Strange World (Disney, 2022) is an animated adventure film featuring the Clade family of explorers. It is notable as the first Disney animated film to feature an openly gay teen main character — Ethan Clade, whose same-sex crush is a central element of the film. The film was a significant commercial failure but is important for Christian families to know about.
Strange World marks a deliberate milestone for Disney: it is the studio's first animated film with an openly gay teen as the main protagonist. Ethan Clade, the teenage son of the main family, has a same-sex crush on a male character that is treated as entirely normal and sweet — the same way any animated film treats a teenage romance. This is not background representation; it is the film's intentional message to its young audience.
This distinction matters. A background gay character in an adult show is different from a gay teen lead in a children's film. When a film presents a same-sex crush to children as aspirational and romantic — the same emotional framing as any other love story — it is teaching children that same-sex romantic attraction is normal and good. This directly contradicts biblical teaching on sexuality (Genesis 2:24, Romans 1:26-27, Matthew 19:4-6) and does so with the emotional power of narrative aimed at children who cannot yet critically evaluate what they are being taught.
Strange World was one of Disney's worst commercial failures in decades, grossing significantly less than its production budget. The film's poor performance followed the controversy around Lightyear's same-sex kiss and reflected a market signal that audiences — including many non-Christian families — were not interested in LGBT-themed animated films for children. See Strange World overview.
22/100 Avoid. Strange World should not be part of a Christian family's viewing. Parents whose children have already seen it through school or friends should be prepared to discuss biblical sexuality in age-appropriate terms. The film's existence is an opportunity for exactly those conversations rather than an occasion for alarm.
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