The days of a faith based boycott of Disney are so prevalent, divisive, and (for this Christian) completely unwarranted and are clearly in the past. This week Disney announced a partnership with the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions (AGRM) in order to collect socks for lower income individuals and families in need. This is in collaboration with their upcoming release of “The Odd Life of Timothy Green.” Below is a press release:
Burbank, CA (July 10, 2012) – The Walt Disney Studios announced today that they worked with Hanes, who is collaborating with the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions (AGRM), to launch “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” Sock Drive on July 9, 2012, aimed at providing new socks for families in need across the U.S.
People are asked to take new pairs of socks to any of the community drop-off locations nationwide between July 9 and September 3, 2012. Besides the community locations, people may also drop off socks at Carmike and Marcus theaters in their communities. Hanes will be standing by to match donations up to 10,000 pairs of socks. AGRM will distribute the socks to the families they aid.
ABOUT THE MOVIE
Academy Award®–nominated director/writer Peter Hedges (“Dan in Real Life,” What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”) brings enchantment to the screen with “The Odd Life of Timothy Green.” It’s the inspiring, magical story of a happily married couple, Cindy and Jim Green (Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton), who can’t wait to start a family but can only dream about what their child would be like. When young Timothy (CJ Adams) shows up on their doorstep one stormy night, Cindy and Jim—and their small town of Stanleyville—learn that sometimes the unexpected can bring some of life’s greatest gifts.
Disney presents “The Odd Life of Timothy Green,” with Ahmet Zappa, Scott Sanders and Jim Whitaker producing, story by Ahmet Zappa and screenplay by Peter Hedges. “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” is slated for release on August 15, 2012.
ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION OF GOSPEL RESCUE MISSIONS
The Association of Gospel Rescue Missions (AGRM) is an association of more than 275 rescue missions across North America. Each year AGRM member ministries serve approximately 50 million meals, provide more than 20 million nights’ lodging, distribute more than 27 million pieces of clothing, bandage the wounds of hundreds of abuse victims, and graduate more than 18,000 homeless men and women from addiction-recovery programs into productive living. www.agrm.org Additional Information: Disney and Hanes encourage you to bring a new pair of socks to the screening. Hanes will match donations up to 10,000 pairs of socks and donate them to the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions to distribute to families in need.
Disney and Hanes encourage you to bring a new pair of women’s, men’s or children’s socks to the screening. Hanes will match donations up to 10,000 pairs of socks and donate them to the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions to distribute to families in need.
Very few films incorporate a sense of charity for those in need as a way to promote a film. And faith based outreach/marketing is vital and underutilized in Hollywood. This is a great combination of two ideas. Even before this announcement, I was secretly looking forward to “Odd Life of Timothy Green.” (Yes, a movie that features the terrible Kelly Clarkson song “Breakaway” in the trailer.) The family drama starring Jennifer Garner (TV’s “Alias”) and Joel Edgerton (“Warrior”) peaked my interest because it resembles an old school throw back to the sentimental, magical family films Disney used to produce and no longer make. ‘Timothy Green’ will be released in a much cluttered movie month of August including competing with two children films; a ‘Wimpy Kid’ movie and ‘ParaNorman.’ Disney will need to bring needed awareness to this movie to sell it beyond a Cabbage Patch film. ‘Odd Life’ opens on Wednesday, August 15, 2012.
So, is this a movie about adoption? Will it show the truth about the process of a child acclimating to a new family, or will it look through rose-colored glasses?