When it comes to Disney, the studio is no stranger to adventures. There have been many adventurous tales that have defined Walt Disney Animated Studio with most of their films dealing with fantasy realms. Yet a genre that is rarely seen from the studio is that of Sci-fi. There have been a few films over the years that could be categorized in this area but they do not appear as often as you expect and this could be because the studio has had limited success with sci-fi films. Nevertheless Disney takes another swing at this genre and as the studio’s 100 year anniversary looms, Disney releases its latest animated feature, Strange World, just in time for the holidays.

Directed by Don Hall, Strange World tells the story of Searcher Clade (Jake Gyllenhaal) who travels under the surface in order to save his town, but the journey is more than Searcher bargains for as he not only finds a whole new world but also his estranged father Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid). Along with being an homage to pulp magazines, the new movie takes inspiration from stories such as Journey to the Center of the Earth and even King Kong. Along with inspiration from the classics, the filmmakers wanted the animation to stand out by creating vibrant colors for the mysterious world. Between the pulp influence and the fun tone seen in the previews, Strange World looked like a promising adventure for Disney. After seeing the new Disney film for myself, I can say that Strange World is indeed a safe journey for the House of Mouse.

Disney has created many adventures over the years, so it can be difficult for a movie like Strange World to stand out. Unfortunately for the new movie, it does not do much to be a breakout movie for the studio. When it came to the story, the film’s plot was as straightforward as one could get. The plot had a fun sense of adventure, but the surprises were few and lacked impact. When it came to the world itself, both the land of Avalonia as well as the strange world could be interesting, but I felt both areas needed more time to flesh out. This issue was a prime example of how the plot’s quick pacing, while understandable, hurt the story’s execution. Yet this is not to say everything about the story was bad. When it came to its thematic nature, aspects like family was a good way to keep the plot grounded and it led to solid moments for an otherwise tame adventure.

The cast also had its share of ups and downs. When it came to both Searcher and Jaeger, both characters were easily the highlights to the cast. Between their similar conflicts and the performances from Jake Gyllenhaal and Dennis Quaid, both Clades made for a fun duo. Equally as enjoyable was Searcher’s son Ethan (Jaboukie Young-White). While some of his progression needed more tuning, Ethan’s direction was understandable and White’s performance brought a lot of life to the young hero. As for the rest of the cast, the characters were alright. The likes of Meridian Clade (Gabrielle Union) and Callisto Mal (Lucy Liu) were fine but their characters needed more clarification, particularly Callisto, while the rest of the exploration crew just felt unnecessary. The cast also featured two sidekicks with the dog Legend and a blob named Splat. As sidekicks go, both characters could be off putting in places, but there was some enjoyment to them and they did enough to bring some flair to this animated cast.

The filmmakers were trying to make the animation as vibrant as possible, and in some way they succeeded. While aspects like character design seemed rather normal for Disney, the animation did give the strange world a distinct look- though perhaps the contrast between the world and the characters was intentional. An aspect that I found endearing was the movie’s cinematography which gave the film a pulp element reminiscent of movies such as Star Wars. Aiding in the pulp vibe was none other than the score by Henry Jackman. While the music was Jackman’s best work, the score was certainly fitting as it gave the movie an adventurous and helped to solidify the movie’s vibrant tone.

Strange World is a typical experience from Walt Disney Animation. The movie does its best to be stylish in its presentation, but is held back due to its broad direction in story and characters. Yet between the vibrant animation and the fun atmosphere, this animated feature had enough merit to make it an enjoyable time. Strange World may not be a new frontier for the studio, but it does have some charm to it; at least enough to make this Disney film an enjoyable family movie.