The new Blockbuster movie has an impressive Firefly Callback

Strange World features the same “death” call as Firefly, both of which involve Alan Tudyk being sucked out of the cockpit.

With Britta DeVore
| Post it 2 hours ago

by Disney latest animated feature Strange world it can with severe underperformance at the box office, but there’s an important Easter Egg for fans of the Joss Whedon series-turned-film firefly. Alan Tudyk stars in both projects and in his role as the ship’s pilot, Lt. Duffle in Strange world it’s eerily reminiscent and hits a little too close to home for those who watched him as Serenity’s captain, Hoban “Wash” Washburne. His fans fireflyfeature film Calm will remember Wash’s gruesome and difficult-to-watch death, and if you catch on Strange worldyou’ll see Lieutenant Duffle suffer a similar fate when he’s pulled out of the cockpit by a hoard of winged creatures.

Of course, by Don Hall (Big hero 6, Raya and the Last Dragon) Strange world and Joss Whedon’s firefly have two very different ways of portraying the loss of a character with Lt. Duffle getting a much more graceful send off than Wash. But there’s no doubt that any fan of the sci-fi series turned movie watching Disney’s latest animated film won’t miss this subtle but obvious parallel between Tudyk’s characters. Even the pair’s humor is the same, with a dry, sarcastic wit poking fun at the other crewmates.

Strange world he is also seeing his exfirefly cast member taking on two other roles. At the beginning of the film, the audience hears a narrator give an old speech centered on deep space exploration. That very familiar voice is Tudyk again with the actor later also appearing as the Avalonian radio host.

As for the similarities between Strange world and firefly goes, they don’t travel far beyond the parallels in Tudyk’s characters. Strange world centers on the Clade family, a lineage known for exploring the far reaches of the galaxy. When their home of Avalonia is in trouble, President Callisto Mal (Lucy Liu) invests in helping the famous explorers join the harrowing mission. Unfortunately for her, the patriarch of the Jaeger Clade family (Dennis Quaid) has been missing for years, leaving her to rely on the one member who stepped back from the family business – Searcher Clade (Jake Gyllenhaal).

Never having the same appetite for travel as his relatives, Searcher has lived a quiet life as a farmer with his wife Meridian (Gabrielle Union) and their son Ethan (Jaboukie Young-White). But with Avalonia in need, the Clades embark on the adventure of a lifetime – much to Searcher’s dismay. To everything, Strange world shows space travel as a fun, colorful mission, while firefly and Calm were much more dramatic and action-packed.

Before Strange world and after firefly, Alan Tudyk has had a full and distinguished career, appearing in a number of live-action features as well as animated productions. While he is mostly stuck with comedies including Knock Up, Tucker & Dale vs. Eviland Social Distancingshe has also appeared in a handful of dramas including 3:10 to Yuma, 42and Playing God. In the world of colorful animation, Tudyk has lent his voice to countless films, including the voices of various characters in the Ice Age franchise, Wreck-It Ralph, Raya and the Last Dragonand Encanto. He is also the voice behind the very sassy and beloved K-2SO in Rogue One.

Despite the parallels between the Resident alien characters of the star in Strange worldit seems that not even a connection with firefly can save the movie to booking office. What was initially thought to be a big hit for Disney quickly found its claws to outdo the rest of the holiday competition.