Avalonia, the strange journey sees the Clade family venture into a amazing world from the December 23 on Disney+. Realized by Don Hall (Moana, The new heroes) and Who Nguyen (Raya and the last dragon), this new Animation Film also tells a family history than an initiatory epic.
With its themes in the era of time and characters modern, Avalonia, the strange journey is a film that wants blow a breath of fresh air on Disney Animation productions. the result does it live up to this ambition ? Answer in our critical film, warranty without spoilers.
The synopsis of the film
Avalonia, the strange journey follows the Clades as they discover an uncharted world full of danger and fantastical creatures. Unfortunately, the quarrels between the different members of this family risk causing the failure of their new expedition, which is nevertheless vital to preserve their way of life.
The opinion of CNET France
In the Clade family, I ask for the father, the son and the grandson. With this pickaxe, we have in hand three characters related by blood but whose desires are all very different. Jaeger Clade is an avid explorer who wants his son to follow in his footsteps, while the latter, Searcher, is not particularly passionate about their expeditions. In last place is Ethan, himself Searcher’s son, who finds that his father and grandfather have more in common than they care to admit and would like him too to be allowed to lead his life as he sees fit.
So you will understand, Avalonia, the strange journey is a film about father-son relationships and inter-generational relationships. We discover characters in conflict who have difficulty getting along and especially understanding each other. It’s about parents who have expectations for their children, and children who would like to do something different from what their parents expect. This gives a touching story about family relationships, in which everyone can relate.
However, if Avalonia addresses interesting themes, the film struggles to explore them in depth. In addition to the family, this feature film has a nice discourse on the environment but only highlights it in the last part of the film, thus reducing its importance in the story. However, exploring man’s relationship with the environment, conveying a message on the need to live in harmony with nature rather than exploiting it, is a good idea for a film made for young and old, but it would have deserved to be highlighted better.
The same goes for the aesthetics of the film which, at first glance, seems a little too simple. The color palettes are often confined to pink and bluish hues, and the design of the creatures encountered is so minimalist that it gives them a messy side. As the story progresses, we come to understand the why and how of the appearance of the strange world discovered by the Clades, but the whole thing still lacks a bit of visual wonder. It’s pretty, but we’ve known better and above all more memorable at Disney.
The modernity of the subject ofAvalonia, the strange journey is in any case a rather welcome step forward at Disney and we also applaud the fact that the film introduces a queer character without making any case. The latter indeed mentions his affection for another character of the same sex without his sexuality serving to define him, and it is a treatment of an LGBTQ+ figure that it was high time to see appear in a film by the animation giant. . So if some will surely find a way to complain about it, we welcome the progress made in queer representation at Disney.
One in the other, Avalonia, the strange journey and a fun movie to watch, but it won’t climb into the pantheon of best Disney animated movies. With a narrative that is sometimes too superficial and a charming but banal visual aesthetic, the film is more in line with New Heroes or some Ralph’s Worldsthat of Snow Queen or even Encanto.
Watch the trailer for this film:
What other animated films are to be seen on Disney+ during the holidays?
Whether Avalonia, the strange journey is a nice gift offered by Disney+ to its subscribers just in time for Christmas, they can also see a host of holiday-themed content on the streaming platform. History fans at the North Pole will feast on the short films Elite Sprites while others will be delighted by mickey saves christmas. And for fans of Star Warsthe short movie Lego Star Wars: Happy Holidays is also not to be missed.
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