IMDb RATING
7.2/10
3.7K
YOUR RATING
Tom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher and Huck Finn join Mark Twain on his airship to meet Halley's Comet.Tom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher and Huck Finn join Mark Twain on his airship to meet Halley's Comet.Tom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher and Huck Finn join Mark Twain on his airship to meet Halley's Comet.
James Whitmore
- Mark Twain
- (voice)
Michele Mariana
- Becky Thatcher
- (voice)
- …
Chris Ritchie
- Tom Sawyer
- (voice)
John Morrison
- Adam
- (voice)
Carol Edelman
- Eve
- (voice)
Dal McKennon
- Jim Smiley
- (voice)
- (as Dallas McKennon)
Herb Smith
- The Stranger
- (voice)
Marley Stone
- Aunt Polly
- (voice)
Tim Conner
- Three-Headed Alien
- (voice)
Todd Tolces
- Saint Peter
- (voice)
Billy Scream
- The Indexivator
- (voice)
- …
Bob Griggs
- First Heckler
- (voice)
Tom Gasek
- Man in Crowd
- (voice)
- …
Sally Sopwith
- Woman in Crowd
- (voice)
Featured reviews
"The Adventures of Mark Twain" is a fascinating animated feature. The clever mind of Will Vinton fashioned a masterpiece from the works of one of America's greatest writers. Seeing stories like "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and "The Diaries of Adam and Eve" fleshed out in animation is something else. Of course, it's doubtful that any studio today would make an animated film exactly like this. Still, I'd think it's a wonderful way to introduce younger people to classic American literature.
I must have seen The Adventures of Mark Twain for the first time over twelve years ago, and for over a decade it had haunted me... rarely, if ever, rebroadcast, I was left only with vague memory of what I remembered as one of the most vibrant pieces of visual art and storytelling that I was exposed to as a youth. I recently purchased it directly from the studio that released it, and got to return to it for the first time in a long time. Of course, when returning to childhood films, you always run the risk of being disappointed by the film being worse than you recall. Luckily, I was not disappointed at all. The story is of Mark Twain's characters Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, and Becky Thatcher as they stow on board an airship created by Mark Twain himself. Through the course of their journey across the world to meet Haley's comet, we are invited to retellings of Twain stories and meet all sorts of different characters. The humour is intelligent and dry, but not over the heads of children.
Visually, this piece is stunning. There is something vivid and tactile about stop-motion animation that will always appeal to me more than any CGI creation. Will Vinton outdoes himself with this piece. From the grandeur of Twain's airship or the Garden of Eden, to the detail of Twain's parlour/billiard room and the simple, truthful human expressions that the animators manage to create on the characters' faces, the film is impressive from first to last.
What surprised me the most is how this film, which I remembered as a children's or family film, is in fact quite dark. It deals with aspects of life, death, evil, and human nature that one would never expect in a so-called "family" film. But while the outward darkness, and, at times, even morbidity of individual aspects may seem inappropriate for family viewing, it comes from the sane and grounded perspective that Twain himself seems to have been known for. Like in any good storytelling, the dark side of humanity is not spared from the viewer just because of the potentially youthful audiences.
By way of criticism, the film could definitely move at a faster pace. The humour, while clever and dry, as I said, could have been pushed farther. There were many times the film set us up for quite a punchline and then didn't deliver, instead settling for a consistent level of pleasant amusement. And I wish the episodic structure had been more fully taken advantage of, and had been extended into even more stories. But that may just be me wishing the movie was longer than 86 minutes. You can't have too much of a good thing.
I give the storytelling an 8 out of 10, and visuals a 10 of 10. Overall, a 9. There aren't too many of those, as far as I'm concerned.
And even if you didn't like this movie, you gotta admit, it's one of a kind.
Visually, this piece is stunning. There is something vivid and tactile about stop-motion animation that will always appeal to me more than any CGI creation. Will Vinton outdoes himself with this piece. From the grandeur of Twain's airship or the Garden of Eden, to the detail of Twain's parlour/billiard room and the simple, truthful human expressions that the animators manage to create on the characters' faces, the film is impressive from first to last.
What surprised me the most is how this film, which I remembered as a children's or family film, is in fact quite dark. It deals with aspects of life, death, evil, and human nature that one would never expect in a so-called "family" film. But while the outward darkness, and, at times, even morbidity of individual aspects may seem inappropriate for family viewing, it comes from the sane and grounded perspective that Twain himself seems to have been known for. Like in any good storytelling, the dark side of humanity is not spared from the viewer just because of the potentially youthful audiences.
By way of criticism, the film could definitely move at a faster pace. The humour, while clever and dry, as I said, could have been pushed farther. There were many times the film set us up for quite a punchline and then didn't deliver, instead settling for a consistent level of pleasant amusement. And I wish the episodic structure had been more fully taken advantage of, and had been extended into even more stories. But that may just be me wishing the movie was longer than 86 minutes. You can't have too much of a good thing.
I give the storytelling an 8 out of 10, and visuals a 10 of 10. Overall, a 9. There aren't too many of those, as far as I'm concerned.
And even if you didn't like this movie, you gotta admit, it's one of a kind.
I don't know how they did it. This movie is as close to memorable as "movie magic" will ever get. As i sifted through the previously posted comments i came to realize that i wasn't the only one who was completely "tranced" by its animation and story line as a little kid. Unbelievable! Kudos to those who did it.
I watched it only once before, i think i was around 7, and i NEVER EVER forgot about it! Then i watched it again yesterday, and then an avalanche of unexplained and repressed memories came down trickling as things became clearer. Well, a bit more clearer!
At any rate, now that i know what it's about, i can't say i am disappointed. This time nostalgia really paid out. Beautiful movie, even if broody, in every respect. That said, this clearly isn't a movie for everyone.
I watched it only once before, i think i was around 7, and i NEVER EVER forgot about it! Then i watched it again yesterday, and then an avalanche of unexplained and repressed memories came down trickling as things became clearer. Well, a bit more clearer!
At any rate, now that i know what it's about, i can't say i am disappointed. This time nostalgia really paid out. Beautiful movie, even if broody, in every respect. That said, this clearly isn't a movie for everyone.
After recently watching this film on video, I realized I had finally seen a movie I have waited 15 years to see since I missed it in the theatres when it first came out. I was not disappointed. Will Vinton Studios went out of their way to produce a masterpiece: the animation is top-notch, the story is amusing, intelligent, and marked with wry humor. I was particularly impressed with the section with the Mysterious Stranger. Most of the film focuses on the story of Adam and Eve. They explore Twain's dark side and his emotional side. Through all the subject matter, it still remains a family movie. Absolutely brilliant.
This is some great claymation. Great detail caught in the facial expressions, lots of characters and settings. This film is truly a captivating visual experience. Mark Twain is driving an airship to Haley's Comet into his demise, and his characters Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn have stowawayed themselves on the ship. Some of Mark Twain's other stories are told in the process in claymation, and creation, death, and the afterlife are all explored. This film is not just for kids as it has a very adult sense of humor and some very deep themes. I really enjoyed it more than I expected too, definitely a classic in clay-animation.
Did you know
- TriviaThis is the first full-length feature in clay animation.
- GoofsAll the characters pronounce Halley's Comet with a long a. The comet is named for Sir Edmund Halley, whose name is pronounced with a short a. This is also an error nobody would have made at the time, as this mispronunciation only began with the band Bill Hailey and the Comets.
- Quotes
The Mysterious Stranger: Life itself is only a vision. A dream. Nothing exists, save empty space and you. And you... are but a thought.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Festival of Claymation (1987)
- SoundtracksHeroes
Music by Billy Scream and Paul Jameson
Lyrics by Susan Shadburne
Performed by the Billy Scream Band, lead vocalist: Craig Carothers
- How long is The Adventures of Mark Twain?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- The Adventures of Mark Twain
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $849,915
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $226,525
- Jan 19, 1986
- Gross worldwide
- $849,915
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