Strange World producer Roy Conli praises Jake Gyllenhaal

Strange World producer Roy Conli says the Disney film's star-studded cast — including Jake Gyllenhaal, Lucy Liu, and Gabrielle Union — were partners when it came to bringing the film to life.

“They were so in love with this tale of legacy and what are we bringing to the next generation. Jake was an amazing… I would say “partner” in terms of making this film,” Conli tells Yahoo.

Strange World releases exclusively in cinemas on 23 November.

Video transcript

JASMINE VALENTINE: Jake Gyllenhaal, Lucy Lui, Gabrielle-- what is it about this cast and what do they bring to the film that makes it so special?

ROY CONLI: Well, I think what makes it so special is the fact that they all wanted to participate in the story. They were so in love with this tale. This tale of legacy and what are we bringing to the next generation, that Jake was an amazing-- I would say, partner in terms of making this film.

Always wanted to be involved in who Searcher was, what was he what was his thought process. He really got deep into the character. And all the characters, all the actors were really committed to making this story perfect.

JASMINE VALENTINE: I'm so excited for this film. I can not wait to see it. The sense of World building, animation, just looks like such a treat. What can we expect from this film visually and how is it different to projects you've worked on before?

ROY CONLI: Well, of all the projects I worked with, this is a completely made up world. I mean, "Strange World" has never been seen by anybody. It was an amazing approach that we took, in terms of letting our visual development and artists all come in with as many ideas as they could.

And then, our director Don Hall, was so good at being able to pare down and really shape that world to tell a story-- that tells the story that he's told.

JASMINE VALENTINE: Obviously, we're talking a lot about environment here, we're talking about changing the world for a new generation, what would you like the next generation to take away from this film?

ROY CONLI: Well, I think it's really important that we leave this planet a better place for the next generation. You know? I think all too often what we've done is forget about those in front of us and have just kind of spent the resources or whatever.

Working in a vacuum, never thinking about that generation in front of us. So my hope is that people come away from the film having an amazingly fun time because it's a fun, big adventure with lots of laughs and lots of heart. But then, I also want them for the subsequent days, to be thinking about, how can I contribute to that next generation?