![]() Because this isn't a story about a teenager coming out or being gay - it's a story about saving your home and repairing generational relationships.There are just two good lines in the film ''Dee Snider's Strangeland.'' One is when Robert Englund, best known as Freddy Krueger, appears in a crowd of reporters and protesters outside a supposedly rehabilitated mass murderer's house and mutters, ''Somebody's got to take that boy out.'' The other is the mass murderer's own comment after having been hanged (well, nearly) by a lynch mob: ''What a rush!'' They don't sound like much, but the delivery and the context help. If anything, Disney deserves credit for promoting an inclusive story that isn't preachy or overwrought. ![]() It's disappointing that there's been controversy over the fact that the film includes Ethan's crush on a boy (and his family's complete support of that fact), which is roughly equivalent to the cute date depicted in Inside Out. The world-building includes peril at every turn, but, aside from one somewhat humorous implied death, the danger is never too overwhelming. Strange World's visuals are vibrant and cotton candy-colored as the new world comes to life around the curious Avalonians. ![]() Union particularly stands out as Ethan's no-nonsense, supportive mom. (Both will absolutely add to the delight of younger and dog-loving viewers.) Although the plot is mostly man-centered, the two main women characters, Meridian and Callisto, are hyper-capable, tough, and courageous. The environmentalist-friendly story offers plenty of laughs and fuzzy feels courtesy of Legend - the family's big, lovable, three-legged dog, who's boisterous and befriends everyone - and Splat, the blob-like, featureless being that Ethan discovers in the seemingly magical world. Filmmakers Don Hall and Qi Nguyen focus on the family relationships between Ethan, his parents, and his grandfather. This nostalgic homage to sci-fi adventures has a moving intergenerational storyline, positive diverse representation, and two adorable sidekicks. And Searcher and Ethan soon make an even more shocking discovery. They find a mysterious underground world where everything around them is a living, and potentially hostile, being. When Searcher and Ethan realize that there's a blight on the pando crop, they embark on a mission with commander Callisto Mal ( Lucy Liu) to determine what's causing the crops to die. Searcher, a pando farmer, has a wife, Meridian ( Gabrielle Union), and a 16-year-old son, Ethan ( Jaboukie Young-White), who - despite not knowing his grandfather - dreams of adventure. Called pando, it sustains the entire community's infrastructure. Twenty-five years later, Avalonia has thrived thanks to the plant that young Searcher discovered. Instead, Jaeger insists on continuing beyond the mountains, leaving his son behind. When Searcher finds a magical, power-giving plant, everyone on the mission - except Jaeger - believes they should settle there. Show moreĪs STRANGE WORLD begins, adventurer Jaeger Clade (voiced by Dennis Quaid) is trying to find a safe new home for the people of Avalonia, with his crew and his teen son, Searcher ( Jake Gyllenhaal), in tow. Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Gabrielle Union co-star. It's just part of the general inclusivity of the cast, which has representation across categories of race, ethnicity, and disability (the family has a happy tripod dog). He's also biracial, but his identity isn't the movie's focus. Teenage Ethan Clade (voiced by Jaboukie Young-White) is openly gay (although the word is never said) and has a crush on another boy. The story has positive messages about the environment, diplomatic relations, and honest communication between parents and children, whether they're teens or adults. Inspired by retro sci-fi films, the movie features several life-or-death pursuits and close calls, including the death of a minor character and the use of a flamethrower and other weapons to defeat foes. Parents need to know that Strange World is an exciting animated sci-fi adventure that follows the Clades, a family of famous explorers who must put aside their differences to hunt down whatever is killing their town's power-providing plants.
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