Strange World Review

Table of Contents

This article focus on the Strange World review and some views of Roy Conli (the producer of the film). The latest animated Disney work is a reimagining of “Journey to the Center of the Earth” as an intercultural fantasy that addresses the climate catastrophe.

An action-packed adventure that also compassionately tackles father-son relationships – and, despite its fantasy setting, has a lot to say about our current situation on Earth – Jake Gyllenhaal plays Searcher Clade, a brilliant family man who discovers a revolutionary power-generating plant in Strange World. Below is our Strange World review.

The world of “Strange World” may be strange, but the people that inhabit it are some of the most realistic and well-rounded that Walt Disney Animation Studios has ever presented. As a result, it’s the individuals, as much as the setting, that makes this lively, “Journey to the Center of the Earth”-style adventure film colorful and diverse in all the best ways.

Avalonia civilization

“Strange World” centered on Avalonia, a civilization surrounded by “an insurmountable ring of mountains.” A sudden (and somewhat mysterious) resource scarcity forces three generations of the brave Clade family to face the unknown. Swarthy, macho grandfather Jaeger (voiced by Dennis Quaid) strives to make a direct path across the treacherous mountains with his more cautious son, Searcher (Jake Gyllenhaal).

A quarter-century later, Searcher embarks on another journey, this time underground, accompanied by his own adolescent, Ethan (Jaboukie Young-White).

They uncover an amazing ecosystem down below in Strange World, complete with bubble-gum-pink trees and floating streams of sashimi-shaped critters. It’s a brilliant new habitat, full of bizarre Dr. Seuss-worthy flora and fauna in off-kilter textures and colors, that makes use of the fact that we don’t know whether we’re in inner space, outer space, or somewhere else entirely.

Mehrdad Isvandi’s continually surprised “Forbidden Planet”-meets the “Fantastic Voyage” style keeps us guessing and puts our prejudices about organisms we don’t identify to the test.

Avalonian characters

The Avalonian characters, too, appear in a variety of sizes, colors, and configurations, from the three-legend pet dog Legend to Ethan’s interracial family. Avalonia itself resembles a Swiss farming community, albeit one that receives a steampunk makeover soon after Searcher discovers a glowing plant he calls “pando” during the film’s prologue.

As far as Searcher is concerned, the mission has been completed: What could be better than a renewable energy source — literally, “green energy” — than Pando? Searcher, unlike his father, is far more suited to farming than roughing it, which keeps the adventure-averse family man occupied for the next 25 years — until the pando crop fails and Avalonia president Callisto Mal (Lucy Liu) enlists them for the trip to Strange World.

Gyllenhaal excels at playing the overprotective father who is also progressive enough to recognize that he does not want to be the domineering control freak that his own father was. It’s no surprise that Ethan disobeys Searcher’s command to stay at home, stowing away on the pando-powered airship as it lifts off to preserve the valuable plant on which Avalonia depends.

When they arrive in Strange World, Ethan’s attitude comes in handy, as these human protagonists encounter species never seen before: Pterodactyls that glow in the dark, floating pink pancakes, and land masses that walk on huge elephant legs While Dad is wary of alien living forms, Ethan is more trusting, adopting an amoeba-like blue blob he calls “Splat.”

It’s a credit to the animators that even without googly eyes, this monster stretches like a sticky-hand toy and sounds like a kazoo manages to be adorable (or anything remotely resembling a face). And who should they find down there but Searcher’s own long-lost father, unlocking all sorts of daddy issues?

Movie’s organic message

Qui Nguyen, the writer (and co-director), focuses on the father-son dynamics between these characters, clearly influenced by the spirit of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. There are definitely environmental concerns, which build up a massive third-act twist, but the film’s organic message — educational without being preachy — boils down to: Teach your children properly… and you may end up learning from them in the end.

Graham Nash’s folk-rock classic would have made an excellent theme tune if the directors hadn’t requested a grand John Williams-style orchestral music from composer Henry Jackman (who instead provides the ridiculous family anthem “They’re the Clades!”

Looking back through Disney’s toon repertoire, you’ll notice that the studio alternates between pictures that are more or less boy- or girl-centric, with “Treasure Planet” on one hand and most princess flicks on the other. “Strange World” may be about helping its males work through their problems, but it also has plenty of strong female role models, such as Clade matriarch Meridian (Gabrielle Union), and people of color.

Indeed, this may be the first Disney film (aside from “The Jungle Book” and “Zootopia”) to depict characters from diverse backgrounds coexisting as they do in real life.

It’s beginning to feel as if Disney awoke to the fact that the families, friend groups, and larger society surrounding them aren’t homogeneous, and that the studio has been out of touch by confining them in separate cultural bubbles. That’s not a criticism of “Mulan,” “Moana,” or “Encanto,” which all took pioneering steps toward widening Disney’s horizons, but rather an enthusiastic endorsement for showing a world in which multiple identities coexist rather than clash.

A gay character

The way Ethan has a crush on a boy named Diazo (Jonathan Melo) is by far the most overdue of these improvements… Everyone is fine with it. The only drama the subplot provides is whether Ethan will get the courage to tell Diazo how he feels — even since Diazo clearly knows and shares Ethan’s thoughts.

Sure, some countries may freak out over a gay character in a Disney film, which makes producer Roy Conli’s decision to branch out from the studio’s “Someday My Prince Will Come” romanticism all the more daring. It’s natural for some children to feel the way Ethan does, just as it’s natural for his mother to be a pilot. Those who believe otherwise are living in a strange world.

What did Roy Conli say?

Roy Conli, a veteran producer at Walt Disney Animation Studios, has worked on many of the studio’s most beloved properties, often centered on “strange worlds,” including Treasure Planet (2002), Tangled (2010), numerous Disneynature live-action documentaries, and Big Hero 6 (2014), for which he received an Academy Award nomination. Strange World, Disney’s highly anticipated animated feature, opens in theaters tomorrow, November 23.

He enjoys stories about fathers and sons, and he believes that this is an excellent example of how that personal relationship can be epic and story-worthy. So it wasn’t difficult for him.

Important themes

Every excellent story has a theme, and you always begin with a theme. In fact, Roy believes that the theme is the driving force behind each faction. When you try to lead a film with a plot, you become lost in the weeds. However, if such a storyline serves the concept, he believes you have a clearer way.

So, when you’re working with someone like Don, who is a terrific storyteller with exceptional talent in terms of structure and character, you let yourself follow that subject. And each sequence you create should reflect this.

The concept was obvious from the start in all of the films Roy has worked on, and they simply kind of wrote to that throughout the entire process. You show a screening and realize, “Oh, our topic is really more this than that,” so you keep a little of that but go for this. Then you perform another screening, and you keep following and chasing the theme.

Don proposed the three-generational story of the father, son, and grandson in Strange World. And he recognized what the main topic would be “What legacy will we leave for future generations? What is our legacy to future generations?” That was always present in the film.

Roy has had other films where they have done a fifth-screening turnaround and restructured the entire story. This one they kept building off of each screening.

The most challenging aspect

For him, the term “difficult” is always relative because he considers challenges intriguing. He believes the most difficult aspect of this project was Don’s decision to step away and work on Raya [and the Last Dragon] in the interim. They had an excellent early development process, but Don had to leave for almost a year and a half before returning to the project. So that was a little difficult.

But Roy is used to it; he is used to scheduling conflicts. And, if anything, he prefers an accelerated development stage since it forces him to make decisions. Don and Qui make snap decisions. Roy didn’t have to pressure them into making a decision as a producer since they completely understood.

Roy didn’t get an asset team as quickly as he usually does because Encanto was running slowly. Building early is something he enjoys as a producer. And Roy enjoys overbuilding because it allows him to go as soon as something is ready to begin production. They will never put anything into production unless it is completely ready.

So, if you have a backlog and the item isn’t ready for production, you have options. Scott Beattie, their head of layout [director of cinematography, layout], was able to design temporary scenes so that they could get things rolling into production before they had anything built. So that’s how they made amends. They created a lot of temporary items that were then filled in by the asset teams.

The most rewarding part

The Avalonia metropolis had its issues in terms of attempting to build something retro-futuristic. They envisioned it as a kind of aspirational steampunk. They weren’t talking about steam power, they weren’t talking about burning coal to produce steam. They desired something much lighter. Then, once you’re in this odd realm, they wanted to create an environment that no one had ever seen before.

Learning from Walt Disney

Roy feels this studio’s DNA is fantastic. And as they approach their 100th year, he believes there is a respect for experience and legacy – which connects into this film, which is about legacy in certain ways. It is natural for them to age. It’s even better when a young artist approaches him and says, “Treasure Planet is my favorite film.”

They have discussions regarding the process within the producer and associate producer groups. They have a weekly meeting where they communicate what’s happening in their film and explicitly discuss problems and rewards.

In terms of wanting to convey fresh and innovative stories, Roy considers Disney to be a huge inspiration. There is a clear shift in narrative with each generation. But that DNA is still there, and he believes it will support this studio for many years to come.

Conclusion – Strange World review

Above is our Strange World review. Disney’s latest is a Jules Verne-worthy step into new ground, both creatively and in terms of character, and is produced by Roy Conli, who also birthed sci-fi toons Treasure Planet’ and ‘Big Hero 6.’ For more reviews, please visit Animost!

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Strange World Review - What Did Roy Conli Say about it?