Disney Animation has been, alongside sister company Pixar, one of the giants of the animation industry. It has seen the release of huge cartoon juggernauts in theaters, with animated family films almost synonymous with the word "Disney." Unfortunately, the company's had a rough go of things since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its latest film is a further manifestation of this.
Releasing during the week of Thanksgiving, the upcoming film Strange World would seemingly be poised to be a huge holiday hit for Disney. Despite that, the company has barely promoted the film, with the general sentiment being that it's being released theatrically out of mere obligation. Given the controversies surrounding Disney animated films from earlier in 2022, however, the mum advertising surrounding Strange World makes perfect sense.
Strange World Is Sandwiched Between Black Panther 2 and Avatar 2
The Disney film corporation was seemingly holding its biggest cards until the end of the year, with the recently released Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and the upcoming Avatar: The Way of Water generating more hype than any of its previous 2022 offerings. Given that it's stuck smack-dab in the middle of these two movies, it would seem that Disney isn't putting too much stock in Strange World. Compared to those two films, the animated movie hasn't received even half of the promotion.
That comes after numerous Disney animated films have gone straight to the Disney+ streaming service. Among some audiences, this has created the sense that these flicks should be watched at home and not on the big screen, even if they have a preceding theatrical release. Family animation has also had a pretty disappointing year in 2022, with Illumination's Minions: The Rise of Gru being the only real animated success story of the year. In fact, one of 2022's most notorious bombs may be the biggest reason Disney is staying silent on Strange World.
Disney Fears Strange World Will Repeat Lightyear's Failure
Similarities can be seen between Strange World and the earlier 2022 Disney animated film Lightyear. Showcasing the story of the fictional astronaut that inspired the Buzz Lightyear action figure in the Toy Story series, the movie failed to capture those movies' success. Instead, it received tepid reviews amid an absolute massacre at the box office, with Jurassic World Dominion and the Minions beating Lightyear to infinity and beyond. The movie's failure was death by a thousand paper cuts, but some of its biggest issues are apparent in previews for Strange World.
Lightyear had a tenuous connection to the whimsical world of Toy Story, instead opting for a darker science fiction adventure. It still wanted to be a Disney movie, however, by injecting a cat mascot character and other attempts at comedy. That made the film too kiddy for an adult sci-fi movie and too dark for kids, leaving all audiences wanting. It's much like other Disney adventure flops such as Treasure Planet and Atlantis, though both of those have been looked back upon far more fondly. Strange World seems to be going the same route, focusing on a vague, generic science fiction family adventure that would only appeal to kids through its somewhat wacky character designs.
To see if Disney's latest film can beat the odds, Strange World hits theaters Nov. 23.