Strange World will be available on Disney+ on December 23, according to the company. The 61st Walt Disney Animation Studios film follows a legendary family of explorers on a journey to a mysterious land inhabited by bizarre lifeforms in order to save a resource known as the Pando from being depleted of its energy power source. While critics and fans praised Strange World for its diversity, the animated film struggled at the box office, earning only $53.5 million worldwide after three weeks in theatres. Strange World is expected to cost $135 million and cost Disney $100 million.
The Walt Disney Animation Studios film follows the Clades, a renowned family of explorers, as they seek to go across an undiscovered, perilous area with a motley company that includes Splat, a naughty blob, Legend, the family dog, and a variety of voracious monsters.
The voice cast features a number of A-list actors, including Jake Gyllenhaal as Searcher Clade, a family man who finds himself out of his element on an unpredictable mission, Dennis Quaid as Searcher’s larger-than-life explorer father, Jaeger, Jaboukie Young-White as Searcher’s 16-year-old adventure-seeking son Ethan, Gabrielle Union as Meridian Clade, an accomplished pilot and Searcher’s partner in everything, and Lucy Liu as Call.
Strange World, however, is not the only Disney animated picture that failed at the box office in 2022. Pixar’s Lightyear, a Toy Story spinoff, likewise flopped at the box office this summer, making just over $225 million on a $200 million budget.
The science-fiction picture also suffered on streaming, with Lightyear receiving low audience ratings on Disney+ in its first five days. The spinoff film follows space ranger Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Knives Out’s Chris Evans) as he looks for a way home after becoming stranded on a dangerous planet with his commander and crew while confronted with a threat to the universe’s safety. Turning Red, the first Disney animated feature of 2022 that did not have a major theatrical release, was a huge hit on Disney+, earning the streaming service’s number-one film premiere.
Strange World is presently on the big screen. The film will premiere on Disney+ on December 23.
