Walt Disney Animation Studios' original sci-fi comedy-adventure Strange World is due to hit theaters next week, and today tickets for the movie went on sale. Inspired by classic adventure stories, Strange World follows the Clades, a legendary family of explorers, on a crucial mission that takes them to an uncharted and treacherous land.
Of course, as is the case with most Disney animated films, there's a much deeper story beneath the surface. According to director Don Hall, the film is about "three generations of the Clade family who overcome their differences while exploring a strange, wondrous and oftentimes hostile world."
Disney shared a new clip from the film which introduces us to some of the Clade family members. The clip begins with Searcher Clade, Ethan Clade, and Meridian Clade, as well as a blue blobby creature called Splat, all trapped in a closet of sorts and in need of rescuing. Thankfully (or maybe not?), the family's three-legged and perpetually happy dog, Legend, is there to help — sort of. While just a minute in length, the clip gives us a sense of the type of humor and family bickering we'll witness as the Clades attempt to work together on this crucial mission.
While the pandemic has conditioned many of us to expect Disney's animated films to head straight to Disney+, Strange World will get a theatrical release first. This is more in line with Disney Animation's rich tradition of bringing family-friendly favorites to the big screen around the Thanksgiving holiday weekend — including 2016's Moana, 2019's Frozen 2, and last year's Oscar winner Encanto. Those are obviously some mighty big blockbusters for Strange World to live up to, but this is a film about a family at its core, and what better time to release than during a holiday weekend in which most of us will be with family and loved ones.
Strange World stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Searcher Clade, a family man who finds himself out of his element on an unpredictable mission; Dennis Quaid as Searcher’s larger-than-life explorer father, Jaeger; Jaboukie Young-White as Searcher’s 16-year-old son, Ethan, who longs for adventure; Gabrielle Union as Meridian Clade, an accomplished pilot and Searcher’s partner in all things; and Lucy Liu as Callisto Mal, Avalonia’s fearless leader who spearheads the exploration into the strange world.
The film is helmed by Don Hall, the Oscar-winning director of Big Hero 6. he also directed 2021's Raya and the Last Dragon. It's co-directed and written by Qui Nguyen, co-writer of Raya and the Last Dragon, and produced by Roy Conli (Big Hero 6, Tangled).
Strange Worlds invites moviegoers to explore the adventures beyond our world on November 23, 2022. As the film is releasing exclusively in theaters, it might be a few weeks or months before it comes to Disney+.