Every year for Christmas, the Disney animation studios release their animated film. After the story of fantastic Madrigal family in Encantoit is the Clade family that we discover in Avalonia, the strange journey. Family stories in a world mixing adventure, science fiction and ecological emergency, the film has a good foundation. At the global box office, however, it was a failure. Lack of communication on the subject by the house of Mickey, fear of the public because Disney does little to tackle science fiction in its animated films (remember the failure ofAtlantis the lost empire and Treasure Planet, yet cult for some fans), the reasons are many. In France, the film does not even benefit from a cinema release, appearing for Christmas, December 23, 2022, directly on Disney +. But what did we really think of it?
Technical sheet of Avalonia, the strange journey
Original title : strange world
French title : Avalonia, the strange journey
Production : Don Hall, Qui Nguyen
Duration : 1h41
Exit : December 23, 2022 on Disney+
Synopsis
Avalonia, the strange journey, the original film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, takes viewers on a fabulous journey to the heart of an unexplored and threatening land populated by fantastic creatures in the company of the Clades, a family of legendary explorers whose disputes could derail their last and by far their most important mission.
Disney.com
A story of family and ecology
Let’s start by placing the story a little bit, because the synopsis doesn’t tell us much, and we have a hard time figuring out what awaits us in Avalonia, the strange journey. We will summarize here the first minutes of the film, while deliberately hiding certain information from you. If you prefer to keep the surprise completely, simply skip this paragraph.
Jeager Clade is a seasoned explorer looking for a way out of the mountains that surround Avalonia. He forces his son Searcher to follow him, but this one swears only by plants. During a final trip, Jaeger ends up leaving on his own to complete his quest while Searcher, who has discovered a plant with special powers, decides to return with the rest of the team. The years go by. Jaeger did not return. Searcher married, had a son, Ethan, and cultivates, in the most total happiness, the famous plants which provide energy to the whole region. Unfortunately, a disease reaches his protégés and it is then the great adventure to save them…
As you can notice in this summary of the first minutes of the film, two main themes are addressed: family and ecology. And it is on these two points that morals are built.
In recent years, The Walt Disney Company has been honoring families. The siblings in Snow Queenthe family in Encanto, the incredible Madrigal familyand coconut : there are many examples. Avalonia, the strange journey is no exception. The 2022 Christmas animated film focuses on father-son relationships, spanning two generations: a senior and his adult son and a prime adult and his teenage son. Of course, relationships are not always good and you have to learn to listen to each other. The moral is fine, but we are starting to go around in circles a bit in family matters and renewal would be welcome. On this side there in any case, no surprise to wait, we see the unfolding of the story coming as soon as the plot has been asked.
On the other hand, the second theme addressed, ecology, is much more elaborate and it is almost impossible to see the outcome coming! The protection of Avalonia and its nature is the red thread of the film, but it turns out to be much more complex little by little. So as not to spoil the pleasure of discovering all this for yourself, we will focus on the visual, which corresponds well to ecology. The characters find themselves in a very poetic underground world that will certainly not leave you indifferent. Many original creatures inhabit the region and the landscapes are magnificent. However, it is better to love pink! Main color of the decorations, it’s quite original, and ultimately not too shocking for sensitive eyes.
Uneven characters
Once is not customary at Disney, the characters that we loved are the famous sidekicks (the acolytes). They totally steal the limelight from the other characters! Cute, a little simple, but above all funny, Legend, the dog who follows his masters everywhere, and Splat, the little blue creature, are the charm of the film. They chain, alone or in pairs, the comic situations.
Among humans, the plot focuses on the Clade family. Indeed, apart from the president of Avalonia who leads the team with a firm hand, the characters outside the family are more than secondary. Jeager, the grandfather, is a gruff explorer who cares more about his quest than his family; Searcher, the father, is a passionate farmer who seeks to be the perfect father, and Ethan, the grandson, is in love with a handsome boy, loves role-playing games and finds his own way. This leading trio is unfortunately too caricatural for our taste. It will certainly not be felt the same way by children but as adults, we failed to adhere to their characters and their reactions… The last of the Clade clan is Meridian, the mother of Ethan and wife of Searcher. Her thing is piloting. And for once, we found him much nicer than the men in the family! She is the one who eases tensions and who has this more calm exterior look at the conflicts that tear boys apart. She also knows how to be passionate and brings real energy!
Our review of Avalonia, the strange journey
Let’s be clear, we had a good time ahead Avalonia, the strange journeybut given the usual level of Disney productions, like Encanto, the fantastic Madrigal family Where Frozen 2, to name some of the more recent ones, we were a bit disappointed. Visually, the film is perfect, there is nothing to complain about, as always with The Walt Disney Company. The course of the scenario is classic and generally predictable, but it is the cause of the famous plant disease and all the revelations that result from it which are very original, which is a real good positive point for the film! Avalonia remains overall a good adventure.
We’ll end by talking about a scene that we thought was incredible and worth quoting: the very first sequence of the film. WhileAvalonia, the strange journey is not a musical at all, it begins with a song to explain the origins of the Clade family which is worthy of the greatest Disney animated films of our childhood. Rhythmic, the scene is filled with a magnificent visual and we almost regret that the film does not continue on this momentum (a little kitsch will say some but it is not very serious…).
In conclusion, we advise you to see it to make up your own mind. We’ve seen good and bad things about it, but the film is still an enjoyable pastime. It will suit the whole family and will make you spend an afternoon or evening under a plaid, hot chocolate in hand in this winter period, in front of beautiful landscapes.
We would like to say thanks to the author of this article for this outstanding web content
