'Strange World' Disney's 2022 Animated Film

[LittleBuford]

Of course not!!! Representation and diversity for the sake of checking boxes.

For this to up to scrutiny, we have to imagine a scenario whereby the team making Lightyear were so overwhelmed with the task of designing non-white, non-straight characters⁠—checking boxes, to borrow your phrase⁠—that they forgot or neglected to write a good story. It's an untenable and frankly nonsensical argument, particularly in the case of a film whose eponymous protagonist remains as traditional as they come.

 

[DisneyHead123]

Which means either the Burbank executive team just forgot to market their latest $180 Million film at Thanksgiving, or they purposely decided not to market their $180 Million film at Thanksgiving.

I'm thinking there's more to the story than those two options, however.

I thought the general consensus was that it bombed with test audiences and so Disney decided to cut their losses by not spending millions on advertising? Political environment might have played a part but that also would have been around the time that Chapek was looking at the disappointing earnings numbers that ultimately lost him his job. It might conceivably be yet another case of penny pinching.

 

[CaptainMickey]

But some of you are misidentifying the issue and therefore hoping for a kind of change that I find totally objectionable, because it's basically asking Disney to pander to reactionary fearmongering. Wherever we stand on the issue ideologically, we all know that Disney is never going to go back to making films that don't feature queer characters and romances. The shift has happened, and it's permanent.

I agree that lessons should be learnt from the poor reception of Lightyear (which I found extremely boring) and Strange Word (which I haven't seen yet and so can't really comment on). But those lessons have to do with storytelling, marketing, etc. Representation and diversity are not the problem here.

Interesting to hear the different viewpoints. A lot of people feel Lightyear and Strange World was the pandering.

 

[LittleBuford]

Interesting to hear the different viewpoints. A lot of people feel Lightyear and Strange World was the pandering.

I'm gay and didn't feel pandered to at all by Lightyear; it had one blink-and-you'd-miss-it same-sex kiss. Yeah, I was happy to see some queer representation, but I also wanted an enjoyable plot, which the movie failed to deliver. It would have been the same boring film had that character been written as straight.

 

[LittleBuford]

"Not the problem here..." And how do you know this? What are you basing it on?

Andor for one. A fantastic show with a very diverse cast. Ergo, representation and diversity are not the problem here.

 

[Magenta Panther]

Andor for one. A fantastic show with a very diverse cast. Ergo, representation and diversity are not the problem here.

It's not a problem for Andor. Which, BTW, is not a theatrical film, but a series on streaming. Apples and oranges.

But, just to be asking...why did the movie "Bros" flop? One of its actors, Billy Eichner, has stated that he believes that some people's attitudes towards diversity and representation was definitely a factor...

 

[TwilightZone]

Like I've said before here, none of the advertising hints at any of the characters being gay at all. In fact I didn't even know it starred a gay character until I visited this forum. The closest there is in any of the advertisments was a character who, to me anyways, has a stereotypical "gay voice".

The most obvious thing about the characters in the trailer is that its a mixed family. Disney has released many movies recently starring people from other cultures that made more bank than Strange World, so its not that either.


It's just a bland looking movie from trailers alone.

 

[LittleBuford]

It's not a problem for Andor. Which, BTW, is not a theatrical film, but a series on streaming. Apples and oranges.

It's not a problem for any well-made production with compelling characters and a richly developed plot. If you won't accept Andor as relevant proof, try Moana, Coco, and Encanto.

But, just to be asking, why did the movie "Bros" flop? One of its actors, Billy Eichner, has stated that he believes that some people's attitudes towards

I have not seen Bros and so cannot comment on it.

 

[LittleBuford]

Like I've said before here, none of the advertising hints at any of the characters being gay at all. In fact I didn't even know it starred a gay character until I visited this forum. The closest there is in any of the advertisments was a character who, to me anyways, has a stereotypical "gay voice".

The most obvious thing about the characters in the trailer is that its a mixed family. Disney has released many movies recently starring people from other cultures that made more bank than Strange World, so its not that either.


It's just a bland looking movie from trailers alone.

I'm looking forward to watching it when it hits Disney+. I still haven't resumed going to the cinema (except a few drive-in experiences, which have been awesome).

One thing I miss from the old days (besides hand-drawn animation) are love stories. Disney hasn't done one of those in quite a while.

 

[Magenta Panther]

It's not a problem for any well-made production with compelling characters and a richly developed plot. If you won't accept Andor as relevant proof, try Moana, Coco, and Encanto.



I have not seen Bros and so cannot comment on it.

We're not talking about content. We're talking about audience reactions to content. That's where your denial is creeping in. Eichner might be harsh in his assessment of his film's failure, but he might very well be right. And you might very well be wrong.

 

[Magenta Panther]

Like I've said before here, none of the advertising hints at any of the characters being gay at all. In fact I didn't even know it starred a gay character until I visited this forum. The closest there is in any of the advertisments was a character who, to me anyways, has a stereotypical "gay voice".

The most obvious thing about the characters in the trailer is that its a mixed family. Disney has released many movies recently starring people from other cultures that made more bank than Strange World, so its not that either.


It's just a bland looking movie from trailers alone.

There are no secrets in the Age of the Internet.

 

[TP2000]

Of course not!!! Representation and diversity for the sake of checking boxes. That’s the problem.

Thank you for making that smart and important distinction.

So many people in media today are so quick to scream "Bigot!" at anyone for daring to not issue wide-ranging blanket statements about "diversity" and "representation", that they miss the important distinction that if you do that all the time in everything, it's just cringey and dumb.

And movie audiences, being made up of humans, can smell that type of fakeness and pandering a mile away.

The historic box office failure of Strange World is just the latest clear example of that. It could've been a great father/son guy movie franchise and huge money maker in the Target toy aisles. But it failed miserably because "representation matters!" was apparently more important than story or knowing the audience.

Modern Family. One of the most successful shows in TV history featured a gay family! It was a mammoth, spectacular success. Why didn’t all these bigots and fear mongers “review bomb” that show?

Exactly.

I loved that NBC show Jack & Karen er..., Will & Grace during its first run circa 1998-2003, it was absolutely hilarious. And very gaaaaayyyy!

Then it came back in 2017 and it was obsessively political and mean-spirited. It wasn't funny any more, it was just sad and... mean. I stopped watching it after the second episode, as did most of the audience.

 

[TwilightZone]

There are no secrets in the Age of the Internet.

I didn't even know the main character was gay before it released. No one did. News articles didn't discuss about it until after the movie already flopped and lost millions of dollars.

It was well hidden, if there was anything about the main character being gay before it released, it certainly wasn't discovered by most.

 

[LittleBuford]

We're not talking about content. We're talking about audience reactions to content. That's where your denial is creeping in. Eichner might be harsh in his assessment of his film's failure, but he might very well be right. And you might very well be wrong.

You may not be talking about content, but others are. Multiple posters are saying that Disney is too preoccupied making "woke" films to make good films. That's the claim I'm responding to.

Now, as to your argument that queer characters and themes may be automatically off-putting to certain viewers (regardless of the production's quality), I agree that's probably—and regrettably—the case. But that's really those viewers' problem, and I don't want Disney or any other company pandering to them.

 

[TP2000]

Good lord. Give it up already.

No, thank you. I find this discussion we are all having here quite interesting.

Now that we all know the plot, and the plot twists, I'm fascinated that they felt they needed to have Ethan's character be 2SLGBTQQIA+.

Because it's not even the kind of 2SLGBTQQIA+ that is problematic to his dad and grandfather and family. Apparently Ethan's budding sexuality is of no socio-religious concern in fictional Avalonia, and is simply part of his character. Like being born left handed or a red head. So why even include it in this children's movie?

Honestly, you've already got a story that involves the Clade family diving into the innards of a giant sea creature that hosts their entire world on its back, traveling through its internal organs and cell structures for excitement and adventure in an attempt to save their world. And that's not enough of a hook? You had to make the boy gay? Why? How does that help the storyline if being gay is not a problem for anyone in Avalonia like it might be if the film was set in 1958 Indiana?

That's where the cringe sets in quickly for many in the audience. Which is probably why Strange World tested so badly with males, and performed so badly in the free marketplace. Because of cringe.

And I haven't even mentioned the three legged dog!

 

[TwilightZone]

Decided to look back earlier in this thread for historical reasons I suppose lol

"The 61st film in the Walt Disney Animation Studios canon has a tentative title of Searcher Clade. This information comes following several trademarks filed by the Walt Disney Company in recent days, including this title. Other trademarks filed include the character names of Ethan Clade, Meridian Clade, and Captain Calypso Kahn. As Ethan was previously revealed to be the main character in the film, it can only be assumed he is the titular “Searcher Clade”

Ethan Clade is a Bi-racial (Caucasian/African-American) 14-year old. The studio is looking for voiceover talent 18 and older to play the role. According to the logline, Ethan “sounds very typical as far as teenagers go. Playful and quick-witted, but can also retreat. He can be a wise-, but he isn’t particularly tough. The actor VOICING him should be FUNNY, LIKABLE, & SOUND LIKE A 14 YR OLD, but also possess the ability to quickly turn inward and show us a SOFT EMOTIONAL SIDE.”

The movie is directed by Don Hall (Director of Winnie the Pooh, Raya and the Last Dragon, & Big Hero 6) with writer Qui Nguyen (Raya and the Last Dragon) writing the film. The release date is currently set for November 23, 2022.

Title Revealed for 2022 Animated Disney Film

We now have information regarding the title of the Walt Disney Animation Studios film following Encanto. Read: Teaser Trailer For Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Newest Film ‘Encanto’ is Here T…

thedisinsider.com

Disney Enterprises Inc Trademarks & Logos

uspto.report

Now titled Strange World. Here is the first piece of concept art!

Teaser trailer released -

More details from Annecy...

"Dennis Quaid, Lucy Liu, Gabrielle Union and Jaboukie Young-White have joined the key voice cast of “Strange World,” the upcoming adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and scheduled to be released on Nov. 23.

Directed by “Big Hero 6” helmer Don Hall, rolling off the success of “Raya and the Last Dragon,” and written and co-directed by Qui Nguyen, who co-wrote “Raya,” “Strange World” follows three generations of the Clade family, legendary explorers, who arrive at a dazzling land full of mysterious phenomena – shoals of flying fish, walking rock columns, and octupus-looking monsters, a recent trailer suggests.

Narrated in a retro visual style of ‘50s sci-fi B movies, “Strange World” will have granddad Jaeger Clade voiced by Quaid. Young-White voices the grandson, Ethan. Union voices Meridian, who is married to son Searcher, played as already announced by Jake Gyllenhaal. Liu is Callisto Mal, head of Avolonea, the magical setting to the film.

Inspired by Edgar Rice Burrows and Jules Verne, the movie incorporates other non-speaking characters, such as a three-legged dog, Legend, and a gelatinous blue blob , Splay, whom they meet on their adventure."


Description of the scenes:

"Walt Disney screens three sequences of “Strange World.” In the first, Ethan seems to have a same-sex flirtation in a field with heartthrob Diazo, the flirtation being interrupted by Searcher whose very accepting reaction embarrass Ethan.

The second sequence unveil at Annecy was an action scene as the whole family explores a cavern in a lime green looking submarine which is attacked by a creature which resembles origami fuchsia stingrays.

The attack ends with the family separated, Searcher and his dog stranded in a strange new world while Ethan and mom stay on the ship.

In sequence three, Searcher and the dog explore new surroundings, the crazy landscape looking like a coral refer painted bright pink.

Meeting Splat, they get attacked by a Cthulhu-looking beast, only to be rescued by a bearded old hunter who takes off his hood. “Dad?!!” Searcher exclaims."

Jake Gyllenhaal Joined by Dennis Quaid, Lucy Liu, Gabrielle Union in Disney’s ’Strange World’

In an Annecy 'Strange World' unveil, Disney revealed a queer lead character of color, played by Jaboukie Young-White.

variety.com

What was known about the movie originally, here the premise seemed to have promise and value.

New trailer -



Poster -

View attachment 668189

This trailer, however, killed all the hype. May have killed the movie entirely.

Has it been mentioned that this film will feature a gay romance? I found this news recently:

Disney's "Strange World" Features Gay Teen Romance

The animated feature "Strange World," scheduled for release in November, will be the first Disney movie to feature a gay romance.

www.metroweekly.com

Not making a statement one way or another, but you have to admit that may divide audiences. I am betting now that they pull an Osmosis Jones and the "strange world" in question is inside the protagonist and it is all about growing up and discovering who you are.

Agree with others that the animation could be more interesting...

The first news article mention of the gay romance


Lots of comments from a variety of members predicting the movie would fail, not just cause of the gay main character, but because the first trailer made the movie look bland

Disney really doesn't know how to make movies anymore, huh? Everything since Frozen has felt like a return to the early 2000's. This gives off such strong Atlantis, Treasure Planet, Lilo and Stitch, Meet the Robinsons vibes. Not a good sign.

Hm, I'm conflicted on this one. I LOVED the vibe from the original teasers, but this trailer does nothing for me. The cast doesn't seem likeable, and the lines that I think are supposed to be jokes don't hit with any actual humor.

I thought it was going to be more mysterious with a touch of spooky, but instead they went with slapstick and wacky.

I'm expecting mind-blowing visuals with completely forgettable characters (a la Rogue One).

I loved the first trailer but didn't like the second. I agree that this feels weirdly like an early 2000s Disney movie. Now I happened to like Atlantis and Treasure Planet and thought Meet the Robinsons is better than its reputation, but all of those were commercial dissapointments.

Everyone stay clear of this one, it looks like a bomb. Terrible ... absolutely terrible. I don't know if they have been using new outside "talent" or what, but it doesn't look like a Disney film. It looks like the characters that didn't make it into Buzz Lightyear.

I'm not even going to watch it for free on Disney+.

This trailer confirms my first thoughts on this film: unappealing characters (some are downright ugly, thanks to below-par character design), a storyline that fails to intrigue or inspire (why should we care about the dad finding HIS dad?) and an uninteresting fantasy world. This does not look like a Disney film. No magic, no charm, no visual beauty. This is sad. Some are comparing it to Treasure Planet, but Planet had absolutely beautiful visuals, wonderful character designs, and real personality (I love Dr. Doppler and Long John Silver in particular). This has FAIL written all over it. We'll see how it does at the box office...

My impression after seeing the trailer = MEH!

Yep, it doesn't look good at all.

Plus Disney has been unable to create a good futuristic/space film.

This is definitely going to be put on D+ either right away or within a month or so after it debuts.

I'd love it if they put all their efforts into telling a great story with great characters. But that has become secondary for them for some reason. Even though that's what makes them money.

And not just those movies, but Titan AE and The Iron Giant were also financial failures upon their initial release.

The track record for Western animated sci-fi in theaters is pretty bad, regardless of any one film's quality. Lilo and Stitch and Wall-E appear to be the main exceptions, but the former isn't really hard sci-fi after the prologue and Wall-E was released at a time when Pixar had a near flawless track record for critical and commercial success.

Given all that, it's surprising this movie even got green lit in the first place.

However, the lack of substantial promotion 2 months out suggests that Disney may have already regretted that decision.

It also doesn't help that the movie is sandwiched in between Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Avatar: The Way of Water — two movies that have a good chance of making more than a billion dollars. Since Disney now owns Marvel and the Avatar franchise, the company will probably make more of an effort to promote those films than Strange World.

Even if Strange World didn't have a gay kid in it, I would still be concerned about its box office prospects. The film is giving strong Atlantis/Treasure Planet vibes. While I personally enjoyed all three of those movies, each was a notorious sci-fi Disney flop. Outside of Star Wars and Lilo & Stich, Disney rarely has financial success when it comes to tackling science fiction.


Black Panther and Avatar are going to be the movies that save Disney's fourth-quarter earnings.

I definitely think Strange World will strongly underperform.

However, the vast majority of their last 10 feature films have been incredibly successful. It's a little difficult to say whether Raya left much impression and Winnie the Pooh would be the distant one on that list. It's otherwise one of their most successful runs of ten perhaps next to the Mermaid through Tarzan stretch.

Strange World seems to have a fairly uninteresting protagonist. I'm not sure anyone is rushing out to watch a movie about a Fish out of Water Dad. It's going for the 50's/60's throw back family drama flare, but Incredibles did that so much better.

Most of what they showed at their Animation Panel looked very good, Strange World I was distinctly meh on. Atlantis and Treasure Planet seem like poignant comparators.

This one is going to tank hard.

At least with Buzz Lightyear you had a known character. This one has a bunch of people that look like extras in Lightyear. Plus the trailer is strange and it doesn't grab me at all. I wouldn't even watch it on Disney+ for free.

Disney has to stop making these niche movies that the masses don't want to see.

Aren't you glad I love looking around?

 

[Magenta Panther]

You may not be talking about content, but others are. Multiple posters are saying that Disney is too preoccupied making "woke" films to make good films. That's the claim I'm responding to.

Now, as to your argument that queer characters and themes may be automatically off-putting to certain viewers (regardless of the production's quality), I agree that's probably—and regrettably—the case. But that's really those viewers' problem, and I don't want Disney or any other company pandering to them.

Fair enough.

 

[TP2000]

I didn't even know the main character was gay before it released. No one did. News articles didn't discuss about it until after the movie already flopped and lost millions of dollars.

I only knew about it because of this thread, and only until a couple days before it opened. So why even bother?

It was well hidden, if there was anything about the main character being gay before it released, it certainly wasn't discovered by most.

Strange World was well hidden all over the place. Deliberately buried. And that's the real story, which too many folks here seem to want to ignore. $180 Million goes POOF! at Thanksgiving and no one thinks it's weird? I think it's weird.

 

[LittleBuford]

So why even include it in this children's movie?

Why not include it?

 

[TP2000]

Why not include it?

How does it advance the storyline of being inside the internal organs of a giant sea creature?

Especially if his sexuality is of no particular concern to his family and culture?