'Strange World' Disney's 2022 Animated Film

[Prince-1]

Same with the Lightyear thread, which contains lukewarm reviews at best. I enjoyed Strange World much more than Lightyear, but I didn’t love it, which isn’t the same as saying it’s terrible, because in my view it isn’t. But apparently the only authentic opinion to hold about the movie is a purely negative one, because . . . Walt’s office.

Maybe he was able to do a séance while he was in Walt's office asked he asked him about SW and got an answer that he truly hated it.


I mean it's possible.

 

[LittleBuford]

Maybe he was able to do a séance while he was in Walt's office asked he asked him about SW and got an answer that he truly hated it.


I mean it's possible.

 

[Prince-1]

Well played.

 

[TP2000]

Not one person on here has said they loved the movie. Most said it was ok or well below average...

Aim high, Burbank!

I find it interesting that Strange World is still in US theaters as of this weekend, over two weeks after it went to Disney+ for free. Although it's dropped down to 575 theaters, but still. The per-theater take is miniscule, so what's the point?

Here's the Weekend Take for the domestic box office that was released this evening; Strange World's 7th weekend in American theaters.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Not one person on here has said they loved the movie. Most said it was ok or well below average but just because you hated it doesn’t mean everyone has to.

While I didn’t use the world “loved it”, I gave a very positive review.


My review from many pages ago:

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!

 

[Prince-1]

While I didn’t use the world “loved it”, I gave a very positive review.


My review from many pages ago:

I also thought it was a very good looking movie that just didn’t deliver on the story. I still liked it.

 

[Rich T]

I just saw Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and… Holy mackerel. As others have said, it blows Strange World out of the water. Here’s my quick comparison of the two. Keep in mind, I do like Strange World in spite of its flaws. Also, I’m not a huge fan of the Shrek franchise and never saw the first Puss in Boots film.

STORY
SW: Solid premise. Shaky pacing. Predictable Twist. It works.
PIBTLW: Solid Premise. Perfect pacing, Nonstop fun. I had no idea how it was going to end until it got there. Very effective, perfect ending.

CHARACTERS AND DIALOGUE
SW: Solid characters hampered by uninspired sitcom-level dialogue.
PIBTLW: Fairytale characters roaring to life with witty banter that feels spontaneous. Everyone is either likable, humorously despicable or—in one case—the most wonderfully terrifying creation in American animation.

HUMOR
SW: Labored and mostly unfunny.
PIBTLW: Screamingly funny throughout, yet full of heart and character development.

ART/ANIMATION/STYLE
SW: Great-looking film with terrific animation, refreshingly cartoony character designs, and a fun 2D comic book intro. Fun World-building.
PIBTLW: One of the most amazing-looking and stylish animated films I’ve ever seen. Battle scenes transition into a stylized moving-painting effect that is a joy to behold.

MUSIC
SW: Great.
PIBTLW: Great.

UNIQUE QUALITIES:
SW: Another noble attempt to tell a Jules-Vernian Sci-fi tale at Disney. Grandfather/father/son dynamic is well done, and something different for the studio.
PIBTLW: Although the film is mostly a comedy, PIBTLW also contains some of the scariest, darkest and most thrilling scenes of suspense ever presented in a mainstream animated feature.

OVERALL:
SW: A well-intentioned misfire, worth watching for its good moments.
PIBTLW: A home run that gets everything right. While mostly full of razor-sharp, character-driven humor, it also delivers thrilling action and genuine scares, leading to a well-earned emotional payoff.

I swear, if PIBTLW doesn’t win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, there is no justice or good taste left in Hollywood.

 

[mickEblu]

I just saw Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and… Holy mackerel. As others have said, it blows Strange World out of the water. Here’s my quick comparison of the two. Keep in mind, I do like Strange World in spite of its flaws. Also, I’m not a huge fan of the Shrek franchise and never saw the first Puss in Boots film.

STORY
SW: Solid premise. Shaky pacing. Predictable Twist. It works.
PIBTLW: Solid Premise. Perfect pacing, Nonstop fun. I had no idea how it was going to end until it got there. Very effective, perfect ending.

CHARACTERS AND DIALOGUE
SW: Solid characters hampered by uninspired sitcom-level dialogue.
PIBTLW: Fairytale characters roaring to life with witty banter that feels spontaneous. Everyone is either likable, humorously despicable or—in one case—the most wonderfully terrifying creation in American animation.

HUMOR
SW: Labored and mostly unfunny.
PIBTLW: Screamingly funny throughout, yet full of heart and character development.

ART/ANIMATION/STYLE
SW: Great-looking film with terrific animation, refreshingly cartoony character designs, and a fun 2D comic book intro. Fun World-building.
PIBTLW: One of the most amazing-looking and stylish animated films I’ve ever seen. Battle scenes transition into a stylized moving-painting effect that is a joy to behold.

MUSIC
SW: Great.
PIBTLW: Great.

UNIQUE QUALITIES:
SW: Another noble attempt to tell a Jules-Vernian Sci-fi tale at Disney. Grandfather/father/son dynamic is well done, and something different for the studio.
PIBTLW: Although the film is mostly a comedy, PIBTLW also contains some of the scariest, darkest and most thrilling scenes of suspense ever presented in a mainstream animated feature.

OVERALL:
SW: A well-intentioned misfire, worth watching for its good moments.
PIBTLW: A home run that gets everything right. While mostly full of razor-sharp, character-driven humor, it also delivers thrilling action and genuine scares, leading to a well-earned emotional payoff.

I swear, if PIBTLW doesn’t win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, there is no justice or good taste left in Hollywood.

It was pretty good. I probably was a little harsh with my review. I said I “didn’t love it but didn’t hate it.” In all honestly it’s hard for me to concentrate on animated movies these days. As a father of two young kids maybe I’m just exhausted but if I’m not absolutely captured by a scene then I tend to zone out from time to time. Seems to be happening with me more and more with animation these days.

I really enjoyed the tone of the movie and that villain and action sequences are fantastic which I mentioned in my review as well. I will say it’s by far the best animated movie I’ve seen this year. Minions and DC super League had a few moments though. Id say Lightyear is dead last. For some reason many of the new Disney movies come off as preachy and box checking and these other movies just aimed to entertain. Put it this way, I never really went to see non Disney animated films at the theatres in my life and now they are on my radar and I’m preferring them to Disneys stuff. Took my son to see all of the below:

Lightyear
DC Super League of Pets
Paws of Fury
Lyle Lyle Crocodile (throwing this in)
Minions
Luck (at home)

Wow throw in Jurassic World Dominion, Maverick and Avatar 2 and I guess I’ve seen quite a few movies in theatres since June.

 

[Phroobar]

Aim high, Burbank!

I find it interesting that Strange World is still in US theaters as of this weekend, over two weeks after it went to Disney+ for free. Although it's dropped down to 575 theaters, but still. The per-theater take is miniscule, so what's the point?

Here's the Weekend Take for the domestic box office that was released this evening; Strange World's 7th weekend in American theaters.

It could be Strange World is in the discount theaters. We used to call them the dollar theaters. They always show old movies you can buy on DVD for years. They were good places to go on dates since no was in the theater. It was cheap and dark.

 

[GimpYancIent]

It could be Strange World is in the discount theaters. We used to call them the dollar theaters. They always show old movies you can buy on DVD for years. They were good places to go on dates since no was in the theater. It was cheap and dark.

Hmmmmmmmm......

 

[LittleBuford]

It could be Strange World is in the discount theaters. We used to call them the dollar theaters. They always show old movies you can buy on DVD for years. They were good places to go on dates since no was in the theater. It was cheap and dark.

I’m puzzled by the puzzlement. Unless the claim is that Strange World is taking another film’s spot (which I don’t think anyone is arguing), why wouldn’t it still be running in multiplexes with screens to spare?

 

[Rich T]

It could be Strange World is in the discount theaters. We used to call them the dollar theaters. They always show old movies you can buy on DVD for years. They were good places to go on dates since no was in the theater. It was cheap and dark.

The dollar theaters were a huge part of my high school and college social life and film education in the late 70’s. The best ones changed their offerings every night, and they printed up monthly calendars you could pick up at local record stores. These independently-owned venues (usually housed in decades-old downtown movie theaters) introduced my friends and me to countless classics, cult films and foreign movies, as well as last-chance screenings of more recent releases. At one dollar for two feature films, you had nothing to lose by taking a chance on a film you’d never heard of.

In the days before cable and home video, the dollar theaters were invaluable. Their operators were unsung heroes of the time.

 

[Heppenheimer]

I’m puzzled by the puzzlement. Unless the claim is that Strange World is taking another film’s spot (which I don’t think anyone is arguing), why wouldn’t it still be running in multiplexes with screens to spare?

Because multiplexes want bodies in seats who will then buy overpriced snacks and drinks, which is how the theater actually makes money. If there's not enough broad-interest movies out right now to fill every auditorium in a multiplex, then the theater can continue to show it with little additional costs to the themselves. But, if Strange World being shown in that auditorium means another, more potentially popular film isn't being shown, than that's a lost opportunity cost to the theater.

My gut feeling, having worked in a movie theater as a teenager and with some residual understanding of how they operate, is that they're probably showing Strange World in the smallest auditorium during matinees, with another movie that appeals more to teenagers or adults (like maybe a horror movie nearing the end of its theatrical run) occupying the same auditorium in the evenings. There's probably a trickle of families that will still watch it as an afternoon outing, and since continuing to show the movie now imposes no real additional cost to the theater, they will elect to keep the movie going during slow times just to keep some popcorn money coming in. Not that you can compare the popularity of The Lion King to Strange World, but the theater I worked at kept the former playing for months as a matinee after its summer peak because they could still get a small flow of people in the auditorium during slow times.

 

[LittleBuford]

Because multiplexes want bodies in seats who will then buy overpriced snacks and drinks, which is how the theater actually makes money. If there's not enough broad-interest movies out right now to fill every auditorium in a multiplex, then the theater can continue to show it with little additional costs to the themselves. But, if Strange World being shown in that auditorium means another, more potentially popular film isn't being shown, than that's a lost opportunity cost to the theater.

My gut feeling, having worked in a movie theater as a teenager and with some residual understanding of how they operate, is that they're probably showing Strange World in the smallest auditorium during matinees, with another movie that appeals more to teenagers or adults (like maybe a horror movie nearing the end of its theatrical run) occupying the same auditorium in the evenings. There's probably a trickle of families that will still watch it as an afternoon outing, and since continuing to show the movie now imposes no real additional cost to the theater, they will elect to keep the movie going during slow times just to keep some popcorn money coming in. Not that you can compare the popularity of The Lion King to Strange World, but the theater I worked at kept the former playing for months as a matinee after its summer peak because they could still get a small flow of people in the auditorium during slow times.

All of this is consistent with what I was trying to say in my post but apparently failed to convey.

 

[Phroobar]

I also saw Puss in Boots. I have to agree with @Rich T review. That series has always been consistently well made and looks great. Just like Illumination, Dreamworks has a formula they keep with Shrek and Puss n' Boots franchises. You know what you are getting and it's aways a good time. Disney on the other hand, has gotten a little "big for their britches" and needs to go back to what works for them - Princess fairytales with songs. Their non-musical stuff really lacks. Rewatched, the Black Cauldron and I keep thinking this would be better with some musical numbers. (and if they kept Katzenberg out of editing room)

 

[LittleBuford]

I also saw Puss in Boots. I have to agree with @Rich T review. That series has always been consistently well made and looks great. Just like Illumination, Dreamworks has a formula they keep with Shrek and Puss n' Boots franchises. You know what you are getting and it's aways a good time. Disney on the other hand, has gotten a little "big for their britches" and needs to go back to what works for them - Princess fairytales with songs. Their non-musical stuff really lacks. Rewatched, the Black Cauldron and I keep thinking this would be better with some musical numbers. (and if they kept Katzenberg out of editing room)

I'm glad Disney hasn't always stuck to the princess formula. Some of my personal favourites—Alice in Wonderland, Robbin Hood, The Sword in the Stone, The Emperor's New Groove—fall well outside that genre.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Disney didn't become the company they are today by producing formulaic content.

Animated movies were a revolution. Walt Disney completely changed what an amusement park could be.

Sticking with princess fairy tales exclusively would go against what makes a creative company great.

There's room for everything. Strange World was "meh" to me but the last thing I want is for Disney to take zero chances.

Also, nothing lasts forever. Princess movies might wane in popularity over time. We're seeing a bit of fatigue towards the MCU.

 

[Rich T]

I also saw Puss in Boots. I have to agree with @Rich T review. That series has always been consistently well made and looks great. Just like Illumination, Dreamworks has a formula they keep with Shrek and Puss n' Boots franchises. You know what you are getting and it's aways a good time. Disney on the other hand, has gotten a little "big for their britches" and needs to go back to what works for them - Princess fairytales with songs. Their non-musical stuff really lacks. Rewatched, the Black Cauldron and I keep thinking this would be better with some musical numbers. (and if they kept Katzenberg out of editing room)

While I agree with the “too big for their britches” part, I definitely do not want Disney to just stick to “singing princess“ films. That path will lead to stagnation. Zootopia and The Lion King were two of the biggest hits, financially and critically, in Disney’s history. The problem with Strange World isn’t genre, it’s in whatever’s going on at the studio that allowed a good idea like Strange World to proceed through production into final release without addressing its many script issues. What’s going on? The film needed someone to come in and fix the writing, and—with millions upon millions of dollars at stake—that didn’t happen.

When I, off the top of my head, compare Strange World to Puss in Boots: TLW, this is the first thing that comes to mind:

Puss in Boots TLW: Fresh, sharp, spontaneous
Strange World: Overworked, overthought

I’m sure a TON of story meetings and rewrites went into PIBTLW, but the film still feels spontaneous and surprising.

Strange World FEELS like a film that was written and approved by a committee of compromise.

That’s what Disney Animation has to fix.

 

[Phroobar]

While I agree with the “too big for their britches” part, I definitely do not want Disney to just stick to “singing princess“ films. That path will lead to stagnation. Zootopia and The Lion King were two of the biggest hits, financially and critically, in Disney’s history. The problem with Strange World isn’t genre, it’s in whatever’s going on at the studio that allowed a good idea like Strange World to proceed through production into final release without addressing its many script issues. What’s going on? The film needed someone to come in and fix the writing, and—with millions upon millions of dollars at stake—that didn’t happen.

When I, off the top of my head, compare Strange World to Puss in Boots: TLW, this is the first thing that comes to mind:

Puss in Boots TLW: Fresh, sharp, spontaneous
Strange World: Overworked, overthought

I’m sure a TON of story meetings and rewrites went into PIBTLW, but the film still feels spontaneous and surprising.

Strange World FEELS like a film that was written and approved by a committee of compromise.

That’s what Disney Animation has to fix.

Did you see The Sea Beast? It was a Chris Williams movie (Moana) that was actually pretty good. The writing and animation are very good. The monster reminds me of Toothless. It blows away SW. There is something even Netflix is doing right that Disney isn't.

 

[Basil of Baker Street]

Finally watched SW. Didn't love it, didn't hate it. Its a one and done.

Not to derail this thread but what has me surprised is the movie Megan. I don't think anyone predicted its success. I don't do freaky/scary movies so I'll never see it but it sure is doing well.