The Magic Kingdom Project: Strange World 2022

The Charming Little Living Wonder

You probably didn't hear about this one until it was whisked onto Disney+ without even any noticeable promotion, which is very strange for Disney, of all multi billion dollar corporations, to do. You'd think they would want to make as much noise as possible about their attempt to make up for their support of the  "Don't Say Gay" bill in Florida. But, having said that, Disney definitely attempted to make up for that with a charming little piece of multi minority representation that deserves celebration, not crickets.

While its plot is generic, Strange World is a beautifully animated delight with an intergenerational father-son narrative that may just hit you right where you wanna be hit. Elevated by stunning world and character design and a hefty helping of progressive topics major animation studios generally shy away from, it’s an unassuming game-changer that pays tribute to the Disney's centennial legacy while pushing it into uncharted territory.

THE PLOT

Intrepid explorer Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid), has made it his life’s mission to find a path beyond the treacherous mountain peaks that completely fringe the border of his secluded homeland of Avalonia. Unlike his father, Searcher (Jake Gyllenhaal) has little interest in exploration and is far more invested in science and farming. After the pair butt heads on Jaeger’s latest path found through the cliffs, Jaeger ventures off on his own, never to be seen again.

Fast forward 25 years and Searcher is now somewhat of a hero in Avalonia after discovering a mysterious orb plant known as Pando holds electrical properties and has been utilised to power the entire town. Living blissfully on his pando farm with his pilot wife, Meridian (Gabrielle Union) and their gay teenage son, Ethan (Jaboukie Young-White), Searcher’s life is upended by a visit from Callisto (Lucy Liu), his father’s old exploring pal and current president of Avalonia.

It seems an unknown virus is infecting all pando crops in the land, reaching all the way down to the “heart of pando,” the original source of the plant at the centre of the world. Determined to uncover what’s causing the catastrophic disease, Callisto invites Searcher to join her expedition and lend his scientific expertise. While initially apprehensive, Searcher reluctantly agrees but forbids exploring-obsessed Ethan from tagging along.

Naturally, the mission doesn’t go as planned, with the entire crew transported to a bizarre underground labyrinth inhabited by exotic flora and fauna wherever they look. Things only become more complicated when Searcher discovers Ethan and the family’s trusty three-legged dog Legend have stowed away on board and the unexpected re-emergence of Jaeger, who’s evidently been trapped in this foreign world for more than twenty years.

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OK, So the plot is not at all groundbreaking or original. A mismatched group of characters venturing off into a fantastical world of weird creatures, exotic locations, and dangerous situations is something the animation genre has done to death. Films like Treasure Planet and Atlantis: The Lost Empire have famously travelled this road, and not spectacularly well at that, so there’s nothing about this setup that you haven’t seen before. Screenwriter and co-director Qui Nguyen leans heavily into the familiar tropes of the adventure genre and pays homage to classic films like Journey to the Centre of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It’s a predictable experience, and this is what makes this movie beautiful, but not exactly memorable.

But where Strange World differentiates itself from the shallow Disney animated films of the past is its keen focus on character and its commitment to exploring deeper themes. The entire Clade clan feel like fully-fleshed-out characters with complex personalities that often juxtapose with those around them. The father-son narrative is rooted in the universally empathetic notion of wanting to make your parents proud. And vice versa of yearning for your child to be proud of your efforts as a parent and find a common understanding of the choices, decisions, and mistakes you’ve made. And as a side note, there is a shot of a paraplegic boy in the beginning of this movie, and as a disabled person, it always warms me to see a disabled character in any film whether it be animated or not.

That’s a challenge that becomes complicated when father and son are so wildly different and the child isn’t interested in following in their parent’s footsteps, as seen with Searcher’s desire to settle down on the farm instead of heading off on a daring new adventure like Jaeger. If this describes your relationship with your parents, this film will strike you right in the heart. When Searcher begins to realise his son seemingly connects stronger with his grandfather’s adventurous outlook on life, he fears their relationship is headed for a similar fractured territory. It’s in these intimate and relatable moments that Ngyuen’s writing really shines.

Apparently Pixar dabbled with brief LGBTQ representation in Lightyear and the potentially gay subtext of Luca, I say apparently because I never saw either of those films, and I don't think I will see Lightyear. Disney beats them to the punch with an openly gay character at the forefront of one of their animated film. And it’s not entirely subtle about it either. When we first meet Ethan, he’s evidently already come out to his accepting parents and has no problem candidly discussing his burgeoning crush on local boy Diazo. Later, he shares this information with his grandfather who doesn’t bat an eyelid when Ethan uses male pronouns to discuss who his heart desires. In the hands of lesser filmmakers, Jaeger may recoil at this revelation and take a nauseating path to tolerance over the course of the film. He doesn’t and the film is better for it.

MY VERDICT

As someone who isn't part of the LGBTQ community, the rainbow community, I call it; I wasn't sure what to make of this one at first. But now I see that this is a movie that dares to say, despite what the Mike Pences and Sarah Palins of the world would have you believe, that LGBTQ people are normal human beings with thoughts, feelings and hearts. On the other hand, neither is it overtly sexualised or confronting to the point it may be too much for kids. It’s all handled so seriously and sensitively that you might assume queer members of the production team were consulted for their input to get it right. It’s refreshing to see a queer character and a gay romance conveyed in a manner that truly breaks new ground for Disney animation. 

As we’ve come to expect from animated fare this decade, Strange World is a visually dazzling epic that genuinely pounds away at your eyeballs for ninety minutes in the best conceivable way. The worlds and creatures resemble something like a glorious cross between the lands of Avatar‘s Pandora and the underwater marvels of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. This eccentric luminescent wonderland is filled with creatures and environments that take inspiration from the sea with curious twists that create something staggeringly unique. There’s eventually an explanation as to how and why everything co-exists in this world that suddenly makes everything you’ve witnessed make much more sense. It pushes the narrative into an environmental conservation message that maybe feels a little preachy to some, but personally I think if we've learned anything from Zootopia, it's that even obvious can be obvious enough.

Is Strange World a Disney Classic? In time, perhaps it might be, but not yet.

The Magic Kingdom Project: Encanto 2021

The Celebration of Cultura Colombiana.

It’s been quite a year for Lin- Manuel Miranda. Does this man ever sleep? From a big-screen adaptation of his Tony Award-winning musical In The Heights in June to his directorial debut with the stellar triumph Tick, Tick… Boom! in November (plus an Emmy win in September for the Disney+ live recording of Hamilton), Miranda wraps up 2021 by collaborating with Walt Disney Animation Studios and the Oscar-winning directorial duo behind Zootopia.

Considering the mighty pedigree behind Encanto, expectations are naturally rather high for Disney’s canonical 60th animated feature film. The fusion of Colombian culture with the beautiful visual magic of Disney animation proves to be a real winner. One of the best family films of the year, Encanto is gorgeously animated and fueled by a story with so much heart. Its narrative may be familiar, but its heartwarming message is timeless and its characters are magical in more ways than one.

THE PLOT

Deep in the mountains of Colombia, in a secluded valley, lives the Madrigal family, lead by Abuela Alma. By the power of an ever - burning candle, the Madrigals have been gifted with a sentient "casita" as refuge after a terrible personal tragedy. To help protect the family and their neighbours, the candle also imbues each new family member with a special power. Alma's three children, for example, Julieta, Bruno and Pepa, are gifted respectively with the powers to heal with food, to see premonitions, and to control the weather with her emotions. 

When the next generation of Madrigals each turned five, the casita would present a new door that reveals their gifts. Dolores has the hearing of a fox. Camilo can shape-shift. Antonio, the newest recipient, can talk to animals. Luisa is female Heracles. Isabela can make beautiful flowers blossom at will. And then there’s Mirabel, who stunned her entire family by getting the gift of, as my late grandfather would put it, sweet Felicity Arbuckle.

Thus Mirabel feels like an outsider and a disappointment all the time, especially to Alma. So when Mirabel starts noticing cracks in Casita's walls and floor, she realises the magic that’s blessed her family may be failing. Terrified at the very idea that her family may be losing their gifts, not to mention their home, Mirabel is determined to at least attempt to save both. But is Mirabel the answer to this problem or the cause??

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In many ways, Encanto is not typical animated fare. It’s comparatively low stakes are centred on a familial drama rather than some daring adventure. More concerned with exploring these characters than plonking them in bombastic set-pieces. There’s no surprise dastardly villain, nor sign of a gooey love story for our protagonist. As with most animated heroines of late, the decidedly “ordinary” Mirabel does not fit the archetypical Disney mould of yesteryear. She’s awkward, insecure, and feels wildly inadequate compared to her “perfect” sister, Isabela. Only decades ago, Mirabel’s gorgeous sibling would have the central character. Mercifully those days are over.

Though, of course, decades ago, no dang Disney movie would ever have been set anywhere like Colombia, and even if it were you'd never know, because the movie would never feature the locals anywhere but the background, to say nothing of the fact that the voice cast would be composed entirely of white people trying to sound Latinx. Mercifully, again, times have changed. As with Raya and the Last Dragon earlier this year, Disney is attempting diverse representation in animation by way of an authentic depiction of chosen set country, it's culture and people. And, like Raya, it sets another landmark moment for a studio with a questionable history that it has atoned for about three times over within the last ten years alone.

Obviously it is not for an ageing white man who knows next to nothing of Colombia to determine the accuracy and authenticity of what has been created here; but for the money of said ageing white man, Encanto is as joyous a celebration of Colombia as Pixar's Coco was of Mexico. They both almost literally leap out of the screen. It also shows how committed they are to presenting an accurate depiction of the country they present to the world when you see the different skin tones of all the characters; added again to that, the fact that these characters have no big names providing their voices, simply choosing the right actors for the right parts, most of them actually Colombian.

And then there are Lin - Manuel Miranda’s eight original songs that highlight his penchant for zippy wordplay. There’s only one immediate earworm of a song, but they all fit the typical roadmap that comes from the melding of Broadway sensibilities and Disney animation we’ve come to expect since the days of the late, great and powerful Howard Ashman. The toe-tapping opening number “The Family Madrigal” introduces us to the entire clan and their unique abilities. Mirabel and her sister Isabela are each given the staple “I Want” numbers in the forms of “Waiting On A Miracle” and "What Can I Do?" respectively.  And everything wraps up with a lavish celebratory ensemble number in “All Of You.”

MY VERDICT

Encanto is a STUNNING creation. 84 years and 60 films since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, the magic of the kingdom and the house that Walt built is still clearly as strong today as it was then. This film is a joyful ode to the power and spirit of family and Colombian culture.

Is Encanto a Disney Classic? Now? I doubt it. Later? Only time will tell. For me? Without question.