Parents — and I am one of them — are more aware today than ever of the power Hollywood has over our habits, our time and our money. They say movie studios are heartless corporations only looking to make a buck.
Colby Curtin
For once “they” are wrong — and so am I.
On Thursday, The Orange County Register, the flagship publication of my employer, Freedom Communications, published a story about a 10-year-old Huntington Beach, Calif., girl named Colby Curtin. Like many people of many different ages, Colby was enchanted with the Disney-Pixar film Up ever since she saw it advertised.
But Colby was dying of vascular cancer. She would not make it to a movie theater. A family friend contacted Pixar, and the CGI animation company actually sent a representative to the Curtin home with a DVD of the movie for a private viewing. He even brought gifts: Up merchandise such as plush toys and a poster, and an “adventure book” like the one seen in the movie.
By the time of the special screening, Colby was in so much pain she could no longer open her eyes — but the miracle would not be denied. Colby’s mother described the action for her, as if it were a bedtime story.
