Disney's Strange World - Movie Review

Strange World - Image from Walt Disney Animation

Walt Disney Animation Studios is back on the big screen with the release of Strange World - just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.  After some blockbuster musicals in recent years (here's looking at you Frozen, Moana, and Encanto), Strange World is foregoes toe-tapping earworm music and instead focuses on creating a story filled with adventure and thrills.  But does Strange World deliver?  

Strange World Movie Review

Strange World - Image from Walt Disney Animation

Strange World introduces the Clade family. . .and all of their turmoil.  Young Searcher Clade (Jake Gyllenhaal) becomes estranged from his father, the great adventurer Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid), as his dad chooses to follow his dreams and leaves Searcher behind.  25 years later, Searcher is now a dad to a teenage son himself, Ethan (Jaboukie Young-White), and is a hero farmer in his town for finding a power source that not only sustained, but improved their way of life.  One night, the mayor of their town, Callisto (Lucy Liu), arrives in Searcher's yard with a problem that is plaguing their town.  Searcher embarks on a quest to save his farm, his town, and his family with his son Ethan stowing away.  But as their journey begins, it's not long before they find themselves in a world that is strange and unknown.  It will take them working together, trusting each other, and seeing things differently than what they might first appear in order to be successful.

Strange World - Walt Disney Animation

Disney promises adventure in the film, but I felt like it was lacking those heightened, action-packed moments for me.  However, both of my boys (ages 10 and 7) walked out of the movie saying that their favorite thing about the film was the adventures.  While I may not have agreed with them on that particular point, there was a lot of the movies storylines - both major and minor - that I thought we're well done and deserve to be celebrated.  The central plot really focuses on the relationship between 3 generation of Clade men - each struggling to come to terms with the expectation of their father vs their own ambitions and goals.  The major plot points also revolve around sustainability and taking care of our world.  One storyline that has received some buzz is the fact that the teenage son, Ethan, is openly gay.  Kudos to Disney for easily weaving this into the story.  And finally, this is Disney animation after all, so it should come us no surprise that the film is visually stunning.  Watching this strange world come to life, I felt like I could just reach out and touch it!

While Strange World may be a departure from some of the more typical Disney animation films, I recommend giving this one a watch with your family - I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Disney's Strange World releases in theaters on November 23, 2022 - just in time for Thanksgiving!

About Strange World (From Walt Disney Animation)

“Strange World” introduces a legendary family of explorers, the Clades, as they attempt to navigate an uncharted, treacherous land alongside a motley crew and a slew of ravenous creatures. The voice cast includes Jake Gyllenhaal as Searcher Clade, a family man who finds himself out of his element on an unpredictable mission; Dennis Quaid as Searcher’s larger-than-life explorer father, Jaeger; Jaboukie Young-White as Searcher’s 16-year-old son, Ethan, who longs for adventure; Gabrielle Union as Meridian Clade, an accomplished pilot and Searcher’s partner in all things; and Lucy Liu as Callisto Mal, Avalonia’s fearless leader who spearheads the exploration into the strange world. Helmed by director Don Hall and co-director/writer Qui Nguyen, and produced by Roy Conli, “Strange World” releases Nov.23, 2022.