The Clade clan is willing to do anything to save the city of Avalonia. Even if that means going to a whole new world and also facing their — multiple — family problems. The story of Strange world, ya dYoAvailable on Disney+, is a curious combination for a plot of a Disney movie. On the one hand, it is an astonishing technical display that pays homage to the best of science fiction. On the other, it is a family story, deeply felt, that narrates the vicissitudes of its characters in search of reconciliation.
Does such a mixture work? Strange world it has enough storytelling skill to make one genre complete the other. And to do it, furthermore, in the midst of a friendly moral about the importance of recognizing private history. During the last years, Disney has dedicated a good part of its films to this domestic exploration, with characters in search of identity instead of love. But Strange world it goes far beyond that. He dares to propose a whole journey of self-discovery through science fiction.
Also, not just any vision about the extraordinary. There is a formidable retro element and of the traditional pulp magazines, both in its aesthetics and in its approach. The underground world that the Clades are about to discover is much more than a layer of reality. It is an entire ecosystem that, in addition, will make it clear that your link with the outside world — and with Avalonia — is not entirely free. Quite an elegant symbol of the way the Clade understand themselves, of course.
Strange world is now available on Disney+
Under the earth and the mysteries in Strange world
Of course, the uneven scenarios pose a difficult challenge. In some points, Strange world seems to go through the plots of two different films. But, even so, there is a substantial point that unites both premises. The extraordinary beauty of a universe that is structured in unforgettable images, which, at the same time, reflects the changes in the family, the core of the narrative.
In several of his most striking scenes, the red, orange, and crimson skies that sweep over the characters seem to reflect their moods. Even the formless creatures that slip between inexplicable places, with rocks that jump from one side to another, react to emotions. At least, that is what the production’s attention to detail and meticulous look at its most astonishing settings seems to suggest. May these be a tangible display of your pain, confusion, and ultimately reconciliation.
The formula of Strange world, without a doubt, becomes more and more evident as the Clades discover the great secret that unites them with each other. One of a nature as simple as it is moving. From the father who tries to understand her son, without success, to the mother who tries to conceive of her family as an adventure.
The clan of adventurers in uncharted lands soon find that the real mission that leads them to cross unknown strata is love. Such a message — so obvious and, at times, even clichéd — could be downright tedious. But the formidable beauty of the world that surrounds the protagonists supports the argument of Strange world as an exciting subtext.
In the end, family is everything.
Avalonia, the fictional home city of the Clade, is surrounded by rugged and inaccessible mountains. A more than obvious symbol about the various problems and pains that family members go through. Since Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid) disappeared and his son Searcher (Jake Gyllenhaal) took his place, the demands are clear. As well as the jagged peaks that protect — and hide — the city.
But slowly, the landscape in Strange world it becomes more astonishing, brilliantly colorful and further and further away from any ordinary definition. In the same way, the emotions of the Clades surface, they become strange, difficult to explain. A powerful and complicated line links to the underworld — the source of the hometown’s energy — and the family reunion.
Little by little it is more obvious that Strange world uses science fiction as a sophisticated vehicle to tell an emotional story. Also an adorable journey through the unknown lands of human emotions. Perhaps its highest and deepest point. The one that turns the film into an endearing experience.