Strange World is a box-office bomb because Disney has adventure movie problems

Disney has been the most successful Thanksgiving movie studio for the last 20 years. With movies such as Moana, TangledPlease see the following: Toy Story 2All strategically held up for release in November. On first inspection, Disney looks like it did it again in 2022. They took top spot at the box office for holiday week. However, Wakanda Forever: Black PantherThis is an obvious success and remains the number one theatrical release after it launched. But, Disney has had a less successful year. Strange World. For a total of $52 million, the newest Disney Animation movie managed just $12 million in its first weekend. This is a 5-day total that was well below $20 million. The Thanksgiving Weekend record-holder is, however, only $12 million. Frozen, made $93 million on its opening weekend — and even the comparative Pixar flop The Good DinosaurThe Thanksgiving Opening in the United States was $55M.

It’s as if this new fantasy adventure flopped as some kind of perverse 20th-anniversary tribute to Treasure PlanetThis movie, also made in the same holiday weekend of 2002, failed to surpass $20 million. That’s rare for Disney theatrical animation in general: Movies that eked out bigger first-weekend numbers include the studio’s instantly forgotten 2004 singing-cow musical You can call it home on the rangeThe 2005 CGI feature is almost unwatchable Chicken Little. Animation has seen a lot of progress over the last two decades. Treasure Planet, Strange WorldAnd the 2001 Fantasy-Adventure Film Atlantis, The Lost Empire (a bit more successful, but still considered an also-ran) make the case for one constant: Disney Animation doesn’t do well with fantastical adventure cartoons. Why?

It could simply be that the films themselves are the answer. They are not destined to be part of the Disney Animation cast. Treasure PlanetIn particular, this film uses great visual imagination to show off blandly adapt characters and fails to think about its source material. All three of them have charms. Some even feature stunning big-screen experience design. (Unlike, again, Chicken Little.) Clearly quality isn’t the only factor. There are also Disney fans who appreciate the work of Disney. Treasure Planet’s old-fashioned yarn-spinning, and/or Atlantis’ blocky Mike Mignola designs. Strange World speaks its environmental themes a little too clearly and obviously at times, but it’s a playful sci-fi exploration with a cool twist.

Image: Disney

It’s possible that the visual elements distinguishing these movies are exactly what’s helping alienate them from general audiences. The retro-futurist approach to all three movies could be used. Treasure Planet combines alien worlds with Robert Louis Stevenson’s beloved 19th-century pirate novel; AtlantisIt takes place in the 20th century and involves the discovery of an unalterable energy source. Strange WorldUtilizes a pulp adventure framework, which includes old-fashioned farming as well as super-advanced aircraftships.

These kinds of retro-futurist universes have a lot to appeal to animators. Steampunk spacepunk offer a sense of animation’s limitless possibilities, including the ability to create and populate worlds on a scale that simply wouldn’t be feasible or convincing on a live-action budget. It’s probably no coincidence that both Treasure Planet and Strange World As a support character, include a shapeshifting-blob: These characters portray eager efforts to go beyond cute-animal companions and reach new imaginative, flexible, change driven realms.

But for general, contemporary audiences, the retro-futuristic aesthetic has never really taken hold of the popular imagination, whether it’s infused with steampunk technology, sci-fi ideas, or pulp-magazine adventure. People flock to historical locations for fantastic adventures. Raiders of the Lost ArkYou can find more information hereThe MummyMovies like Sky Captain and The World of TomorrowOder Wild Wild West couldn’t find the same footing.

Image: Disney

Animators’ interest in pursuing this specific kind of old-timey adventure story points to another potential problem. It’s the kind of material traditionally marketed toward boys, even if it obviously isn’t exclusively enjoyed by them. Disney is sometimes in denial (or impatient) about how much its fanbase is composed of younger girls. And how many of its most successful stories are aimed at these young women.

Encanto, MoanaPlease see the following: Frozen aren’t “girl-only” movies, but broadly speaking, Disney still markets its princess-style movies clearly, with a specific demographic positioning in mind. It’s understandable that the studio’s creative teams want to play around with genre and setting, and escape the established Disney formulas; a studio cannot survive on princesses alone. But the majority of animated Disney films that have achieved creative and commercial success have revolved around memorable female characters — characters with broader appeal and more relatable problems than the generations of daddy issues at the heart ofStrange World. Gleichzeitig, unterStrange World is neat-looking sci-fi, it can’t really compete with Star Wars’ excitement or Marvel Studios’ character library.

Franchises and previous wins aside, there are still problems. Treasure Planet Strange WorldThey still come from the films themselves. Before their respective releases, they both looked like big swings from Disney — refreshing changes of pace that audiences would likely follow, at least to some degree, based on the Disney reputation. They look like signs of a bumpy transition, in retrospect.

Image: Disney

Atlantis In 2001, Treasure Planet in 2002 inadvertently offered a one-two punch confirming that the ambitions of Disney’s later-’90s movies would not always produce financial success on the level of its early-’90s smashes. This is a smaller, looser and more unique comedy. The Emperor’s New Groove Lilo & StitchThe more abstract and unfamiliar draws that were more attractive to viewers than those of large, weird, unknown worlds proved less appealing. This same dynamic could be seen in an even more depressed box-office setting after the pandemic, when audiences seek familiarity, comfort and entertainment over novelty or new challenges. Studios seem to have experienced another period of instability due to the pandemic. There are many options for parents who want their children and grandchildren to watch at home, but also something just as good and beloved that they can. Encanto isn’t likely to make Frozen-level money.

Disney Animation’s unofficial trilogy of adventure flops are weirdly perfect representatives of these periods of uncertainty. Each attempt attempts to show a different way forward for the medium of animation that appeals to all ages stylistically and/or theme-wise. All three end up feeling confused. AtlantisIt’s a mix of a small-kid-friendly adventure with a more serious story for teens. Treasure PlanetIt lies somewhere between hand-drawn animated animation’s expressiveness and computer-augmented augmentations. Und Strange WorldThe film oscillates between its cleverness in its environmental metaphor and its clunkiness in its familial drama. (The characters say “legacy” so often, you can picture it underlined on the filmmakers’ whiteboard. It’s the same overly emphatic writing-to-theme that Raya, the Last Dragon(It was the notion of greed and conflict destroying an entire planet.

These movies are a mix of futuristic and retro design elements. Recent Disney animation stories are a perfect example of how to balance familiar formulas with innovative ideas, even if it meant that familiar material was executed with uncommon depths of feeling.MoanaAllowing the story to become a little messy for subverted expectations is a good idea.Frozen). Strange World has a different lineage, noble in its way and befitting its sci-fi storytelling: It’s a hybridized experiment that’s just a little too ungainly to inspire uncomplicated love. Disney Animation might be able, in 20 years’ time, to make this sort of adventure story into a successful film without such bumpy landings.