Strange World introduces a legendary family of explorers, the Clades, as they attempt to navigate an uncharted, treacherous land alongside a motley crew that includes a mischievous blob called Splat; Legend, the family dog; and a slew of ravenous creatures. The voice cast includes Academy Award-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal as Searcher Clade, a family man who finds himself out of his element on an unpredictable mission; Emmy-nominee Dennis Quaid as Searcher’s larger-than-life explorer father, Jaeger; comedian, actor, writer, filmmaker and musician Jaboukie Young-White as Searcher’s 16-year-old, adventure-seeking son, Ethan; actress, producer, bestselling author and TIME100 cover honoree Gabrielle Union as Meridian Clade, an accomplished pilot and Searcher’s partner in all things; and critically acclaimed actress, producer, director and fine artist Lucy Liu as Callisto Mal, Avalonia’s fearless leader who spearheads the exploration into the strange world.

For in-depth thoughts on Strange World, please see my colleague Larry Fried’s review from its original theatrical release here.

For a look at the Limited Edition 4K UHD Blu-Ray SteelBook exclusive to Best Buy, check out our video here.

Video Quality

Strange World comes to 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a sumptuous and dynamic 2160p HDR transfer. As is typical with the format, the star aspect of this presentation is the enhancement of the color output. The hues on display in this transfer are bright and rich with character that captures this fantastical world better than you could ever hope. The stylized environments present the dazzling colors of each distinct element just as precisely as the animators intended. Numerous moments really leap off the screen with such a unique environment and lighting design. This transfer provides incredibly strong black levels with no hint of compression artifacts or digital anomalies of the sort.

When it comes to the characters, all of the distinct facets of their design are given a terrific immediacy. The textures, from these designs to the environments, are extremely impressive and give the film a real sense of wonder and depth. Disney continues to push themselves in exciting ways to make their animation stand out as some of the most inventive in the business. The subtle characteristics these animators put into each environment shines through here. Disney has provided an A+ experiences for fans of the film.

Audio Quality

This 4K UHD Blu-Ray utilizes a Dolby Atmos track to amazing effect. Front channels get a formidable share of the support for many of the sounds, but activity stretches into the surrounds and rears during the various kinetic and action-oriented bits. The height channels really come alive as they create a three dimensional world where anything feels possible in the soundscape. The adventurous score from Henry Jackman brings a real swelling quality to the proceedings as it flows through with flawless fidelity. Dialogue comes through clearly without ever getting overwhelmed by the score or sound effects. The low end effects from the subwoofer hits harder than many recent Disney releases. Atmospheric sound effects are presented capably within the mix so that directionality is never an issue. Strange World has been provided with a mighty soundtrack that does not disappoint. There are optional English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles provided.

Special Features

Anatomy of a Scene – Creating A Strange World: A 23-minute deep dive into the creation of a single scene from the film which shows all of the minute aspects that go into bringing a feature like this to life from the initial visual development to the environments, the vocal performances, the technical animation, the score and more. This is the type of behind-the-scenes piece that enhances your appreciation of the efforts that go into creating an animated movie.
Strange Science: A 14-minute piece in which Jaboukie Young-White (voice of Ethan Clade) hosts an exploration of how the artists were inspired by real science to create the strange and magical world of the film which holds up to an impressive amount of scientific scrutiny.
Creature Feature: A six-minute look at the world beneath Avalonia and the mesmerizing creatures that inhabit it. There is some fun insight into how the creative team landed on certain designs and how they work on a practical level.
The Hidden Secrets of Strange World: A nearly six-minute look at the references and characters from other Disney properties hidden throughout the film, along with some fun facts and behind–the–scenes stories of how the film was made.
Outtakes: A two-minute collection of flubbed lines, ruined takes, laughing fits and more.
Deleted Scenes: Four unused scenes with introductions from Heads of Story David G. Derrick Jr. and Lissa Treiman all totaling 12 minutes are provided here which shows alternate concepts for certain characters, unused backstories, condensed sequences and more. Most of these scenes are in rough storyboard form.

Final Thoughts

Strange World is not Disney at its pinnacle, but it stands as an entertaining family adventure with decent world-building and characters that are easy to become invested in. Its perception as a financial failure feels incongruous with the experience of watching the film. The voice performances are enjoyable and the magical designs are a feast for the eyes throughout every moment. Disney has provided this one with a 4K UHD Blu-Ray that is 5-star on all accounts from the lovely A/V presentation to the informative special features. There is an exclusive SteelBook at Best Buy that is really lovely in person that is worth seeking out for fans of the film. This one is for those who appreciate the more overlooked features of Disney history. Recommended

Strange World is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital. The film is also available on 4K UHD Blu-Ray in a limited edition SteelBook exclusively at Best Buy.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Disney Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.