Director Don Hall Details the Pulpy Influences of ‘Strange World’

From the earliest looks at its newest animated adventure, Strange World, it was clear that Walt Disney Animation Studio was looking to capture the nostalgia of pulp fiction common to the first half of the 20th century. Characters such as Doc Savage, Ka-zar and John Carter found their way to fame through pulp magazines and the exploration of fantastical new lands. And it turns out that’s exactly the kind of story director Don Hall set out to tell in Strange World.

I always loved big adventure stories. the specific kind of adventure story where explorers find a hidden world that was heretofore unknown to them or anybody else. And that goes back so far into late 1800s, early 1900s—Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. That was sort of the birth of the big adventure story in novel form. ‘King Kong’ is a good filmic reference that had a group of explorers find a new hidden world. I wanted to evoke that in this movie.

Don Hall

In Strange World, the new hidden world comes into play when Searcher Clade, the son of legendary explorer Jaeger Clade, has to undertake an expedition with nothing less than the fate of his entire planet at stake. That expedition takes him to the subterranean “strange world” and reunites him with his father, who has been missing for decades. Fans of pulp fiction, including stories from the authors whom Hall cites as influences, will know that along with the discovery of this wonderful, new land will come an all-new set of dangers and challenges that will test the mettle and the relationships of the Clade family.

The mysteries of Strange World will unfold in theaters beginning November 23rd, 2022.

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