Strange World (2022)
Strange World is a pleasant Disney animation in which positive vibes, a green energy message and inclusive representation are neatly wrapped up in a a science fiction adventure film.
Is Disney animation in trouble? For the last couple of years the company has put most of its animated features in the streaming basket. To the point that families don’t rush out to the cinema anymore, but stay at home and expect a movie like Strange World to pop up on Disney+.
I can’t blame them. Strange World will probably underperform in cinemas and only find a bigger audience when it is released on the Disney streamer. It is not a bad movie, though, it’s worth seeing in 3D, but it’s no Toy Story either.
Directed by Don Hall and Co-directed by writer Qui Nguyen, Strange World is set in the mythical land of Avalonia, which depends on the plant Pando for energy.
The plant was discovered on the other side of a mountain, by an expedition led by the adventurer Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid), which also included his son Searcher (Jake Gyllenhaal). However, Jaeger wanted more and ventured out into the wilderness, never to be seen again. Never? Well, this is a Disney movie, so never say never.
25 years after the fact, Searcher, his wife Meridian (Gabrielle Union) and their teenage son Ethan (Jaboukie Young-White) live on a farm and are the primary suppliers of Pando to the rest of Avalonia.
One day, Avalonia’s leader Callisto Mal (Lucy Liu) shows up on their doorstep with bad news: Pando is losing its power and Searcher has to go on a new expedition to solve the problem.
It is the start of a great adventure that plays like a combination of Journey to the Center of the Earth, King Kong and even Avatar.
The characters end up in a beautifully designed underworld, there are fun animals and a fantasy figure named Splat, all of which help to smooth over the parts that are a little too predictable.
It could have been a more thrilling film for adults, but children will probably have a good time with this solid three star movie.