STRANGE WORLD – Review

In order to continue the big holiday festivities, the “mouse house” is releasing another full-length animated feature to enjoy with the whole family once the leftover goodies are sealed off and sent to the fridge. But you can enjoy this if you’re celebrating solo, too. Now a few days ago, I praised a remake. or re-imagining, of one of their iconic animated classics, and I was lukewarm on their own sequel to a popular hybrid (live and ‘toon) from 15 years ago. So, naturally, they’re sending out an original cartoon flick, not a sequel, prequel, or spin-off. And it’s not set on an Earth-bound fantasy kingdom, but on another world. Ah, but then so was last summer’s LIGHTYEAR from sister studio Pixar. Nope, this is from the artists that really delivered the previous year with ENCANTO (just an opening title song here), Walt Disney Animation Studios, who hope that you’ll join them in a journey to a truly STRANGE WORLD (cue the theremin).

Yes, the title tune brings us up to speed in the film’s first few minutes, giving us the “4-11” on the world of Avalonia, a technically primitive society (horse carts, windmills, and such) that yearns to see what’s beyond the massive mountains that surround them. Why, that’s a job for their most intrepid and adventurous explorer, Jaeger Clade (voice of Dennis Quaid), and his teenage son Searcher (Jake Gyllenhaal). All’s going well until a most dangerous passage reveals a weird, glowing plant called Pando, It emits crackling electric-life energy, and Searcher wants to harness it for the Avalonians. This prompts a stand-off as Jaeger insists on forging ahead despite almost certain doom. And thus begins a parting of father and son, as Jaeger continues, while Searcher and the rest of the crew return home with the Pando. Several years passed and the plant has indeed changed the planet, powering new contraptions and transports, and also providing a plentiful food source, So plentiful that Searcher oversees his own massive Pando farm along with his wife Meridian (Gabrielle Union) and their teeage son, who has gotten his grandpop’s explorer genes, Ethan (Jaboukie Young White). Jaeger never returned, so a statue of him along with his son tower above the nearby village. All seem’s well, until the Clades notice that part of the crop has no, well, spark. It’s a bust. This precedes an unexpected visit from former crew member, and current president of Avalonia, Callisto Mal (Lucy Liu). She’s discovered that all the Pando crops are connected via their roots to a massive “heart’ deep underground. And that central “organ” is failing. She implores Searcher to join her and her aides aboard a massive airship, the Venture, on a journey into the dark depths to save their precious food/energy source. Searcher bids his family farewell and boards the Venture. As it begins its mission, Searcher is stunned to see that Meridian is tailing them in a small one-person crop duster. It turns out that it’s a family reunion because she tells him that Ethan and the family pooch are stowaways on the ship. Before Meridian can return with them the Venture comes under attack and gets two new crew members. When they finally escape the threat, the ship lands in a bizarre world filled with weird unknown creatures. What new dangers await them and their cohorts in this odd hostile new environment? Can they save their precious Pando?

Now here’s a rollicking adventure tale with satiric touches, imaginative creatures and backdrops, cool gizmos, and a family saga at its core (which is the setting for most of the really wild antics). Plus it features a terrific vocal ensemble. Quaid provides the macho blustering as Clade senior, Jaeger, and Gyllenhaal scores a good many laughs as the dad who just wants his kid (and his pals) to think he’s the cool papa. Union’s a no-nonsense mom that keeps her family grounded(and alive). And Young white bursts with youthful yearning. Oh, I hinted at the look of the film, which is eye-popping. The Pando-fueled transports have a retro beauty, a mating of steampunk and Flash Gordon with intricate little flourishes and fins. Now the underground world is a rainbow pastel explosion with curving slopes and jagged edges. And the wildlife, wow. Check out those magenta-glowing dragons. Or the horses with exlpoding worms for a head. All seem to be a candy-colored mix of Dali and Dr. Seuss. As a bonus, we’re treated to a cool comic book-inspired prologue with the classic 2D animation accented with old-school printers’ dots enhanced by a rousing choral march right out of a grainy TV ‘toon. So, it’s a true visual delight, but something just feels off. The characters look like true caricatures (Jaegar owes much to the bulk of Bluto, Popeye’s arch nemesis), but the movie gets bogged down with the bickering between the different Clade generations. And the ecological message is often pretty heavy-handed, even as we marvel at the weird sidekick Splat who resembles a shiny strobing rubber beanbag filled with gelatin. What may be at fault is the nearly two-hour running time (so many this film year) making several of the non-stop perils fairly repetitive. There are countless wonders to dazzle the senses in this STRANGE WORLD, it’s just a shame it doesn’t engage our hearts and heads.

3 Out of 4

STRANGE WORLD is now playing in theatres everywhere