Treasure Planet (2002)

Treasure Planet (2002)

7/10

 

Starring the voices of

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Brian Murray

Emma Thompson

David Hyde Pierce

Martin Short

 

Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker

 

By the time this animation was released, it was clear that Disney was losing its hold on the animated industry. Things were not like today, where you expect to see great animations from other studios. In the 80s and 90s, Disney ruled. But in 2002, Disney got the wake-up call it needed, if I can say so. Treasure Planet is one of those traditional animated works that is visually tantalizing to watch.

The idea of taking Robert Louis Stevenson’s adventure novel Treasure Island and turning it into a space feature with all sorts of sci-fi gimmicks and creatures was just too much for that time. I feel if Treasure Planet were done now, it would perform better at the box office.

I still love this animated movie no matter what, and I was sad at the time that it didn’t pull in enough cash at the box office, costing Disney over $140 million. It is still the most expensive traditional animated film ever made.

The movie introduces us to Jim Hawkins, who grows up hearing tales of a pirate named Flint, who robs ships and keeps all the loot on a planet called Treasure Planet. Now grown, Jim lives with his mother, and they run an inn after his father abandoned them. One day, a ship crashes into the inn, damaging it and killing the driver—but not before he hands Jim a sphere and warns him not to give it to the cyborg.

Well, the cyborg and his crew storm the inn, burning it to the ground. Jim later discovers, along with his mother’s friend, that the sphere is a holographic map leading to the location of Flint’s Treasure Planet. They decide to sail to it to get enough money to help rebuild the inn. The ship they board for the expedition is secretly led by the cook, Captain John Silver, who later leads a mutiny with the ship's crew, injuring Captain Amelia and capturing Jim. Everything from here on is fantastic, fast-paced viewing to enjoy.

It was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards at the time of its release, and it was the third time Disney had adapted Stevenson’s book.

Another catchy aspect of this movie is the soundtrack. It features amazing songs written and performed by John Rzeznik (lead singer of the Goo Goo Dolls).

Finally, other than the weak characters, everything else about this movie is fantastic. You will love the way they made outer space look like you’re taking a walk in the woods. This idea of the future and how we will engage with the stars and the galaxy around us was one of my favorite visions of what the future could look like as a child. Keep in mind that I also had Back to the Future in mind and saw this as the next step after that.

The poor box office performance, which turned this into one of the biggest (or maybe the biggest) animated flops, led to any future plans for a sequel and franchise being canceled.