Just for the record, I have enjoyed and even loved a vast majority of Golden Films' animations. But while not the worst of theirs like Tarzan of the Apes and The Jungle King, I didn't care for this Treasure Island. I will give you this, the music is very good. The songs are catchy, more the introductory song of the pirates than Gotta Get Treasure, but they are rousingly sung and it is difficult to get them out of your head. The classical music choices while not the most inspired are still fun to spot and identify like Strauss' Blue Danube and Boccherini's Minuet. And mostly they do fit with each scene especially the Tchaikovsky-like one as Jim overhears Long John Silver and the pirates conspiring. Aside from this, there is not really much to recommend. I will give you that Jim and Long John's relationship is sweet at times if not developed enough and not quite affecting enough. Elizabeth Daily does an emotive and dynamic job voicing Jim, but I wasn't sure about her accent which constantly sounded like an awkward mix of British and Australian. The animation was not colourful or fluid, for my tastes the character designs are crude and the colours are flat with some sparsity also in the background art. The story is such a great one, but feels limp here, with it taking a while to get going and then the scenes on the island feel rushed. The dialogue is not childish as such but rather over-simplistic with nothing witty or such standing out. And the characters generally don't work, the most likable is Jim but everybody else, excepting perhaps benevolent Squire Trelawny, don't really interest me. Long John was too humane for my liking, I never felt that sense of ruthlessness you do in the island scenes, while the Captain's diminutive stature and somewhat effeminate personality may shock some people as it did me. Dr Livesey is a rather stock character here too, not irritating and you do wish he was more interesting, and the mice are annoying rather than cute and funny and a clumsy sign of political correctness. All in all, loved the music, didn't care for the rest. 4/10 Bethany Cox
