MAJOR SPOILERS are ahead for Walt Disney Animation’s Strange World. Check out the movie playing in theaters now before reading ahead.
After an exciting and original adventure in the depths of Avalonia supported by Strange World’s star-studded voice cast, there’s a twist about just what the Clades’ home has been all along. Rather than their dwelling being an island or mountains that lead to a whole world to discover, they learn that they’ve been living on the back of some kind of massive turtle for generations and the “strange world” they’ve been exploring has been inside of it. Strange World then concludes with an affecting moment that zooms out to show that the turtle is the singular landmass on a planet completely filled with water. What does the Strange World ending mean to its filmmakers?
CinemaBlend sat down with directors Don Hall and Qui Nguyen, the latter of whom wrote the screenplay. When I asked them they’re thoughts on the final moments of Strange World, Hall had this to say:
I always had that image in my head of that big massive pullout. And, there's a photograph that was very influential. I believe it was in 1970, it was taken of the Earth from, I believe the moon. And, it kind of ignited the environmental movement in the ‘70s. It became kind of a signature visual. And, it really impacted me too, because you see the Earth as this vulnerable, isolated, beautiful planet, and it kind of hits you like, that's it. That's our world. We're not going to Mars, sorry, Elon, we're not going to Mars yet. This is our place. This is our place, this is our world, and it's beautiful and it is worthy of us to protect it. And so that image of that 1970s Earth shot was central to this idea of pulling out from our living continent to this world that just sits there in isolation.
Hall refers to the 1972 image known as “The Blue Marble” that was taken 18,000 miles from Earth by the crew of Apollo 17 on its way to the moon. It’s an iconic image of our planet that inspired Hall for the ending of Strange World. With the conclusion of the movie, he hoped to evoke the feeling he got when he looked upon that image and the realization that our collective home is worth caring for and protecting. On a story level, Qui Nguyen had this to say on the subject:
As a metaphor, it's also just really great to just remember how small you are, but how even though you feel so teeny and how you shouldn't be able to impact something so large, you really do. Like at the end of the day, these two characters discover this thing that will ultimately lead to them saving Avalonia. And so it was a reminder that we each have a role to play on our planet.
Although the Clades have no idea of it, their discovery for Avalonia, that ultimately saves it, actually saves their whole world too, because they are all there is of the planet. It’s a beautiful message and a timely environmental one as Earth goes through an ongoing climate crisis. It's this worthy message that led to overall positive reviews from critics, including our own 3.5 out of 5 Strange World review.
Elsewhere in CinemaBlend’s exclusive interviews with the Strange World cast, Jake Gyllenhaal shared he was “tripped” out by how Disney animators caught his mannerisms through his character of Searcher Clade. Jaboukie Young-White, who plays Searcher’s son Ethan, also shared with us how meaningful it feels to him to be the first leading queer Disney character in a film. Gabrielle Union, who plays Searcher’s wife and Ethan’s mom, is proud of Meridian’s “reasonable body proportions” and the love displayed through the parents’ relationship.
Check out what upcoming Disney movies are coming our way next following Strange World here on CinemaBlend.
