Treasure Planet

Somewhere along the way this film got lost. I'm inclined to think that Disney buried this film on purpose since it opened at exactly the same time as the latest Harry Potter film. This was the film that, according to Disney, the future of traditional animation hung, and they went out of their way to bury it, going so far as to declare it a failure even before the first days grosses came out.

The reputation of this film is bad, which is a shame since its actually quite a good film. Yes, the idea of Treasure Island in space does tend to put one off on the face of it, but the film does everything it can to change that for the viewer once you actually watch it.

This is a perfectly cast. I must single out Brian Murray's Performance as Long John Silver. It is the first time I ever thought seriously that a voice actor should be nominated for an Oscar. Its simply one of the high points in all of animated film history.

The film that looks great, all the designs are based on the classic illustrators like Pyle, Wyeth and the others of that ilk and focused through their spiritual child of Tom Kidd. The animation is amazing, a brilliant mix of traditional and computer styles that compliment each other nicely.

The story telling is of the classic swashbuckling style and draws you in instantly with a battle between ships and then never lets up, well it's fine until it hits the bump about the time that Martin Short comes in and things try to be too grand towards the end. Still the movie gets back on track and finishes off nicely.

Don't believe the negative hype, see this film and be pleasantly surprised.

Treasure Planet is the adaptation of the classic swashbuckling children's tale of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. R.L.S originally wrote Treasure Island chapter by chapter for his son, as a bed time story for each night. When the story was first published it was actually condemned by some! Claiming that such violent tales encouraged boys to become ner-do-well's such as the pirates it glorifies! Suffice to say, Disney's futuristic adaptation fails to capture the rebellious nature of the original Treasure Island. Fans and fanatics can gripe all they want if a scene is missing from the book, or if a character's been changed, but as long as the core meaning of the story remains, it's essence. Then adaptation has been successful. Treasure Planet does not capture the essence of the book entirely, in fact it lacks a lot of it's power due mainly to the protagonist. Jim Hawkins of Treasure Planet does not suffer as much as his archaic counterpart, therefore his character does not under go the same heroic journey and does not emerge as profoundly changed as R.L.S original did.

Aside from that, Treasure Planet makes for a fine adventure film for the whole family. There are moments of joy and pathos to be found throughout. And it is interesting to see a science fiction twist on a pirating classic.

Everyone show watch and buy this movie if for no other reason than to support Roy Disney against Michael Eisner!!

This poor movie suffered from political mudslinging between these two. As "Treasure Island" was one of the Disney company's first and most successful live-action pictures, Roy had always been passionate about making an animated version. Eisner, ever Roy's opponent, was in charge of the advertising budget. So, when Treasure planet was released, without any typically "Disney" fanfare, it met with unsurprisingly small attendance.

The day after it was released, Eisner held a press conference, declaring "Treasure Planet" a flop, and blaming it for Disney's poor 3rd quarter performance. Roy promptly quit the company his uncle and father had built.

As far as the movie itself goes, the controversy robbed what I think is the finest example of a "Disney" movie since Mulan. The animation is spectacular, the vocal talents are superb, and Brian Murray is one of the greatest Long John Silvers I've ever heard.

But beyond the technical qualities, "Treasure Planet" captures the spirit of Disney much better than recent Disney debacles (see Valiant, Chicken Little, Home on the Range). I think the end product came out very nicely, and, larger than that, I think Walt would have been proud to put his name on this one.

I loved T.P from the first time I saw the preview. I went to see it with my friends and we were just dazzled by the brilliance of the story. (sorry about my cruddy spelling)I instantly took a liking to young Jim Hawkins and the charming John Silver, and fell in love with the wonderful animation. It's been three years since the movie came out, and I'm still crazy about it. I've watched it over 300 times. It is truly wonderful and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes real honest to god animated movies.

About the Disney's biggest flop thing, chill out people. That's no reason not to watch the movie. It's simply a mater of opinion. If you don't like the outer space theme, or whatever, then don't watch it. Just don't go around discrediting it....There are fans of the movie out there, lots of them, so just CHILL!

Hope I was at least a little helpful! -Blackbird

Until the release of "Frozen", "Treasure Planet" may have been the most over marketed Disney film of all time upon release. Back in 2002, it was EVERYWHERE. TV Spots for it were played almost religiously, "Treasure Planet" action figures and games were constantly being advertised between commercials on pretty much every kids entertainment channel and various fast food restaurants and cereal brands included "Treasure Planet" toys with their products. So obviously under-marketing was not the movie's problem...Which baffles me as the film was a massive financial flop earning only $109.6 million on a $140 million budget. So taking that into consideration, along with the fact that Disney would follow up "Treasure Planet" with the dismal "The Jungle Book 2" and the atrocious "Home On The Range", that MUST mean the movie was awful right? WRONG. Not only is "Treasure Planet" a childhood favorite, but is hands down one of the best, most emotional, most exciting and most investing Disney movies of all time. It's the most underrated without question.

The visuals shown in the movie are unforgettable. Director Ron Clements and his production team have created a gorgeous, expansive and diverse universe; the planets, the aliens, the technology, the architecture, the weaponry. The world of "Treasure Planet" is one I was disappointed to leave by the end of its 95 minute run-time. The imagination behind the world building is "Star Wars" like in its scale.

The film is also extremely well paced. From beginning to end, there was not a single moment where I was bored, expertly balancing character scenes, action sequences and comedic moments. It's almost to the point where I'm genuinely frustrated when the film ends as I was just having so much fun. On top of that, "Treasure Planet" is a film that's not afraid to put its character's through down-right traumatizing danger. Make no mistake about it, whether characters getting torn apart in black holes or melted in volcanic, planetary destructions, "Treasure Planet" can be extremely dark in its tone.

Fortunately, "Treasure Planet" has the deep, investing characters to back up its gorgeous visuals. Jim Hawkins is extremely relatable and likable, a born rebel who just wants to make his loved ones proud of him. On the surface, his desire to find Flint's trove seems to be motivated by casual greed, but this is little more than a mask for his true motivation; to prove to his mother, his paternal figure John Silver and most importantly to himself that he can be somebody. Underneath his angsty exterior is a very emotionally vulnerable and broken person finally given a spark of hope by fate, and the movie has us consistently rooting for him to succeed. John Silver is very much a kindred spirit to Jim; he represents both the best (His compassion, determination, drive and loving nature) and worst (His anger, greed, stubbornness and impulsivity) personality traits of Hawkins, and thus works extremely well as a mentor figure. If Jim represents the youthful pursuit of one's validation and dreams, Silver represents how that passion can burn bright even into one's veteran years, strengthened by lessons learned along the way. In many ways, it is Silver's development and arc into a selfless, noble person that sparks Jim's transition into adulthood.

Long before "500 Days Of Summer" made him a star, Joseph Gordon Levitt did a phenomenal job as Jim Hawkins. The passion and sincerity that Levitt gets out of the character has to have come from a personal place, as Hawkins inner torment and plight felt as real to me as an animated character's suffering could be. The diversity of Levitt's emotional range here is staggering, from beginning to end he is giving nothing less than 500% of his effort.

As impressive as Levitt's performance is here, Brian Murray as John Silver is even better. How Murray is not consistently getting A-List work after this movie is completely beyond me. Murray can be charming, hilarious, intimidating and emotional as Silver, making the absolute most of a very complex character. The range of emotions Murray has to portray as John Silver is seemingly endless, and there isn't a single one that he doesn't nail on the head. His final scene with Jim Hawkins gets serious tears out of me to this very day.

Emma Thompson is electrifying in her portrayal of Captain Amelia, and much like Levitt and Murray, delivers serious emotional range. Effective in both the film's comedic and serious scenes, Thompson displays great comedic timing and infectious charisma as the no- nonsense Captain of the RLS Legacy, and she is clearly having an absolute blast here.

The lack of attention "Treasure Planet" gets as a Disney classic is extremely frustrating. It's not JUST an underrated film, it's not JUST a diamond in the rough, it's hands down one of the best and most mature works Disney has ever or will ever pump out. The movie has achieved somewhat of a cult status among Disney fans, but Lord knows that it deserved so much more. Definitive proof that you don't have to break box office records to make a masterpiece.