Treasure Planet DVD with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emma Thompson, Martin Short (PG) +Movie Reviews +Used DVD available for Swap

Put down the cudgels, it's not bad at all.

P. Franck | 11/11/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Unlike just about every 'review' I've read online for TP thus far, I have actually seen the film.
Like most animation lovers, I was trepidatious about TP after the muddled fiasco that was 'Atlantis', and believed that Disney was courting another disaster taking not not only another 'dramatic' film, but one based on a much-loved classic tale. Something they don't have a very good reputation for (Hercules, Hunchback, etc). Personally, I have little time for people who deride a film for DARING to stray even one WORD from its literary source. The entire film industry, not just Disney, have been doing this since the medium was invented. Film requires a different treatment of a story than printed word. And in this instance, I feel that Disney have done a very impressive job at reinterpreting RLS's classic story.
It's set in space, but a space where you are required to suspend disbelief no further than to accept that there is no vaccuum. In other words, no more than your middle-range 50's scifi flick. The design and art direction are superb. I have not read the book myself, but reports from those who have say that Disney has stuck quite closely to Treasure Island, in characters and in plot. Some things have been changed, yes, to conform with modern audience expectations: Captain Smollet is Captain Amelia in the Disney version, but she's no Token Female Character - she's tough and ably voiced by Emma Thompson. The climax has been oomphed up a bit, because let's face it, pirates getting drunk and offing each other makes pretty dull cinema. John Silver looks fantastically gnarled and pirate-y under Glen Keane's pencil. His much-touted CGI appendages are discretely and smoothly seamed with his 2D animation and aren't distracting. The story is a very simple one and the emotional beats are nicely paced, unlike the lurching mess that Atlantis was. Intimate scenes play out nicely without seeming to drag anything down.
However, I wouldn't be giving it 3 stars if it didn't have some faults: The sidekick/comedy relief characters ARE annoying - the parrot is replaced with an adorably cute pink shapeshifter called Morph. Ben Gunn is replaced with an android called B.E.N, who is voiced by Martin Short, and Jim should have switched him off within ten seconds of meeting him. I dare say some viewers will hate Jim's blandness in comparison to the other characters, but he has intelligence and Gen-X smarts to keep him from being another Bland Disney Hero. Other viewers will scorn with glee at the sometimes VERY obvious influence of Star Wars, Titan A.E, Aliens, Pepsi Max and the Goonies. But after Atlantis, I'd hardly blame the directors for playing it safe - it just goes to show just how hard it is to come up with an original family-oriented scifi story these days.
All in all, I'd give it 7 out of 10. I didn't get bored at all and even reached the edge of my seat once or twice. Some people, including Treasure Island lovers, will like it a lot. Many will probably hate it, just because...well, it's DISNEY, innit? But I urge everyone who would otherwise condemn this film on the idea alone to actually go and SEE it before you sharpen the Nasty Pen. It may surprise you. A most enjoyable film. Not an instant classic like 'Lilo and Stitch', but a very worthy addition to the Disney canon."

Treasure Planet is what going to the movies is all about.

geoaardvark | Cape Girardeau, MO United States | 01/05/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Like the title says, Treasure Planet, Disney's newest cinema release, is what going to the movies is all about. I find it interesting that some adults complain about the sci-fi angle not being true to the original Stevenson story, while youths are saying that it inspired them to read the original story. Surely a movie that can inspire youngsters to read the classics in this day and age can't be all bad.In fact, it's quite good. Treasure Planet fist offers a wonderful feast for the eyes. My wife and I always make it a point to see a Disney movie in theatres at least once, and Treasure Planet would have been a lost opportunity if we had passed on it. The animation is spectacular, with fluid motion and an organic feel to the characters. Disney is definitely getting a better handle on merging their hand-drawn and computer-generated animation.Moviegoers that panned Lilo & Stitch will probably not care for Treasure Planet. It's not your standard Disney formula. Things don't start off rosy, get a little shady, then go right back to a blissful existence under the sea. The story stays mostly true to Stevenson's tale about a boy becoming a man, and discovering the strength inside himself to carve out his own destiny.The sci-fi angle brings a fresh spin to the story, and Disney has managed to make cruising the stars resemble taking to the seas, but with a broader feel. The only downside is the idea of spacefaring vessels looking like tall ships is more proof that Disney steals a lot of ideas from anime. But, since anime grew out of the Japanese interpretation of the Disney style, it's only fair.Thrills, action, adventure, a hint of romance, and a healthy dose of humor, coupled with some of the best animation Disney has done in a while make Treasure Planet worth seeing.Although, I could have lived without the flatulent alien."

Entertaining, if flawed, TREASURE PLANET

Hazen B Markoe | St. Paul, MN United States | 06/11/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"It's always a gamble when you adapt a timeless classic like Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island." It's even especially dicey when you take the story out of its original setting and time. In this case, Walt Disney studios try to give the old swashbuckler a futuristic sci-fi spin in TREASURE PLANET, a film that partially succeeds in that task. Set in a future time on a far off planet, the familiar story of heroic cabin-boy Jim Hawkins and the charming pirate Long John Silver is given the space ace treatment. Instead of the one legged pirate we know, Long John is now a cyborg. The Squire and Doctor characters who lead the treasure expedition are combined into one eccentric type (David Hyde-Pierce), while the ship's captain is a no nonsense feline voiced by Emma Thompson. Finally, the castaway Ben Gunn is reimagined as a run-at-the mouth robot (Martin Short), who has lost his memory chip. The animation is stunning and many of these characterizations work for the most part. The one exception is the cyborg Silver. Played with an Irish brogue and charm, I found it hard to really see this character as being totally capable of evil, as is his counterpart in the original book. Indeed, it's hard to take this softie seriously at times. Part of the attraction of the Long John Silver creation is that he is a balance of good and evil. He becomes a character we like, even as we loath his deeds.
Other than that, this film is suprisingly faithful to the book in the basic plot, and it deserved better than what the critics gave the film when it was first released. Overall, this is a version that I would recommend, despite the fact that there are better adaptations and better portrayals of Long John Silver elsewhere."

My Favorite Disney Movie

P. Franck | 03/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"*** Spoiler Warning - this review might reveal surprises in the movie ***

First off for a frame of reference, I'm a 30-year old male and a sucker for Disney movies in general.

When this movie came and went to the theatres in a flash, I heard so much bad about it, how it was the worst Disney movie ever, that I actually didn't go see it in the theatre. I regret that now. First time I actually saw this movie was on a 14-hour flight from Los Angeles to London, and I fell heads over heels in love with it!

I adored the original Novel "Treasure Island", and I believe that Treasure Planet lives up to it. The central theme of Treasure Planet, in my mind, is the boy, Jim, who grows up with only a vague recollection of his father who in the movie appears like a shadow in Jim's faded childhood memories.

I think this particular "flashback" scene was very powerful, it featured the absolutely brilliant "I'm still here" track by Johnny Rzesnik, and led the viewer to fully understand Jim's childhood, and to share his teenage frustration and delinquency that stems from his father abandoning the young Jim and his mother. Possibly, I might a bit biased in this respect, since I can strongly identify with this situation as my own father was "married to the sea" when I grew up, and i can admit that i blubbered like a baby during the flashback sequence.

This is right in line with the core message of the film. A young, reckless and frustrated boy who is taken under the wing of the Old Salt, who becomes his new father figure. He learns how to take orders, work hard, grow, face adversity, and eventually become a man by making tough choices. An excellent message in this day and age, if you ask me.

I also loved the theme the producers chose. A type of anachronistic retro-futuristic design, where we in the future still use old, creaking, wooden, pirate ships, but with ultra futuristic systems. The movie also suspends the viewer from reality in many flavorful ways - for instance when the spaceship travels through the universe, it encounters a pod of whales. Or how Jim takes a dhingy "comet surfing".

I think this film provides excellent entertainment, suspense and has a great message for kids. But as an adult, I think I also got a kick out of this GREAT and CLEARLY UNDERRATED Disney flick.

SEE IT!"

It's a shame...

moseshigham | Sumter, SC USA | 02/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I saw the box office reports on this movie. It's depressing to know that this was a flop. Sure, Jim Hawkins isn't a guy in red-and-blue swinging through New York City. He doesn't bear the much sought after "Ring of Power." He's not a wizard-in-training (thank goodness). No, instead Disney has created a down-to-earth teen with many family problems and other issues (I wonder how many teens today can relate to this). This is top-notch story-telling! I wanted to see the movie because of John Rzeznik's "Im Still Here," and my desire to see it increased after a friend of mine was talking about it. So that night I saw it, only to find myself blown away by how well Disney made this movie that I started telling everyone about it. This is Disney's best movie in a long, long, long time (since probably Lion King)!!! If you missed your chance to see it on the screen, wait til it hits video and DVD!"

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