'Strange World' Disney's 2022 Animated Film

[BuddyThomas]

I just saw it. 6PM show and it was full. Only a few seats empty.

I loved every minute of it.

It is so gorgeously animated and imaginative. Those saying the color scheme is too dark have no idea what they are talking about. It is colorful and beautiful throughout.

It is ultimately about the relationship between fathers and sons and very touching in the end. However, leading up to that, it is a straight up action adventure with several extremely thrilling sequences. I’ve seen a couple of reviews that say the storyline is confusing. It is not. Also, the pulsating score is Oscar worthy.

The characters are fantastic. The dreaded (by homophobes) gay storyline takes up maybe 5 minutes of screen time, if that. It is very sweet and important to see this type of positive representation on the big screen, especially in light of the recent shooting in a gay bar. Splat is hysterical, and as one review said, the three legged dog Legend is a “very good boy”. The family dynamic here is just so cool. Everyone is accepting and supportive of Ethan’s crush. I wish there was something like this on a movie screen when I was growing up. If there was such positive representation of gay characters back then, maybe my gay brother would not have killed himself after coming out to my father and getting disowned.

If I have one complaint, it is that there is so much going on in each frame that it is hard to take everything in. Oh well. Will make for great repeat viewing.

Don’t listen to the haters who have no intention of seeing this. Go get a ticket. It’s really worth it.

 

[BuddyThomas]

Oh sure, it's easy to consistently ACTUALLY post hilarious, witty, insightful posts and entertain us all for nearly 20 years.

What is difficult is to somehow NEVER actually post anything funny, witty, or interesting in over 13,000 posts and then bizarrely demand that everyone acknowledge your (apparently hidden) talents.

Now THAT is impressive!

I assume you are talking about me again and continuing to troll me. Just a little tip that Mother is back after having been gone for a little while. I generally don’t report people on here for their despicable behavior, but make one more post disparaging me and I promise you that I will make an exception. It is my understanding that several people were banned last night for this type of thing.
PS - You keep referencing my more than 13,000 posts that don’t have anything “funny, witty, or interesting” in them, and you keep forgetting to reference the more than 40,000 likes to the 13,000 posts. Just sayin’.

 

[Ghost93]

So setting aside "appropriateness," how do you think studios should think about interest? As in "Joe is straight and a gay romance is not a story that interests him"? I honestly don't know the answer. It's like reverse-representation, right? If Steve is gay and would like to see representation of gay romances on screen, wouldn't it follow that HeteroJoe would like to see straight romances on screen? And if there are way more Joes than there are Steves, what should the studios do when it comes time to allocate resources to projects?

I've said this before, but I think the problem with Disney's gay characters is that the gay representation has been significant enough to make conservatives stay away and avoid seeing the film (because they don't want their kids seeing ANY gay people in movies), but not enough that a gay person would be interested in buying a ticket to see the movie solely for the representation. I thought the lesbians in Lightyear were nice and all, but I can't imagine many lesbians buying a ticket to the movie over a very brief montage scene. LGBT audiences are only going to show up for representation if it was something truly significant — like a lesbian princess or gay Disney prince as the main character.

Frankly, in the next decade, I'd rather Disney put all of their efforts into creating one significant and meaningful LGBT animated film and have the remainder of their animated movies feature no LGBT characters at all than I would Disney shoehorning minor LGBT characters into every product they make. That way you satisfy LGBT audiences with a good film, yet have enough straight-only content to dispel the right-wing narrative that Disney is adding gay characters into everything.

 

[Tiggerish]

I assume you are talking about me again and continuing to troll me. Just a little tip that Mother is back after having been gone for a little while. I generally don’t report people on here for their despicable behavior, but make one more post disparaging me and I promise you that I will make an exception. It is my understanding that several people were banned last night for this type of thing.
PS - You keep referencing my more than 13,000 posts that don’t have anything “funny, witty, or interesting l” in them, and you keep forgetting to reference the more than 40,000 likes to the 13,000 posts. Just sayin’.

Just FYI, Mother was dealing with a death in her family. And she doesn't dislike you. Sadly, though, you do seem to attract trolls. It's just your magnetic charm.

I report any and all despicable posts, and I apologized to her for cluttering up her mailbox

 

[Ghost93]

I think it all depends on what the characters are doing, I wouldn’t want a movie geared for 8 year olds to show anyone (straight or gay) being intimate beyond a hug or a welcome home kiss, up to that point though I don’t see the harm in it whether it’s a straight or gay couple.

Disney's toned down romances in all of their movies recently (which I don't mind as they give their protagonists something else to care about), but in the 90s all of their animated movies, except the Rescuers, had at least one or two passionate kisses between the main couples.

I rewatched Pocahontas recently and was shocked by how physical they had John Smith and Pocahontas get for a G rated movie.

Like, C'mon. Could you imagine the uproar if it was a gay couple?

 

[BuddyThomas]

Just FYI, Mother was dealing with a death in her family. And she doesn't dislike you. Sadly, though, you do seem to attract trolls. It's just your magnetic charm.

I report any and all despicable posts, and I apologized to her for cluttering up her mailbox

I know. I corresponded with her directly today and heard about the death in her family. I know she doesn’t dislike me. She offered to mail me hand sanitizer in March of 2020 at the start of the pandemic when no sanitizer was available in NYC.

 

[TP2000]

Yes if you actually read my follow-up post you'd see that I basically said the same thing.

To be fair to @Rich Brownn, that's not what you said originally. You said...

The MPAA got rid of the G rating in their rating system, not Disney. So its the MPAA that is rating Disney films as PG not Disney. I'm pretty sure that Disney would prefer their movies to be rated G if that rating still existed.

The MPAA still rates movies G, if they warrant a G rating. They did not get rid of it, and it still exists.

There have been G rated movies in general release in this country in 2022. Disney has purposely chosen to create "family" movies that are not eligible for the G rating because of the violence or subject material they contain.

Just to clear that up that G Rated films still exist in 2022, and are still achievable if a studio wants to.

It's Christmas Again - | Movie Synopsis and Plot

It's Christmas Again - Jake Young (Lawson Touliatos) wants nothing more than to spend his Christmas vacation with his...

www.showtimes.com

 

[TP2000]

Frankly, in the next decade, I'd rather Disney put all of their efforts into creating one significant and meaningful LGBT animated film and have the remainder of their animated movies feature no LGBT characters at all than I would Disney shoehorning minor LGBT characters into every product they make. That way you satisfy LGBT audiences with a good film, yet have enough straight-only content to dispel the right-wing narrative that Disney is adding gay characters into everything.

I agree with that very strongly!

Their current strategy of "representation" just seems pandering and cringe-inducing. It's fake and phony on screen, and you can smell it from the snack bar in the lobby.

But again I say, I really don't think a gay character in Strange World is what will doom it at the box office. No one is talking about it except in this thread. But then, no one is talking about Strange World at all really. Which is the real problem.

As for gay Princes, I still think this is one of the funniest SNL skits of the last 10 years...

Hi, ladies!... Here's some good advice, never marry a guy who is really into shoes.

 

[BuddyThomas]

I agree with that very strongly!

Their current strategy of "representation" just seems pandering and cringe-inducing. It's fake and phony on screen, and you can smell it from the snack bar in the lobby.

But again I say, I really don't think a gay character in Strange World is what will doom it at the box office. No one is talking about it except in this thread. But then, no one is talking about Strange World at all really. Which is the real problem.

There is absolutely nothing fake or “cringe inducing” in the gay characters in Strange World. Also, this. Sorry to disappoint you.

Disney to Dominate Thanksgiving Box Office With ‘Strange World’ and ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

Hollywood has come to expect a few things around Thanksgiving: a hearty turkey dinner, plenty of family time… and a Disney movie to rule the box office. In keeping with tradition, the Magic K…

variety.com

 

[Ghost93]

Their current strategy of "representation" just seems pandering and cringe-inducing. It's fake and phony on screen, and you can smell it from the snack bar in the lobby.

I don't know if it would call it "fake and phony," as I believe even the small gay moments are well-intentioned. But I just think from a pure business standpoint that having minor gay characters won't actually draw an LGBTQ audience to a movie nowadays, especially when there is so much great LGBTQ content on streaming. Minor gay characters in Disney animation aren't profitable as they still bring in the right-wing backlash but don't bring in the support needed from LGBTQ moviegoers.

So my point is that if Disney is going to try to do gay representation, they need to kinda go all in rather than keep doing small stuff that isn't pleasing most people.

By all accounts, I've heard the character Ethan was well-handled in Strange World. I'll see for myself when I watch the movie tomorrow.

 

[MarvelCharacterNerd]

‘Strange World’ Eyes $25M Offshore Bow In Slimmed-Down Release As Disney Opts To Skip Middle East & More Over Potential Censorship

Strange World debuts overseas this week, but Disney has not submitted it in more than 20 markets where censors may have balked at its LGBTQ+ content

deadline.com

I was really surprised they're keeping this out of so many markets:

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Strange World will make its offshore theatrical debut this week, and is eyeing an overseas start in the $21M-$29M range. That’s lower than where a new animated movie from Disney might normally kick off, but the studio has taken a voluntary pass on more than 20 markets, choosing not to submit the film in countries where its LGBTQ+ content would have very likely forced demands for edits.

 

[BuddyThomas]

‘Strange World’ Eyes $25M Offshore Bow In Slimmed-Down Release As Disney Opts To Skip Middle East & More Over Potential Censorship

Strange World debuts overseas this week, but Disney has not submitted it in more than 20 markets where censors may have balked at its LGBTQ+ content

deadline.com

I was really surprised they're keeping this out of so many markets:

No reason they should have to edit for bigots in Qatar, etc. Good for Disney.

 

[Ghost93]

I was really surprised they're keeping this out of so many markets:

It's to avoid the headlines about a movie being "banned." Headlines about the film being banned in foreign countries for LGBT content become ammo for right-wing people targeting Disney.

 

[tcool123]

‘Strange World’ Eyes $25M Offshore Bow In Slimmed-Down Release As Disney Opts To Skip Middle East & More Over Potential Censorship

Strange World debuts overseas this week, but Disney has not submitted it in more than 20 markets where censors may have balked at its LGBTQ+ content

deadline.com

I was really surprised they're keeping this out of so many markets:

The Middle East, Malaysia, Indonesia, China due to censorship laws surrounding LGBTQIA+ people . Idk if Russia was in that 20 count, but that one's an obvious reason

 

[Disney Irish]

To be fair to @Rich Brownn, that's not what you said originally. You said...



The MPAA still rates movies G, if they warrant a G rating. They did not get rid of it, and it still exists.

There have been G rated movies in general release in this country in 2022. Disney has purposely chosen to create "family" movies that are not eligible for the G rating because of the violence or subject material they contain.

Just to clear that up that G Rated films still exist in 2022, and are still achievable if a studio wants to.

It's Christmas Again - | Movie Synopsis and Plot

It's Christmas Again - Jake Young (Lawson Touliatos) wants nothing more than to spend his Christmas vacation with his...

www.showtimes.com

And I've gone back and edited my original post to be more clear on the "get rid" bit, its not that they actually removed it, its they got rid of its original intended purpose. And all because of the image of G rated movies being for young kids only, which was never its original intended usage.

Its still the MPAA not Disney that sets ratings. Its anything that could be potentially viewed as "offensive" by anyone is going to get a PG rating. So unless the movie is a toddler film or saccharine fest of a movie its not going to get a G rating.

I get it you want to blame modern Disney for everything. But I want you to go back and look at a lot of Disney movies previously rated G, I mean really take a look through the MPAA standards for today. I bet you would find a large majority if not all of them would be rated PG or even PG-13 today.

I'll give you a perfect example, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, one of my favorite Disney movies growing up. Released in 1971 and rated G by the MPAA standards at the time. Today would be rated PG due to violence and scary imagery, not to mention the usage of smoking. All of which would slap it with a PG rating today. So if you want to take issue with anyone its the MPAA that has changed their standards due to today's "hypersensitive be offended by anything" culture that exists on all sides of the landscape. So again unless the movie is a toddler film or saccharine fest of a movie its not going to get a G rating.

BTW, this should have its own thread regarding movie ratings and such. It would be interesting to see what most posters would honestly rate current and past Disney films based on real world standards of today.

 

[TP2000]

Its still the MPAA not Disney that sets ratings. Its anything that could be potentially viewed as "offensive" by anyone is going to get a PG rating. So unless the movie is a toddler film or saccharine fest of a movie its not going to get a G rating.

Or, you know, a major motion picture studio that creates an animated movie starring current celebrities voicing animals. Like Disney used to do for decades.

And like Paramount Pictures just did, with Kim Kardashian and Tyler Perry, and got a G rating from the MPAA for it.

PAW Patrol: The Movie

The PAW Patrol is on a roll! When their biggest rival, Humdinger, becomes Mayor of nearby Adventure City and starts wreaking havoc, Ryder and everyone's favorite heroic pups kick into high gear to face the challenge head on. While one pup must face his past in Adventure City, the team finds help...

www.rottentomatoes.com

Not that I'm advocating for anyone to go watch Paw Patrol. It looks like utter crap, and yet it still got an 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes? And it has Kim Kardashian as a voice actress, for Godsakes. But in its defense, it is Rated G by the MPAA.

 

[Disney Irish]

Or, you know, a major motion picture studio that creates an animated movie starring current celebrities voicing animals. Like Disney used to do for decades.

And like Paramount Pictures just did, with Kim Kardashian and Tyler Perry, and got a G rating from the MPAA for it.

PAW Patrol: The Movie (2021) ⭐ 6.1 | Animation, Action, Adventure

1h 26m | G

www.imdb.com

Not that I'm advocating for anyone to go watch Paw Patrol. It looks like utter crap. And it has Kim Kardashian as a voice actress, for Godsakes. But in its defense, it is Rated G by the MPAA.

And its still a toddler film meant for 2-5 year olds, which 98-99% of audiences skipped making only $40M domestic. Which just proves my point. You ain't gonna get $1B making G rated movies based on today's MPAA standards for modern audiences.

 

[TP2000]

And its still a toddler film meant for 2-5 year olds, which 98-99% of audiences skipped making only $40M domestic. Which just proves my point.

No, your point was that the MPAA no longer used the G rating for motion pictures. Which was false.

I'd like to remind some posters here that Disney doesn't decide what rating to give their movies, the MPAA does. The MPAA got rid of the G rating in their rating system, not Disney. So its the MPAA that is rating Disney films as PG not Disney. I'm pretty sure that Disney would prefer their movies to be rated G if that rating still existed.

The G rating still exists and is still in use for movies aimed at families with children. Even if you have to listen to a Kardashian's version of a Calabasas high school education dialect to do it.

Which is too painful for anyone, especially innocent children!



Also, Kristen Wiig as Kris Jenner is a comedic genius! A genius!

 

[Disney Analyst]

Okay so just got out of the theatre.

I really didn’t know what to expect going in, based on the trailer.

What a beautiful movie. The animation is stunning. The world they designed and built is a feast for the eyes.

It’s really a heartfelt story about family. Father and son. Expectations, fear of failure, and pride.

Ethan is a great character, and him having a crush on a boy is treated so innocently, and normal, I don’t think it would even register for a lot of kids, unless the parent themselves made a big deal out of it.

It was a beautiful way to approach a character like him.

I also really loved the reveal at the end, with the very last pan out, which to me seems very inspired

Spoiler

by the story of turtle island.

We both very much enjoyed the film. A great adventure film!

Oh and to echo Buddy, the score was beautiful!

 

[Ghost93]

BTW, this should have its own thread regarding movie ratings and such. It would be interesting to see what most posters would honestly rate current and past Disney films based on real world standards of today.

The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules and Tarzan — all of which were rated G in the 90s would all be at least PG nowadays.

Something like Fantasia — G-rated — would probably be slapped with a PG-13 due to the brief nudity in the Night on Bald Mountain sequence.

Pretty much anything other than Winnie the Pooh and maybe Robin Hood would be PG-rated. Heck, they might even slap Robin Hood with a PG rating nowadays for "mild peril" or something stupid like that.