Strange World

The last fifteen minutes or so do redeem this to a certain extent, but otherwise it is a curiously disjointed story that seems drawn from "Island at the Top of the World" (1974) with bits of "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" (1959) and "The Lost World" (1960) thrown in for good measure. We start with the legendary explorer "Jaeger Clade" who is determined to find a way past the enclosing mountain peaks of their community. Like many a father, he drags along his unwilling son and when things come to an head, he proceeds alone leaving the younger man "Searcher" with his newly discovered crop of radioactive Brussels sprouts. Twenty-five years pass, and he has now grown up and successfully developed a farm of these particularly useful vegetables. He even has his own statue! Suddenly, though, the plants start to die and it falls to him and his own young son "Ethan" to embark on a perilous mission to the heart of the plant's root system and save it before it dies. These escapades are nicely and creatively animated with some fun to be had along the way, but there is simply too much sentiment, familial discord and cheesy dialogue to sustain this - as well as a dog that really annoys after a while. The characterisations are really undercooked and just about every box you can imagine is ticked as the story ultimately concludes with a bit of a nod to Oriental mythology. It is certainly watchable, but there is no need to shell out on a cinema ticket for it. Disney+ will do fine in due course when you can safely leave the kids to watch.

Visually wondrous but spectacularly dull, unbelievably unfunny, and lackluster from the inside out in every other aspect, _Strange World_ is a superficially stimulating with the entertainment value of a wet yet adventurous sponge. **Full review:** https://boundingintocomics.com/2022/12/02/strange-world-review-a-mundane-narrative-nurtured-by-invigorating-visuals/

Strange World had the potential to be another Disney classic, but unfortunately, some problems limited my total enjoyment. From the get-go, I need to mention that the animation is breathtaking, and is probably the best Disney has done so far. The animators got to flex their muscles with the fantastic worlds and interesting creatures. It is so flush with color and energy; it was extremely pleasant on the eyes from start to finish. The overarching story was fun, and I enjoyed the premise of discovering a technology that is simultaneously progressing your civilization while also destroying it. It has a great message of preserving the world, even though it is extremely heavy-handed at times. The action was great, the exploration was mesmerizing, and the diversity of the world was superb. At a macro level, this movie worked for me in almost every way. The main issues I had with this film were the characters. Individually they are all interesting and unique, even though some of them are major caricatures. But the connections between them are all over the place. A lot of the motivations the characters have are inorganic and feel forced to push the narrative of parent vs child throughout generations. This left me having very little emotions when the characters clashed in high-tension arguments which limited a lot of the impact of the film. Although, the blue creature was cute, funny, and perfect! I loved him. This movie had a lot going on, and it suffers for it. As a kid movie, the plot and themes were all over the place, and it was sometimes confusing for me. Despite that, it is a visual spectacle filled with many laughs and fun adventures. Score: 67% | Verdict: Good | Theater Verdict: See It