Disney has recently released a new animated movie and there is a high chance you haven’t heard of it. Disney’s Strange World focuses on the explorer family, The Clades. The movie was released on 23 November receiving a 75% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 61st movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Dennis Quaid among other names.
However, Disney fans are a bit confused. They are wondering if the movie was advertised before its release as they are having a tough time placing a moment where they saw anything about the film’s release on their phone screens. Did Disney forget about the film? While some are comparing it to Encanto, others believe the movie might have been overshadowed.
Where Did Strange World Come From?
The initial earnings for Strange World directed by Don Hall have been quite disappointing. Made with a whopping budget of $180 million, the animated film only managed to make a mere $800,000. According to an estimate, even earning $40 million over the Thanksgiving holiday might be a bit of a stretch. Sure animated movies don’t really make it big at the box office, but Strange World’s reception is especially disheartening.
Why didn’t the movie perform? Well, Disney fans have a theory. They believe that Disney didn’t really play its part in advertising the movie. People took to Twitter to express their confusion stating that they hadn’t even heard about Strange World until its release. Many compared the movie to Encanto which wasn’t quite discussed either until it was available to stream on Disney+.
I didn't even know that it was coming out TODAY until the poster showed up in my feed. I follow animation pretty heavily, it's like they set this thing up to flop
— meaty monster (@meatymonster452) November 24, 2022
Im a big Disney fan, at the park a few times a month and a few Disney cruises a year. I read film blogs every day. I never heard of this film ever.
— Right Handed Power (@righthandedpwr) November 24, 2022
They're not exactly merchandising it either – most of their focus is on Black Panther Wakanda Forever and the upcoming Avatar movie.
— Gregory Pearsoll (@GPJaysfan) November 23, 2022
Was there even marketing for this? I had no idea it was even out, and had only even heard of it recently… 🤔
— Matt (@cfusionpm) November 24, 2022
Encanto went through the same thing, Chapek did not prioritize budgeting for animated film marketing
— LeblancPhotography@FanExpoCanada (@KingofToons) November 23, 2022
— Jarryd 🐨 -Sonic Orienteers- (@JMotion0) November 24, 2022
Fans also think that the animated movie somehow somewhere got lost between the hype of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Avatar: The Way of Water. This might not be a far fetch as both of these movies were heavily advertised and The Way of Water is currently hogging up all the excitement of Disney fans. A Film fanatic on Twitter even stated that even while keeping tabs on film blogs and reading them every day, no mention of Strange World was seen.
Fans believe that the movie will gain popularity only once it is available to stream on Disney+. Looks like Strange World is falling to the same fate as numerous other animated movies released by Disney.
Strange World’s Reviews Are In!
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Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Gabrielle Union as the lead voices in the movie, Strange World set out to create a new and exciting world. The main character, Ethan, being openly queer, was quite refreshing to watch. While Disney’s previous attempts at depicting gay characters have fallen flat, Ethan’s portrayal combined with his crush on Diazo makes it seem much better than the previous attempts. It’s neither forced nor “just there” for the views. However, the movie does fall victim to the usual Disney clichés.
While critics call it a fun movie to watch, they also mention that it’s quite a forgettable movie, making it a one-time judge. Critics also add that while Strange World has a unique look to it, the story isn’t quite original in itself. Disney fans are, however, free to judge it themselves!
Strange World is currently playing in theatres.
Source: Twitter
