ambitious Live-Action Anthology 'In the Blink of an Eye'

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Despite his acclaimed work in animation, director Andrew Stanton's second live-action film 'In the Blink of an Eye' struggles to effectively weave together its ambitious narrative spanning the Neanderthal era to a 25th century space mission. The anthology film features three separate storylines starring Rashida Jones, Daveed Diggs, and Kate McKinnon, but the connections between them feel forced and the characters lack the depth needed to explore the film's grand themes about the human experience.

Why it matters

Stanton's transition to live-action filmmaking has been rocky, with his first attempt 'John Carter' becoming one of the biggest box office bombs of all time. 'In the Blink of an Eye' was seen as a chance for the Pixar veteran to prove he could successfully tackle more grounded, real-world storytelling, but the film's disjointed structure and underdeveloped characters suggest Stanton may be biting off more than he can chew with such a sprawling, high-concept project.

The details

Told in three interconnected parts, 'In the Blink of an Eye' follows a caveman family in 45,000 B.C.E., a modern-day romance between an anthropology student and her classmate, and a 25th century space mission to populate a new planet. While the film tries to draw thematic parallels between these vastly different eras, the narrative connections feel forced, and each individual storyline lacks the depth to fully explore the film's big ideas about death, legacy, and humanity's place in the universe.

• The film is set in three distinct time periods: the Neanderthal era around 45,000 B.C.E., the present day, and the 25th century.
• It premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and will be released on Hulu on February 27, 2026.