Disney’s upcoming film Strange World is set to feature its first openly gay teen romance. Back in 2021, Disney Animation announced that the adventure comedy would be its next animated feature via social media.
The new film follows the Claudes, a family of explorers that embark on an adventure “into a deep, uncharted and treacherous land where fantastical creatures await.” Jake Gyllenhaal, Gabrielle Union, Dennis Quaid, and Jaboukie Young-White are set to star as the Claudes family, with Lucy Liu rounding out the cast as Callisto Mal – the leader of the land of Avalonia.
In a 2021 statement, director Don Hill revealed that the film is a nod to classic pulp magazines. “I loved reading the old issues of pulps growing up,” he said. “They were big adventures in which a group of explorers might discover a hidden world of ancient creatures.
They’ve been a huge inspiration for Strange World.” Alongside the film’s adventure sci-fi background, the film is also set to make LGBTQ+ history.