How To Watch Disney's Strange World At Home
An animated Disney adventure with the playful and creative tone of something out of a Jules Verne story sounds exciting, yet folks didn't show up for "Strange World." With a budget of $180 million, the film has only grossed back about $53 million worldwide thus far. Between "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" and "Treasure Planet," the Mouse House seems to have a difficult time when it comes to their theatrically-released animated sci-fi throwbacks, which is a shame because they tend to be pretty fun. With no real momentum, "Strange World" is primed to gain more traction once it heads to streaming.
Featuring the vocal talents of Jaboukie Young-White, Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Gabrielle Union, Lucy Liu, Karan Soni, and Alan Tudyk, "Strange World" promises exactly what the title entails. It follows the members of the Clade family as they set off on a colorful exploration beyond their wildest imagination (and below the atmosphere they already know).
It's a bummer that "Strange World," which /Film's Josh Spiegel calls "a trippy new Disney adventure" in his review, wildly underperformed, but it's easy to see why. In addition to a noticeable lack of awareness, the marketing campaign didn't exactly expand upon the film's story or family dynamics, much less make audiences aware that the movie features a "first" queer lead character in a way that's genuinely meaningful this time.
That being said, those who missed "Strange World" in theaters won't have long to wait now, as Disney has already pulled the streaming plug just in time for the winter holidays.
Journey to the center of the Disney+ interface
In a surprising, but not entirely shocking, turn of events, "Strange World" will be made available for streaming on Disney+ on December 23, 2022. What makes this odd is that last year, Disney had implemented a 45-day window before its theatrically-released films would go to streaming. But by the time "Strange World" hits Disney+, the film will have lasted in theaters for less than a month, as it only just arrived on November 23, 2022.
They’re in their element when exploring this world...
Join the Clade family and experience Disney’s #StrangeWorld, streaming December 23 only on #DisneyPlus! pic.twitter.com/uLIU4xC2iq
— Disney+ (@DisneyPlus) December 12, 2022
The whole thing feels like reinstated CEO Bob Iger trying to recuperate the costs of Disney fumbling the film's theatrical release while still under Bob Chapek's leadership. There's an argument to be made that the company's insistence on sending high-profile projects like Pixar's animated films "Soul," "Luca," and "Turning Red" directly to Disney+ devalued the theatrical experience in the eyes of the families who would've otherwise been there opening weekend for a movie like "Strange World." Instead, they elected to wait, knowing it would make its way onto the Disney+ interface in no time at all.
Seeing as "Strange World" hardly lasted a month playing in theaters only, I can't imagine this helps matters, but at least people will get to see it. Disney has also announced the film will become available to buy on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD starting February 14, 2023 (complete with the customary slate of bonus features and deleted scenes).