Dennis Quaid Says Strange World Points to “Something You Don’t Have Words For” (Exclusive)

Strange World is resurrecting an age-old Disney theme. As evident by the animated adventure’s trailers, this Don Hall-directed picture is set to explore the generational divide within a family, most specifically between Jaegar Clade (Dennis Quaid) and Searcher Clade (Jake Gyllenhaal). Rather than deal with the typical father-son turmoil, Strange World throws in another layer by bringing Ethan Clade (Jaboukie Young-White) into the fold, making this film a clash of three generations.

Speaking to ComicBook.com’s Liam Crowley, Quaid and Young-White noted that the heart of Strange World is the theme of legacy.

“This movie is about being yourself and not what people think you should be or something outside of that, and that’s the way you’re going to make the best contribution to the world,” Quaid said. “Enjoy living your life. This classic theme, it’s about legacy. It’s about being yourself. These guys, they came up with a script that, like all Disney movies, I think they’re myths. They point to something you don’t have words for.”

“I think the idea of passing things on to the next generation and how you receive those things, what you do with that, that’s timeless,” Young-White added. “I think it’s really crucial now, especially when we look at the world and the challenges that we’re faced with, it’s going to require full communication and participation of multiple generations of different kinds of people.”

While Strange World is its own contained story, this film was familiar territory for Young-White specifically. The 28-year-old actor worked with Hall just earlier this summer as he lent his voice to Disney+’s Baymax!.

“It really established a lot of trust going into this project,” Young-White said of his prior experience with Hall. “Having seen already what the team does and what Don is capable of when he’s collaborating with them, I just went into this excited to have fun and to play. Don has always created a space that welcomed that and encouraged that and also valued that. It wasn’t like an afterthought. He really valued our input and what we brought to the character as much as what was on the page. It ended up informing our characters. What we did ended up informing other characters’ performances and other actors’ performances. It was just a really collaborative and fun and open vibe.”

Strange World arrives in theaters this Wednesday, November 23rd.