Strange World: an eco-friendly and inclusive adventure

We are definitely living in a strange world. And we’re not saying this because that’s literally the title of Disney’s 2022 animated fantasy film, Strange World; but also because in a very short period of time, Disney has been surprising us with projects that are not only diverse but also inclusive.

After watching Willow and being pleasantly surprised by its sapphic representation, we stumbled upon an animated film that, while it went a little under the radar after its release in November of last year, has a main character who is openly gay. Yes, you heard that right folks, an openly gay lead. Can you believe it? 

It may be a bit early to say this and we hope we don’t have to eat our words in the future, but it seems that we’re slowly leaving behind the days when Disney would praise themselves for including a blink-and-you-miss-it scene with LGBTQ characters and get points for inclusion, and now they’re actually making an effort and putting queer experiences at the center of their stories. And you know what? We’re here for it.

There’s still a lot of work to be done and we can’t call what they’ve been giving us perfect, but it’s definitely a start and we champion that. So without further ado, let’s venture into this strange world that co-directors Don Hall (Moana, Raya and the Last Dragon) and Qui Nguyen (Raya and the Last Dragon) brought to our screens, shall we? 

A very strange world indeed

Strange World tells the story of three generations of explorers who set out on a very Jules Verne-esque adventure in order to save their mountain valley home – Avalonia. The film opens with explorer Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid) as he takes his then-teenage son Searcher Clade (Jake Gyllenhaal) on an adventure to discover what lies behind the mountains, as that land promises to hold the key to bringing prosperity to Avalonia.

However, as the mission progresses and the dangers increase, Searcher tries to convince his father to put an end to his idea of trying to cross the mountains since they have already found a mysterious green plant – called Pando – that could save their town. But Mr. Clade is an explorer and has dreamed of conquering those mountains all his life, so he dismisses his son immediately and abandons him to continue his quest on his own.

Twenty-five years pass and with Mr.Clade now presumed to be dead, we see Searcher as an adult with a family of his own. He is a farmer and, along with his wife Meridian (Gabrielle Union), his teenage son Ethan (Jaboukie Young-White), and their three-legged dog Legend, they run the most successful Pando farm in all of Avalonia–Clade Farms. Thanks to his discovery of Pando and its energy properties, Searcher has become Avalonia’s hero, since Pando is now the main source of energy that powers the town.

But when Pando’s crops suddenly stop producing the same energy they used to produce in different regions of the town, the president of Avalonia and former member of Jaeger’s expedition crew, Callisto (Lucy Liu), arrives at Searcher’s farm to recruit him to help her find out what is causing Pando to die.

Long story short, despite all of Searcher’s hesitance to return to being an explorer, he agrees to join the mission and though he initially leaves his family behind to care for the farm, he quickly realizes that they have joined the adventure because Ethan – being the rebellious teenager that he is – snuck onto the ship.

And so, together, the Clades and a group of expert explorers from Avalonia travel deep into the earth in search of Pando’s heart in order to save it. But what they don’t expect is to find themselves trapped in a vibrant underground world filled with wild creatures, plants, and fauna that look like they came straight out of Pandora.

Like in any adventure, sooner rather than later danger strikes, and the group is separated. Ending up alone only with Legend by his side, Searcher is saved by a mysterious figure who turns out to be his own father, who after failing his mission to cross the mountains got trapped in this strange world and somehow learned to survive in it.

Despite all the years that have passed, Searcher and his father still can’t see eye-to-eye on anything and don’t know how to work as a team, even when their lives depend on it. But the circumstances that surround them somehow force them to work through their issues because they discover that Ethan is wandering alone in this dangerous world.

The rest of the film becomes a bit predictable from here, with all three generations reuniting and learning about each other in order to forgive each other, while also discovering what’s truly happening to Pando and what’s the real threat in the end.

Of course, we’re not going to tell you what happens because we hate spoilers, but there’s a powerful eco-friendly storyline that will make you reflect on many things. Pando, like any fossil fuel, has dire environmental consequences, and the revelation of this was, in our opinion, very well executed. Especially since the film is clearly aimed at the younger generations, so kudos for including this important message.

But what about the LGBTQ representation, you ask? Well, let’s talk about Ethan.

Ethan

As we already shared with y’all, Ethan is Searcher’s son and Jaeger’s grandson. He is a very compassionate and kind-hearted boy who wishes to experience life and be his own individual away from his family’s farm – something that sometimes puts him a bit at odds with his father, who wants him to continue cropping Pando for the rest of his life. But Ethan is different, and not just because he doesn’t want to be a farmer like his father and would much rather be an explorer like his grandfather before him, but because he’s also gay.

It is revealed very early in the film that Ethan has a massive – and totally cute – crush on his best friend Dianzo (Jonathan Melo). And we’re not going to lie, the way Strange World handled Ethan’s sexuality was refreshing and put huge smiles on our faces. Watching Searcher embarrass his son as he formally introduces himself to Diazo and tries to put a good word on his son’s behalf was everything we wanted and then some.

The fact that Ethan’s parents know and accept their kid for who he is without this being a problem or the sole defining aspect of his character is not something we’re used to seeing in movies, let alone in movies produced by Disney. But Strange World does a wonderful job with this, and even later in the movie proves it again when Ethan’s sexuality comes up again when his grandfather questions him about his love life and the eldest of the Clades doesn’t even blink at the fact that his grandson is in love with a boy, and on the contrary, offers him some advice so that when they get home he can get the boy.

Ethan is the first openly gay protagonist in a Disney Animation Studios film. Disney has previously introduced two LGBTQ protagonists in the animated series The Owl House, but up until Strange World, they hadn’t done so in a feature film. And while it’s clear they’re treading very carefully with the way they handle Ethan and Dianzo’s relationship, the representation is there front and center and we loved that. 

And while Strange World is quite entertaining and groundbreaking in terms of representation at Mickey Mouse’s parent company, we have to admit that it’s not the best movie of its genre and ends up feeling formulaic both in terms of storytelling and character development. Which is disappointing since we expected a lot more from it. After a very interesting opening pitch, we were left wanting more as the script got a bit chaotic and the narrative just sped up in an attempt to wrap up all the loose ends.

Does that make it bad? No, but it could have been so much better. The movie had all the basics you’d expect from a Disney animated film: adventure, a mission to save something, unlikely but brave heroes, and a fun sidekick creature. But, unfortunately, something was missing for it to stand out from the rest in its genre.

However, Strange World is a good source of entertainment and we loved watching this racially diverse family venture out on a crazy quest in this unknown but fascinating world. More of this, please.

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Strange World is available to stream exclusively on Disney+. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for all queer stuff!