My partner and I just watched Strange World on Disney+ and all I could pay attention to was the climate change and environmental message it was screaming at us. No doubt about it: Strange World is a climate change warning. This movie, released in November 2022, follows three generations of the Clades (grandfather Jaeger, father Searcher, and son Ethan) in their pursuit to save the world. Their little community, Avalonia, relies on these little brussels sprout-looking plants called pando. They are harvested for energy and are the life force of the Clade farm, Avalonia, and the plot of the movie.
Today I want to share how I, as a climate change communicator, interpreted the story behind Strange World. I’ve seen a few interpretations online, but they miss a few details I’d like to cover. If you have also watched the movie and have differing perspectives, or if I missed something you observed, please share it in the comments!
There WILL be spoilers here. If you plan on watching the movie first and want to keep it a surprise or open to your own interpretation, save and return to this post after you watch it!
Pando are fossil fuels
The most obvious connection to our real world is what pando represents: fossil fuels. They were discovered far away by Searcher in the mountains, have now become the only source of electricity for Avalonia, and are now dying out, placing the community’s wellbeing at risk.
In an interview with the Directors, Don Hall and Qui Nguyen, we learn that they very intentionally brought fossil fuel corporations into this movie. When we discover that pando is just fossil fuels and that Searcher, as their discoverer, is now like the leader of big oil, it’s a call to action for the fossil fuel industry. We also see hesitancy for divestment from Avalonia’s mayor, which we see in real life from fossil fuel CEOs and political leaders alike.
At the end of the movie when the Clades realize how dangerous extracting pando is, Avalonia reverts to a more harmonious way of living. In other words, they need to divest and go fossil fuel free. However, for Hollywood purposes, we see time lapse only one year. Avalonia is then magically thriving without fossil fuels – I mean pando. This is unfortunately not realistic for the real world; our fossil fuel-dependent world is far larger than Avalonia, and fossil fuels have been ingrained into our way of living for more than two decades (i.e., how long it took for Searcher to discover them and lead this revolution). Perhaps the directors are suggesting what could have happened if we stopped the carbonification of our world earlier on. Or it could just be a call to action and a reminder to us that we need change.
The major plot twist: welcome to Turtle Island
The second very clever message from Strange World is that everything in our world is connected. Searcher and Ethan literally travel to the ends of the (presumed) earth to find out why pando is dying. They end up travelling into the core of their world, where pando is all connected through one major root system. They meet all of these unique creatures that they call “monsters.” We eventually see that pando is clustered like a pulsating heart in this world. We see some of these monsters attacking the heart, at which the Clades realize that pando is infecting this heart-like feature and the monsters are trying to defend what lies beneath. Then, Searcher and Clade venture outside of this mysterious world, on the other side of the mountains, to discover that this world – including Avalonia – is actually a part of one giant creature. They have been living on top of a giant turtle this whole time; the Strange World they are exploring is the internal organs of the turtle, and the monsters are its immune system. Earlier we see these funky trees and bushes swaying synchronously in the wind, and Ethan ponders why they are moving like that. We realize that this forest is the lungs of the turtle, and those are like the cilia in the lungs. Pando is an infection that is hurting the turtle. The more they use it in Avalonia, the more they are killing their own world. Thus, they need to stop using pando and defeat the infection in the heart to restore their world.
The message here is very loud: everything in our world is connected, and we need to stop exploiting the land and its resources because it will have ripple effects on our own lives. I appreciate the holistic lens applied by the Directors here, as it shows how directly environmental harm affects humans. At the same time, it is a very anthropocentric view, meaning we view the problem through its impacts on humans. If the turtle’s declining health didn’t affect Avalonia, would the Clades (well, mainly Ethan and Searcher) have cared so much? Probably not. Yet the planet has intrinsic value, whether humans inhabit it or not.
Another interesting detail is the fact that the Directors chose a turtle for the island. I couldn’t find anything in interviews about this choice, but I wonder if this has any connection to Indigenous stories of Turtle Island, their name for Earth or North America. I would love to see an interview or story with any Indigenous perspectives the Directors may have consulted on this detail.
Ethan is the environmentalist that no one listens to
The final message I’d like to highlight is that we need to listen to environmentalists, scientists, and climate activists. In my opinion, this part of the story overlapped considerably with Don’t Look Up which came out earlier this year and made waves in the media. Strange World presents a similar message, just in a toned-down, family-friendly way.
16-year-old Ethan is the child of the movie and unsurprisingly feels unheard by his elders. Searcher thinks he knows best for his son and believes that Ethan will want to follow in his footsteps as a farmer of pando. He is shocked when Ethan doesn’t want to do this and expresses interest in exploring like his grandfather, Jaeger. However, Ethan is different from Jaeger as well. He doesn’t want to conquer the world. He wants to simply learn about it and protect it. He is fascinated by all of the creatures he runs into and doesn’t want to harm them, despite what Searcher says about them being farmers and destroying pests being “what they do.” Ethan gets frustrated that his father won’t see him for who he is. By the end of the movie this narrative changes and his elders finally see him for who he is (ironic, considering the fact that Ethan represents one of the first 2SLGBTQIA+ characters in a Disney movie and that is just casually accepted by everyone – which we love).
This tension is loudest when the Clades sit down to play Ethan’s favourite game, Primal Outpost, which is an ode to games like Settlers of Catan and Magic. In the game, there are no monsters or harming others, just peacemaking. Searcher and Jaeger don’t like this, believing it’s unrealistic and getting into another father-son fight. Ethan calls them both the bad guys and expresses his frustrations that no one listens to him. Remind anyone of Leo in Don’t Look Up, who demanded in some very intense scenes that people needed to listen to him about the end of the world coming?
The transition from ignoring to respecting and seeing Ethan is quite quick in the movie, happening in the face of a crisis. We are in a climate crisis right now. But as a whole, we are not listening to the climate activists and scientists saying we need to change things. I like this message because I think the child audience may relate to Ethan and see the connection. In doing so, they’ll hopefully grow up better informed and eager to hold their politicians and corporations accountable.
Final thoughts
I really enjoyed Strange World. When I first saw the trailer months ago, I didn’t think I’d watch it. Now I am very glad I did, and I hope many of you will watch it and share it with your friends and family. This movie is a great introduction to the environmental crisis we are facing, without being too in-your-face and doomsday about it, like Don’t Look Up which represents hopelessness. Even if Strange World is a climate change warning, it represents hope that we can turn things around. We certainly can’t get to a post-pando Avalonia anytime soon. Some may say that such prosperity is impossible given home much environmental destruction and biodiversity loss has already occurred. But a better, more prosperous world is out there. Disney has been fighting for climate action for years. They’ve also been doing some pretty cool on-the-ground sustainability projects at their parks and movie production practices. That said, I couldn’t find information about their investment portfolio and whether Disney invests in fossil fuel companies. Hopefully not.
By bringing big oil into the story and making these connections for their child audience, Disney seems confident that a transition to a fossil fuel-free world is possible. I’d like to agree. Only time and deliberate action will tell, from spreading the message in film and media, to actually divesting in oil and supporting the proliferation of renewable energy sources.
What do you think about Strange World and my analysis? Please share in the comments!
If you like this post, make sure to share it with your friends, family, and peers. You may also like these posts:
- Don’t Look Up is the story of the climate crisis
- Sustainable Investing – Put your money where your mouth is
- What is Privilege?
- Pursuing sustainability in Google with Winnie Lam
Until next time.