Strange World Teaser Jake Gyllenhaal Voices Disney Film

The Oscar-nominated actor made his voiceover debut in last year’s “Spirit Untamed” and now is leading Disney animated adventure film “Strange World,” in theaters November 23. With a plot mostly kept under wraps, “Strange World” follows the Clade family of explorers, who journey into an uncharted land where fantastical creatures await discovery. Co-directed by Academy Award-nominated “Raya and the Last Dragon” filmmakers Don Hall and writer Qui Nguyen, “Strange World” also stars Alan Tudyk; the rest of the cast has yet to be announced. Gyllenhaal stars as Searcher Clade, the son of a famed explorer who states in the teaser that he is nothing like his parent; instead, he is just a farmer, but still finds himself on a mission to a land “past space and time.”

“Strange World” director Hall previously has said that the feature is a nod to “old issues of pulp” adventure stories. With a dash of beloved Pixar film “Up,” the teaser for “Strange World” blends vintage adventure tales with Dr. Seuss-like fantastical elements to craft a “journey beyond what is possible” full of “infinite mystery.” Related Ang Lee Had to ‘Mediate’ the ‘Friction’ Between Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger During ‘Brokeback Mountain’ How Iger May Do What Chapek Wouldn’t: Spin Off ESPN Related Oscars 2023: Can Anyone Top ‘Maverick’ in Best Sound? 51 Directors’ Favorite Horror Movies: Bong Joon Ho, Quentin Tarantino, Guillermo del Toro, and More
Lead star Gyllenhaal voiced the 2021 Universal-Dreamworks film “Spirit Untamed” from his home during the COVID-19 lockdown. “I think all you really have, as an actor, outside of technical skills, is your imagination, so that was one thing. I did find it interesting,” Gyllenhaal told The Scotsman of his animated film debut. “We had a camera that had to shoot us doing the action so the animators could mimic our facial expressions, so I had a difficult time holding that screen up and talking to it at the same time and it was so, so hot. I played the entire role on my knees, in basically a prayer position by a bed, with two pillows over both sides of my head and a very heavy blanket over them.” As for his live-action projects ahead, Gyllenhaal has a handful of projects in the works, including two TV miniseries, prison revenge drama “The Son” and long-awaited adaptation of Gary Shteyngart’s “Lake Success.” Gyllenhaal is producing “Lake Success” through his production company Nine Stories and is rumored to be eyeing a directing role in addition to starring. “Strange World” will premiere in theaters on November 23.