Der Schatzplanet

Let me start by saying that the soundtrack is great. The musical score was composed by James Newton Howard, while the songs were written and performed by John Rzeznik, frontman of the Goo Goo Dolls.

The story is a futuristic adaption of the classic book Treasure Island. The animation is sublime, it blends 2D and 3D perfectly, the steampunk design is also pretty cool. It's a rreal shame it was a box office failure. At least it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

If you haven't watched it yet, do it now. It's worth your time.

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.

Robert Louis Stephenson's `Treasure Island' has always been one of my favorite classic stories. The tale of a teenage boy thrust into the adventure of a lifetime features pirates, swordfights, an ocean voyage, betrayals, and buried treasure among many other classic adventure-story ingredients – what's not to love?

It's been filmed countless times before, in many various incarnations, including one with the Muppets and an animated version starring the Monkees' Davy Jones; so what new way can be thought up to retell this hundred-year-old story for twenty-first century audiences?

Set it in space, of course; a brilliant idea that pays off handsomely.

To be fair, TREASURE PLANET is not the first film to set the story among the stars; that distinction belongs to the 1987 Italian live-action TV Mini-series TREASURE ISLAND IN OUTER SPACE. But that version has scarcely been seen outside of Europe, and I seriously doubt that it could hold a candle to the stunning visuals seen here.

And the key word here is VISUALS. This is arguably the most visually stunning animated film to come out of the powerhouse Disney animation factory, EVER. The canvas on which they paint here is wide and broad, and full of breathtaking color and beauty. Pirate ships with solar sails soar across a canopy of stars, and behemoths that look like whales trumpet along beside them. Alien beings both friendly and fierce populate the universe, and futuristic machinery stands side-by-side with nineteenth century technology. I've never seen anything quite like it.

Oh, and there is a story here as well; amazingly, it is quite faithful to the source material in both outline and details, only deviating from the text where necessary to transplant the action from the oceans of nineteenth century Earth to the planets and solar systems of the future.

It centers around Jim Hawkins, a fatherless boy constantly getting into trouble with the law for his rambunctious, extreme-sports ways, who gets the chance to prove himself when a dying pirate leaves him a treasure map with his dying breath. In short order he finds himself cabin boy on a stargoing vessel bound for the legendary Treasure of a Thousand Worlds; along the way path is blocked by pirates and collapsing stars and other perils of interstellar travel.

If I have any complaint at all with the film it would be that it sticks a little TOO close to the novel, some of the nineteenth century ideals just don't ring true in the futuristic setting; but that's easily forgivable compared to the wondrous images this magic film offers.

Cast yer sails matey...we be blastin outta these worlds! It was all good: cast,script, music, and the effects animation was the BEST! So why the rate of 8 then, well I really didn't like B.E.N.'s personality, but I'm sure others out there will love him. There are plenty of funny moments, endearing moments (without being sappy), and just the right touch of suspense to keep you hanging on. I was so glad the romance was played down for once, along with those endless Disney love songs. The one scene in the movie that is accompanied by song is such a score! Completes the scene of who Jim is and how he feels with just that one song. Bravo Johnny Rzeznik! I plan to go out and buy this DVD. I only wish I could have a Morphy on my computer to play with; Disney missed the boat big time on that gold.

Upfront, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie beyond what I thought I would take from it. Being an animation major I can thoroughly pick apart most movies, especially what Disney puts out now-a-days. Unfortunately for their movie Treasure Planet, either it was ahead of itself ambitiously, or it was rumors that spread like wildfire (when it was being released) that killed it. Actually, that's why I didn't see this film until very recently, because of everyone's (and mine at the time) prejudice against Disney features springing up amongst way too many viewers, and especially for this film. I believed them that this film was terrible, and subsequently never got to see it until a week ago. Man, everyone was wrong.

I'll be honest, and give it its weak points: The main character (Jim) is quite blank and not very well developed. Which is bad because an audience cannot connect to a flat, central character. Secondly, the CG (although very well stylized) I think didn't mesh as well with the 2D animation as it should have. Other than that...you might pick apart a few other things about the movie (and no, the dialouge isn't that bad. it's a G rated movie...it's not supposed to be incredibly complex).

Treasure Planet keeps pretty tight in line with the original classic, "Treasure Island", even when softening it down for a younger audience. I grew up with that story, and had no problem with the adaptation in Planet. Also, this film contains two masterfully animated characters, John Silver and Dr. Dilbert Doppler (animated by two masters, Glen Keane and Sergio Pablos, respectively). If you're an animation enthusiast, these two are gold to watch (especially the pencil tests in the special features on the DVD).

This whole review is a little long-winded, but in closing, this movie is more than what was said of it. If anything dealt the killing blow in this movie failing at the box office, it was everyone's bad word for it. Not true. Please see for yourself!