Movies
Disney's latest animation is a welcome attempt to make a classic adventure film, but the result is pretty disappointing. Bland characters, a rather unimaginative universe, and toothless comedy stand in the way of a riveting adventure. And considering the financial flop this turned out to be, I'm not the only one who felt that way. The Clades are respected adventurers, but son Searcher is more interested in plants and farming. His father is devastated when he hears he doesn't want to follow in his footsteps. Years later fate brings them back together. Their world is slowly dying and Searcher goes on a mission to rescue it. The characters are pretty boring, the art style feels very familiar (despite all the comic book references) and the plot doesn't hold many surprises. But the most damning thing is that Strange World's universe just isn't all that exciting to explore. This kind of creativity has never been Disney's strong suit, and it's clear they didn't manage to turn the tables.Read all
Disney's latest animation goes shopping for cultural inspiration in Asia. Don't expect too much of it though, in the end it's still an undeniably obvious American production, but at least it makes for a nice change of setting. Other than that, Disney is just repeating its same old formula. The land of Kumandra has been split into five different pieces. Raya's father tries to reunite the different clans, but his attempt fails and only makes things worse. His daughter sets out to find Sisu, the last remaining dragon and the only one with the power to bring everyone back together. Technically it's impressive, aesthetically there are few moments that truly awe. The voice acting is pretty poor, the finale is rather cringeworthy and the comedy never hits the mark. It's nice to see Disney try to do something a little different, but unless they really commit it's not going to make much of a difference quality wise.Read all
