'Strange World' Review: Fun Family Film Falls Short

This review was made possible thanks to Disney for inviting us to an early screening of Strange World.

(L-R) Lucy Liu, Jaboukie Young-White, Jake Gyllenhaal, Gabrielle Union, and Dennis Quaid in Strange World © 2022 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

Disney’s latest feature film, Strange World comes from the directorial duo Don Hall and Qui Nguyen (Raya And The Last Dragon), but unfortunately it doesn’t hit the same marks as their previous film.

(L-R) Jake Gyllenhaal and Dennis Quaid in Strange World © 2022 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

The movie opens in the town of Avalonia following the father-son exploring duo of Jaeger (Dennis Quaid) and Searcher Clade (Jake Gyllenhall) as they’re venturing through the extreme surrounding mountains, hoping to get past them to discover what’s on the other side.

(L-R) Jaboukie Young-White and Jake Gyllenhaal in Strange World © 2022 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

While venturing, Searcher discovers Pando, a powerful energy source, and halts the venture to explore its potential, while his father continues exploring. 25 years later, Searcher is forced to venture to the heart of the power source to find a cure for the now-dying Pando, but there’s more to be discovered than meets the eye.

The rest of the film’s cast is made up of Searcher’s son, Ethan (Jaboukie Young-White), his wife Meridian (Gabrielle Union), and Avalonian president Callisto Mal (Lucy Liu). Aside from them, the film also features many supporting creatures, including the adorable three-legged family dog Legend, and the mysterious creature Splat.

Jaboukie Young-White in Strange World © 2022 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

The film makes no efforts to conceal Ethan’s sexuality, openly displaying his same-sex crush multiple times, and does a great job of not making it his entire personality, but just a part of who he is. The film also features great themes of acceptance and encouragement for its audience while working them into the development of their characters.

Even with a runtime of one hour and 42 minutes, the film is paced poorly, taking a lot of time to ramp into certain plot points and developments while glancing over points that should be slowed down so viewers can appreciate the film’s gorgeous animation.

The city of Avalonia from Strange World © 2022 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

Most shots are constructed very well, with even the smallest details such as window reflections being prominently animated. The establishing shots are slightly overused, as they generally zoom in immediately afterward, but they do get to show off the incredible landscapes created by the VFX artists.

The film also feature good performances, with Jaboukie Young-White being the standout. Young-White brings charm and charisma to his role while encapsulating teen emotions perfectly.

Jaboukie Young-White in Strange World © 2022 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

That being said, the film’s scope feels too large for this story to tell, which likely is the leading cause of its inconsistent tone and poorly structured narrative. Honestly, this would’ve worked better if it were to be restructured into short-form content. It’s concerning that Disney keeps pumping out films of this type, as it may lead them down the wrong path. Strange World is definitely one of the better choices in theaters for younger audiences this week, and is a worthwhile watch for families of all ages.

Strange World hits theaters this Wednesday, November 23