STRANGE WORLD
Beautiful animation cannot rescue this ideologically driven adventure.
Should You Watch It?
The animation is beautiful, and the movie includes a strong marriage, family sacrifice, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Those are real bright spots. But the script is boring, the characters are underdeveloped, and the film’s political and social agenda overwhelms the family themes it could have explored more meaningfully.
The central worldview problems are serious. The film presents a world resting on a giant tortoise, promotes a politically correct view against fossil fuels, and includes teenage same-sex attraction. Its action sequences and tentacled monsters also could frighten younger children.
Because the content rating is −3, the practical answer is simple: skip it, even though some of its family values and animation have merit.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESThree generations of explorers from Avalonia are drawn into an unexpected mission. Jaeger Clade is determined to explore beyond the mountains surrounding their homeland, while his son, Searcher, builds a life around a remarkable plant called pando. When the crops begin to die, Searcher, his wife, Meridian, and their son, Ethan, travel deep beneath their world to find the cause and save their home.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars means STRANGE WORLD has meaningful strengths but falls short overall. Its animation is beautiful, and the strange world beneath Avalonia is the film’s most compelling feature. The visuals may intrigue younger viewers for a while.
The script, however, is boring, and the characters are contrived and underdeveloped. The shallow character arcs and lack of good characters weaken the family story. The movie’s political social agenda also distracts from the Clades, Avalonia, and themes with greater substance.
The Worldview
STRANGE WORLD includes some commendable family values. Searcher and Meridian have a strong marriage, both wanting to protect and preserve their family. The story also presents reconciliation, forgiveness, and the idea that people should sacrifice their own wants and desires for the sake of family.
Those elements are seriously weakened by the film’s broader worldview. Its vision of the world resting on a giant tortoise is a false, non-Christian worldview reminiscent of the Hindu god Kurma, an incarnation of Vishnu, and the Iroquois creation myth. The film also promotes a politically correct view against fossil fuels and in favor of male homosexuality, including a teenage boy’s attraction to another boy.
The film’s central family themes point toward truths Scripture affirms, especially forgiveness and reconciliation: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Strong false, Non-Christian worldview (the story features a large turtle with a family’s homeland on its back, which is reminiscent of the Hindu god Kurma, one of the incarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu, and the Iroquois creation myth), aside from that there are a few moral, redemptive elements about reconciliation, forgiveness and a good message about sacrificing our own wants and desires for the sake of family, but movie promotes a politically correct view against fossil fuels and in favor of male homosexuality
Foul Language
No obscene or profane language, a few uses of the word “heck”
Violence
Although it is a children’s animated movie, the action scenes are quite intense, characters battle tentacled face monsters that could frighten younger children, some of the monsters are burned with a flamethrower or stabbed with knives
Sex
No sex, but, Searcher’s teenage son, Ethan, is trying to date another teenage boy, there are several scenes where Ethan flirts with the other boy or fantasizes about flirting with the boy, Ethan refers to the boy in one scene as his lover, and the movie makes it clear both teenage boys have lustful desires toward one another
Nudity
No nudity
Alcohol Use
No explicit alcohol, but in one scene Jaeger and his son have a “drink” that’s never named, but adults will know it is made to represent beer
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
No smoking or drugs;
Miscellaneous Immorality
Searcher Clade is the only male character to apologize for his actions, despite his father and his son both wronging him as well.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The film presents reconciliation and forgiveness within a family. What makes an apology genuine, and why does forgiveness matter?
Ephesians 4:32 · Colossians 3:13The Clades struggle with legacy and the desire to follow their own path. How can family members honor one another without making a person’s legacy more important than faithfulness?
Philippians 2:3–4 · Galatians 1:10The story presents sacrifice for the sake of family. What does Scripture say about putting others’ needs ahead of our own?
Philippians 2:4–5The film includes a false religious explanation for its world. How should Christians respond when entertainment presents ideas about creation that conflict with Scripture?
Acts 17:11 · Romans 12:2The Final Word
STRANGE WORLD has beautiful animation and a few worthwhile family themes, including marriage, forgiveness, reconciliation, and sacrifice. But its boring script, false religious worldview, ideological environmental message, and promotion of teenage homosexuality make it unsuitable for family viewing. SKIP IT. For better options, see.
