You're not the only one who failed to see Disney's animated family film "Strange World" when it was released last year. In fact, the film was just given the less than desirable title of the biggest box office failure of 2022 by Deadline (open in new tab).

According to the industry, Disney spent approximately $320 million to produce "Strange World." This tremendous figure is largely due to the exorbitant production cost of $180 million, but $90 million in marketing expenses further inflated this figure.

After such a large expenditure, Disney was undoubtedly hoping for a hit like "The Super Mario Brothers Movie," but the animated film failed miserably at the worldwide box office, grossing $73 million. And even when revenues from streaming and physical media releases are taken into account, "Strange World" grossed a relatively paltry $120 million.

Taken together, the numbers are not rosy for Disney: according to Deadline, "Strange Worlds" cost the media powerhouse a total of $197 million, which is more than the losses of "Amsterdam" ($108 million in losses), "Devotion" ( 89 million), and "Babylon" ($87 million), surpassing other failed films in 2022.

Overall, 2022 was a poor year for Disney Animation. Strange World was crowned the biggest box office bomb, but second place went to Pixar's The Light Years. The "Toy Story" spinoff cost $373 million to make but only earned $267 million, for a total loss of more than $105 million.

Disney clearly knew the writing was on the wall when it came to "Strange World" and quickly moved the film to its Disney Plus streaming service after a poor theatrical run, just one month after its release in theaters.

"Strange World" enjoyed further success on the streaming service, becoming the No. 1 film on Disney Plus during the holiday season. Nonetheless, it remains tainted by its terrible box office performance.

There are myriad reasons why "Strange World" underperformed. They range from a bland premise to an underwhelming trailer. It also featured Disney's first LGBTQ protagonist, which drew controversy from conservative moviegoers.

Lackluster reviews did not help much either: on Rotten Tomatoes (open in new tab), critics gave the film a 72% rating and audiences a 66% rating. These indicate that the film is hardly serviceable, but probably not worth the high cost of a trip to the movies for the whole family.

The film focuses on the legendary Calde family of explorers as they embark on their most dangerous adventure yet. In an uncharted land filled with strange creatures and numerous threats, three generations of the Clade clan must put aside their differences and work together to find their way home. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Lucy Liu, Dennis Quaid, and Jaboukie Young-White.

The film is still streaming on Disney Plus, and while it is not a must-see, it is an engaging adventure film with all the elements one would expect from a Disney animated feature. The core message of the importance of family and working together to achieve goals is as timely as ever, and the animation quality is at the usual high level expected from Disney Animation Studios. There are arguably more films that deserve to be labeled the biggest box office flop of 2022 than this one.

But definitely do not expect "Strange Worlds 2". Before its release, there may have been some hope that it might be the beginning of a Disney mega-franchise like "Anna and the Snow Queen". But after such a disappointing return on investment, don't expect it to catch up to the Clade family anytime soon.