Entertainment

Disney’s Strange World is a ‘love letter to our fathers and kids’ say directors

Don Hall and Qui Nguyen said their ambition with the new animated film had been to tell the story ‘through the lens of three generations’.
Don Hall and Qui Nguyen said their ambition with the new animated film had been to tell the story ‘through the lens of three generations’. Don Hall and Qui Nguyen said their ambition with the new animated film had been to tell the story ‘through the lens of three generations’.

The directors of upcoming Disney animated feature Strange World say the film is a “love letter to our fathers and kids” as well as a story about legacy.

Don Hall and Qui Nguyen said their ambition had been to tell the story “through the lens of three generations” while delivering a “cool action-adventure film”.

Strange World stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Jaboukie Young-White, and Gabrielle Union as the Clades, a legendary family of explorers.

Speaking at the UK premiere of the film in London’s Leicester Square, Hall told the PA news agency: “We love action adventure films.

Strange World UK premiere – London
Strange World UK premiere – London Strange World stars Jake Gyllenhaal (right), Jaboukie Young-White (left), and Gabrielle Union (centre) as members of the Clades, a legendary family of explorers (Ian West/PA)

“The ambition was really to tell a story about the environment and tell it through the lens of three generations and let it be a sort of generational father son story about what it means to be a good ancestor.”

Nguyen added: “It’s also a love letter to our fathers and our kids, right, like another motivation was just to make a great father son story.

“You can watch it on father’s day with your kid or with your pop (father), I think that’s always a worthwhile thing to do.”

Strange World UK premiere – London
Strange World UK premiere – London Jake Gyllenhaal arrives at the UK premiere of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Strange World at Cineworld Leicester Square in London (Ian West/PA)

Asked about working with the all-star cast, which also includes Lucy Liu, Hall said: “It was really gratifying.

“They all recorded individually… so I think D23 (convention) was the first time everybody was kind of together.

“They kind of became bound to the role of a family and so they’ve been a joy to work with.”

Strange World is due for release in the UK on November 23.