Film Review: STRANGE WORLD (2022): Disney’s Latest Animated Movie Works Best When it Focuses on Family-Related Themes

Strange World Review

Strange World (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Don Hall and Qui Nguyen, written by Qui Nguyen and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Gabrielle Union, Jaboukie Young-White, Lucy Liu, Karan Soni, Alan Tudyk, Adelina Anthony, Abraham Benrubi, Jonathan Melo, Nik Dodani, Francesca Reale, Emily Kuroda, Katie Lowes, LaNisa Renee Frederick and Alice Kina Diehl.

Strange World is a Disney animated movie that has a lot on its thematic plate. That doesn’t mean stories should be stripped of deeper meaning in order to appeal to younger children but this new film just feels like it bit off more than it could chew in terms of the heavy themes it presents to the audience. However, the movie will work for most viewers (young ones included) thanks to the family themes portrayed in the movie which count for a lot. It’s important to see families have conflicts on screen, especially for kids. That’s because life is not simple and every person within a family construct has individual goals that are sought out. It’s how these goals are discussed between the characters in the movie which make Strange World better than it could have been.

I appreciated the young character of Ethan Clade (voice of Jaboukie Young-White) who has a crush on a boy and talks to his dad, Searcher Clade (voiced by Jake Gyllenhaal) about it in one of the best parts of the movie. Then, much later on, there is a scene where the two fight and Ethan tells his dad, Searcher, that he doesn’t want to become like his father. It’s a heartbreaking moment which is perfectly captured here. The movie doesn’t oversimplify the fight. It deals with it accurately. Scenes like that one work well among the more unique aspects of the movie which are referred to in the film’s title.

The film opens with the story of Searcher and his own father, Jaeger (voice of Dennis Quaid) Clade. These two characters are explorers with grand ambitions. Set on a land known as Avalonia, Searcher finds a plant which radiates energy and the plant becomes known as “Pando.” Jaeger separates from his son and Searcher continues on becoming a farmer and living a full life with a wife named Meridian (voiced by Gabrielle Union). Their son is Ethan.

Lucy Liu is the voice of the head of Avalonia, Callisto, who one day tells Searcher that Pando is losing power, and, therefore, Searcher must help begin a quest to discover why. When Searcher begins his mission to discover the truth, Ethan and the family’s cute pet dog, Legend, both, surprisingly enough, come along for the ride. There are a number of creatures in this movie who don’t have eyes and exist as shapes and blobs, etc. One such blob is Splat who is the most heroic creature in the movie. When things get intense, and our heroes get locked in a closet, Splat goes under the door to help open the front lock and help our heroes escape. Splat is the most interesting creature in the movie but lacks dimensions as a character. Splat exists as a unique, if not fully fleshed out concept.

Jaeger and Searcher are reunited and this makes for some drama within the story line. Jaeger and Searcher, like Ethan and Searcher, have their differences. Jaeger has always been “searching” for better in his life and has to come to terms with the fact that his family got sacrificed in the interim. But, it’s never too late as this movie proves.

Gabrielle Union is hysterical in this movie especially when she looks at Ethan and tells him she can stare at him uncomfortably if she wants to. She claims it’s one of her parental rights. Jake Gyllenhaal does solid voice over work as Searcher while Young-White adds a charismatic personality to a character who wants to explore his own environment and find his true self. It is Dennis Quaid, though, who offers the most superb work in the movie as his voice is distinct and breathes life into his aging character who has just one more chance to set things right.

There is a lot of heavy-handed symbolism in the movie, though. There are secrets in regards to Pando and Avalonia which make for some cool chase scenes which younger viewers will like. Let’s face it—the family conflict in this movie won’t appeal as much to kids as it will to the adults. Splat may even make the younger audience members smile with his shape-shifting abilities. Creatures known as “Reapers” will also make out to be suitable villains for the kiddie crowd.

Strange World offers a glimpse inside a world that’s different from most of the previous Disney films that came before it. All the characters go through powerful transformations in the movie but there’s something missing here. It may just be that the “Strange World” of the film’s title needed to be fleshed out a bit more and maybe re-imagined a bit visually. That being said, the family aspect of the film moved me and on that basis, this may be a film with some definite appeal to those who like character-driven adventures.

Rating: 6.5/10

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