Strange World Co-Directors Talk About How the Story Focuses on Three Generations of Men

With a family of adventurers and a dire mission to save the planet from a mysterious ecological crisis, Walt Disney’s latest animation creation, Strange World, journeys deep into a subterranean world where bizarre creatures and looming danger awaits. The Walt Disney Animation Studios’ original action-packed comedy adventure introduces a legendary family- the Clades, as they attempt to navigate an uncharted, treacherous land alongside a motley crew that includes a mischievous blob, a three-legged dog, and a slew of ravenous creatures.

The story focuses on three generations of men in the Clade family—Jaeger, Searcher, and Ethan. Their journey takes them into a world nobody knew existed, where they’ll encounter a bevvy of never-before-seen creatures—some weird, some wonderful, and some downright dangerous. Perhaps the biggest discovery that awaits the Clades is the key to their relationships, what the future holds for them if they find it and what their journey means in the bigger picture.

Strange World is the latest collaboration of co-directors Don Hall and Qui Nguyen, who previously worked on Raya and the Last Dragon, and features the voices of Jake Gyllenhaal as Searcher; 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 story has been produced by Oscar® recipient Roy Conli, and the film’s music is composed by Henry Jackman.

This seriously strange world is actually an allegory for planet Earth, said, director Don Hall. “What started everything was just thinking about my sons and the world they’re going to inherit. How is it different from what I inherited from my dad? How can we be good ancestors to those who follow?” he said.

Hall leaned into the idea of fathers and sons—how they don’t always see the world the same way. “My dad and I have a great relationship. He is a farmer, and I grew up helping out. But when I was 14 years old, it all changed. Suddenly, I was planting and doing more high-level stuff that I just didn’t want to do. It wasn’t me. It all turned out fine, but I always remembered that and thought it would be interesting to explore father/son relationships and the kind of expectations we put on our kids—intentionally or unintentionally,” he continued.

Meanwhile, co-director Nguyen recalled his early conversations with Hall about the story. “The thing that got me was when he said it’s about fathers and sons. I am also a dad of two kids and I felt like that was exactly what I wanted to be doing. This is a story I needed and wanted to tell. We could relate to Jaeger and Searcher when it comes to our kids. There’s a push and pull between ambition and just being a dad. It’s something almost every artist here at Disney—anyone who’s chasing a big dream—would understand. A big reason why we do it is for [our kids]—and, man, we don’t want to lose focus of that. This is the story that I’m going through, the story that Don is going through and the story our characters are going through,” said Nguyen.

For Producer Roy Conli, the dynamic between the characters is the heart of the story. “Father-son relationships are so beautiful and so fraught simultaneously. I came from the theater. My favourite play as a kid was ‘Death of a Salesman,’ which is a classic father-son tale. My father and I had an amazing relationship. I thought he was Superman until I was 15, when I realized he wasn’t Superman. We had a good 10 years of battle that fortunately, we came through. He was an amazing guy, and that father-son relationship is really special: It’s phenomenal and universal. I think fathers push their sons; sons reject their fathers, and then eventually they all come around.”

Strange World streams on Disney+ Hotstar starting December 23.

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