Strange World Trailer: Disney’s Next Animated Adventure Is Set on a Mysterious, Vibrant Planet

Strange World trailer is out. Following a showing at Disney’s D23 Expo earlier this month, the studio has now dropped the trailer for public viewing, featuring a generation-spanning story about a family of legendary explorers. Don Hall, best known for Big Hero 6, co-directs this animated film with writer Qui Nguyen (Raya and the Last Dragon). Jake Gyllenhaal leads the cast as Searcher Clade, a family man who is thrown into a mysterious Dr. Seuss-like planet. Strange World debuts November 23 in the US, and November 25 in India.

The Strange World trailer kicks off on a peaceful note, with Searcher (Gyllenhaal) tending to his farm, whilst looking after his family. The tone switches when one night, president Callisto Mal — played by Lucy Liu — rides onto the farm estate and invites him on an interstellar journey to a vibrant planet. “Our entire world is in grave danger,” she says. “I want you to come with me on an expedition.” Having lived under his father’s shadow — who went missing on an expedition — Searcher is at first, reluctant, but realises he has no choice left, but to join the mission. Accompanied by a motley crew, which includes his son Ethan (Jaboukie Young-White), wife Meridian (Gabrielle Union), and a three-legged dog, the group must traverse across the vibrant planet and solve the unspecified crisis.

While not directly stated, the world seems to take inspiration from the pink-tinted Quarantine Zone, in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy game. The aptly titled Strange World trailer then introduces some ravenous creatures that inhabit the lands — mostly peaceful, but some hostile. As a tentacular creature attacks Searcher, Jaeger (Dennis Quaid), his long-lost father, springs in for the rescue and scares the beast away. The Strange World trailer then offers some information about the planet, as the family catch up on lost moments. “The cliffs are alive,” says Jaeger. “And the waters dissolve the flesh off your bones.”

It also seems like, at some point, the group separates, causing Ethan to get lost in the wilderness. Thankfully, he finds some company, as he befriends a mysterious blue blob that can attach itself to things. “Do you mind if I call you Splat?” he introduces himself. “You just kind of give me Splat vibes.” The remaining Strange World trailer meshes into a montage of familial arguments, as the three-generation-long lineage discusses safety measures on the planet. “You gave me a machete for my birthday,” says a frustrated Searcher, trying to reminisce on the past. “I was 2.”

Strange World is slated to open November 23 in US theatres, and will release November 25 in cinemas across India.