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I will give Disney this – Treasure Planet is a rather faithful
adaptation of Robert Lewis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. Save the
Cyborg, Sexy Cat Captain, Flubber-like character, skateboarding,
half-dog creature and taking place in space.
Treasure Planet is nominated in the “Best Animation – Full-Length
Feature” category this year. This is the only reason that I saw the
movie, and by all accounts, one of the only reasons people have seen
the film this year. It’s a Disney film with everything - celebrity
voices (Emma Thompson, David Hyde Pearce, Laurie Metcalf), adventure
involving the younger set, and characters designed to delight and
disgust all at the same time. It’s the standard Disney formula
that’s made Disney animated features money in the bank.
Up until now. Treasure Planet was a bona fide flop for Disney. After
watching the film, it seems terribly unfair. But things have
changed. Where Disney was once the undisputed king of animation,
there are now many new kids on the block. Advances in computer
animation, the money to be made in DVD and video sales, along with
the ability to make a film your kids can actually watch are but a
few of the reasons that Disney is falling to the wayside.
Disney is doing the same-old-same-old for a group of kids that have
grown up demanding more realistic blood splatters and rotting
corpses from their video games. Not even a flatulent crewmember can
win over these kids.
It is not that Disney doesn’t try. When young Jim Hawkins First
learns of the legend of Treasure Planet, it’s from a hologram book.
Young Jim grows up making solar-skateboards that he uses to elude
robotic police officers. Silver is now a cyborg, and the bad guys
speak in sanitary slang.
It’s enough to make you realize that some of the executives at
Disney must have remembered to ask if the grandkids had been talking
about anything “hip” in the last week.
Still, this is based on what is arguably the best action-adventure
book a kid can read. Where else do you start out with a pirate dying
in your house and end up on the high seas searching for unimaginable
treasure while trying to survive the meanest crew alive? For that
alone, this is always a good story.
However, once it gets out that Treasure Planet is pretty close to
the book, the rentals will start flying off the shelves. I feel for
my two teacher friends. I wonder exactly how they’ll respond when
they read “the best part of the book was how Silver’s cyborg hand
could turn into a whole set of knives.” Well, I should be honest – I
know my friends well enough to know what report comments will be
like. One of them will be fairly kind and suggest future book
reports be based on actual books. The other’s comments will bring
about that pivotal “Johnny, let me tell you about sarcasm” talk at
home.
The Usual:
What It’s Worth: Definitely a trip to the dollar-theater. Heck,
spring for the pay-per-view.
Main Reason To See This Film: It’s a fun take on a classic. It’s
also a chance to see actual advances in Disney animation.
Main Reason Not To See This Film: Disney’s attempts to be cool are
awkward and obvious.
MPAA Rating: PG
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