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.
