The world we live in can be fascinating but also weird. I am a movie fan, so I try to keep up with release dates; I tend to know what is coming soon and who acts in it, and somehow, I had no idea this film even existed, let alone that it went straight to Disney+. So imagine my surprise when logging into Disney+ one evening and seeing this new animated feature there. And now imagine my surprise after finishing it, having a great time and seeing the 5.6/10 score on IMDb. Sure, the film doesn’t do anything new, but 5.6? Really?
I am a sucker for adventure films done right, and Strange World reminded me of the likes of Indiana Jones, The Mummy franchise and movies in that spirit when you have this one big adventure connected with family. And I think, for the most part, this movie does that adventure factor well. To be honest, I could probably do without the opening sequence; I think it tells us a bit too much, so we don’t have that many surprises waiting for us. I thought it would have been better to hint at this and start in the future, in this perfect world where everything seems peachy.
That utopian world where all our energy is clean, and we take care of our planet, being responsible… that world looked nice. Anyway, once the story gets going, and we go down under is when the main adventure starts, and I had a lot of fun. Firstly, the world was not only strange (so that’s where the title comes from :-D) but colourful and fun to look at. Once we realised what that world was, it also made sense retrospectively. Yes, it’s your “stereotypical” Disney animation of the last five years or so, but hey, if it works…
The voice casting was on point. From the parents (voiced by Jake Gyllenhaal and Gabrielle Union) to the main hero who stole the film for me, Jaboukie Young-White, whose performance was great, he nailed the comedic bits and the more dramatic ones too. But you also get others like Alan Tudyk (who I believe has appeared in every single major Disney animated film since Wreck-It Ralph (2012)) or Lucy Liu, who is always pleasant to listen to. What was funny is the fact we also get Dennis Quaid here as Jaeger Clade, dad of Searcher Clade, aka Jake Gyllenhaal, making this a second film for those two to play dad and son, the first being The Day After Tomorrow (2004). And given Strange World‘s environmental message, one could speculate whether this could be an unofficial sequel/spin-off or just a funny coincidence for them to meet up in the dad and son role almost 20 years later.
As mentioned before this movie doesn’t break any new ground, but I still liked the story and the message. Yes, you could see it coming, but it’s a kids’ movie, meaning I won’t deduct points for not having a stronger story or any big twists in a film that’s primarily aimed at young kids. Because let’s face it, Strange World isn’t Pixar, and it’s not trying to be Pixar. It’s a silly adventure film that is purely focused on the family, the environment and how we should all strive to be/do better. Does it sound preachy? Yes, it can, on paper, absolutely. But I thought Strange World never crossed into that annoyingly preachy territory once, and it was just a fun adventure for the entire family to enjoy.
Also, Splat is one of the most adorable side characters I have seen; in a while. When watching this film with my girlfriend, she instantly fell in love with Splat. Needless to say, we now have a Splat plush toy she loves, so I can only imagine actual children watching this and loving Splat when this adult woman melted because he was so cute. But, case in point, he was, and I loved him too.
Overall, Strange World is one of those “the journey is more important than the destination” movies. Is the message of this film deep? Not that much. Is the film doing anything new? No, not really. But did I have fun whilst watching it and was with it for the movie’s entirety? Absolutely. This film might not win any awards or even be remembered as much as it should, but sometimes all you need is a good old-fashioned adventure that is reshaped for the times we live in now. And that is something Strange World did well.
That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!
Until next time,
Luke