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What would life be like as the son of Indiana Jones, or Doc Savage, or Nathan Drake – one of those iconic explorers who seeks fortune and glory above all else? That's the question from which the idea for Strange World, Disney's latest animated feature, germinated. "And then from there," co-director and writer Qui Nguyen tells Total Film, "what happens when they have a kid? How do they raise them?"
From those questions, the filmmakers created the dynamic family at the center of Strange World – the Clades. There's the larger-than-life explorer extraordinaire Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid), his son Searcher Clade (Jake Gyllenhaal), a reluctant adventurer-turned-farmer, and his son, Ethan Clade (Jaboukie Young-White), who wants a life beyond the farm. The complex relationship between these three generations forms the movie's heart as the Clades go on a vibrant journey into a mysterious subterranean land.
"When Don [Hall, director] first pitched me the film, that was the thing that really attracted me, because I love father-son stories," says producer Roy Conli. "Father-son stories are so universal and really, that this is father, son, and grandson expanded that a bit."
While Jaeger is a fearless explorer, Searcher has not followed in his father's footsteps; he instead looks after his home, Avalonia, and the renewable, plant-based energy source, pando, that sustains it. However, something's turning the pando bad, and Searcher joins an expedition beneath Avalonia, which leads to the discovery of a wondrous hidden world.
Hall, who co-directed the blockbuster animated musical Moana, says that the environmentally conscious story came from thinking about his own family. "I was thinking about what kind of world [my kids] are inheriting and what kind of world I inherited from my dad, who happens to be a farmer," he says. "From the jump, it was going to be a generational story that spoke to the environment. And I love adventure films. Growing up, I loved King Kong and Land That Time Forgot all the way up through Raiders of the Lost Ark. I thought that would be a great vehicle for an environmental film."
Behind the journey
Joining Quaid, Gyllenhaal, and Young-White is an all-star cast including Gabrielle Union and Lucy Liu. "I have never worked with a cast who was so into the story," says Conli. "Jake was the first person that we cast. We were supposed to have a one-hour meeting to pitch him the film, and two and a half hours later, he was leaving the building. He just got so into the story, and he wanted to be involved. And that's what we want. Animation is an iterative art form, so when you have someone like Gabrielle Union and Jaboukie Young-White, who are incredible in terms of improv, it really makes the world come alive."
"Jake, our very first record, had some thoughts about a scene and Qui rewrote it that night," says Hall. "We came back in and re-recorded it the next day, and that's just how we work normally. And we extended that to all the actors and brought them in and they all really put themselves in this, and it was so gratifying… having them come in and bring their whole artistic selves to this film."
The collaborative spirit extended to the animation itself, with Hall and Nguyen pushing the art team in unusual directions to create the eponymous strange world, which became a bright mix of curious creatures and living, breathing landscapes in vivid pinks and oranges.
"Most of our collaboration was giving the team dares," laughs Nguyen. "Like, 'Make it weird, make it strange, make it stranger!' And Don kept on putting rules on everything ["I prefer conditions," interjects Hall], going 'Oh, once we go underground, colors like blue, green, earth tones, we're going to ban them from underground. So you have to come up with incredible different color combinations. Also, no faces on any of these creatures, including one of our main characters, Splat.'"
Splat, the blue blob who becomes firm friends with Ethan, is sure to steal the heart of everyone. "In this kind of adventure, when you have explorers going into a new world, one of the tropes of that structure is they find a guide," explains Conli. "We needed someone to help them fend their way through strange world, and we couldn't think of anyone better than Splat… There's something about what you can do in animation with a character that doesn't speak, and in this particular case, doesn't have any eyes, doesn't have any lips, but you can see his expressions, and you could feel his heart within that little blue body."
Strange new world
So far, so Disney. But Strange World pushes the studio in a new direction: it features a same-sex romance. Ethan has a crush on his friend, Diazo. "From day one, Don had the idea that that's who Ethan was," says Conli. "And that's the beautiful aspect of the story: Ethan is. That's it. We are making films that represent our studio and that represent the world. It's so great.”
"It was foundational," says Hall. "With Ethan, that's how he was born. He was born pretty fully formed in terms of a character and his gayness was going to be one aspect of him and not the focus. He has so many other attributes: he's bold and incredibly empathetic, which is actually his superpower. That's why he really carries the environmental theme of the film."
Strange World also lacks a traditional villain. While Disney is famous for those iconic baddies, lately the company has been turning away from the archetype. "Within the structure of this film, there is an antagonist," says Conli. "The difference between an antagonist and a villain is something that we've been playing with. This story, because it's a story about family, and it's a story about these three generations, you really don't want a villain. You want them to work it out and figure out how these three generations can come together and become whole. And that's the core of the story."
"We were profiling a lot of pulp stories, and one of the themes is man versus nature," says Nguyen. "Nature was more the antagonist than it was a specific person. We could have made an oil baron or something, but we also wanted to surprise and defy expectations of what this could be."
Instead of focusing on one singular bad guy, then, the movie grapples with the central family's shortcomings. "One of the big fights is Searcher's flaw, not seeing how he's turned into his father to his own child," Nguyen says. "The whole film was, we can do better. Part of it is, we have to recognize the flaws within ourselves in our relationship with our families, and with the planet itself."
"But we are aware of the public outcry for more traditional villains," Hall laughs. "Much like, 'Can you stop killing moms?' We're very aware of all this stuff, so we'll see in the future. I like stories that are a little more nuanced, without such polar opposite good and bad. I find more interest in the middle."
100 years of adventures
Considering Disney has kicked off its 100 year anniversary celebrations this year, where do the filmmakers see Strange World in the studio's canon?
"I do think we're worthy to sit on the shelf with all those other films," says Hall. "It is something that I am conscious of, because this is all I've ever wanted to do and Disney films are why I'm here. That's why I'm doing this. You also don't want to get shut down or be conservative [because of] the legacy, because it can be daunting. To me, I find it more empowering, and it makes me want to make sure that our film can stand on its own ground on the shelf with all those other films. I'm very proud of it, and I am proud of being part of that 100-year legacy."
As for Conli, who started at the studio producing Hunchback of Notre Dame in the '90s, he firmly believes Strange World has that magical Disney touch. "I've been there for 30 years now, I'll celebrate my thirtieth year in May, so I haven't even been there a third of the time. I think Walt [Disney] would be very proud of it," he says. "Don and Qui have pushed the boundaries of what a Disney film could be, because no one's ever seen a film like this. That world is something completely new and refreshing, and yet it fits right within the Disney canon, because Walt was always looking for new, fresh stories. The differences between Pinocchio and Lady and the Tramp and Jungle Book – they're enormous! But they were all touched by Walt. This really fits within the Disney canon in a beautiful way."
Strange World releases exclusively in theaters on Wednesday, November 23. For more on the movie, check out Conli reflecting on Disney's shift from CGI to hand drawn animation and Hall breaking down Strange World's big twist through the links. Get excited for everything else the House of Mouse has in store for us with our guide to all the upcoming Disney movies.
