Featured Audience Ratings

• Daniel M

  
  There are a number of core texts in English literature whose influence runs so deep through our culture that it is hard to re-approach them in a straightforward manner. King Solomon's Mines remains a milestone in the emerging action-adventure genre, but a straight-laced film… More
  There are a number of core texts in English literature whose influence runs so deep through our culture that it is hard to re-approach them in a straightforward manner. King Solomon's Mines remains a milestone in the emerging action-adventure genre, but a straight-laced film version seemed somehow redundant after Indiana Jones and Romancing the Stone. The stories and tropes are so well-known to us that the original can often seem hackneyed or risible when played out in such a no-frills manner. The same problem applies to Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson's hugely influential novel whose roots run through most if not all modern pirate fiction. Among the many recent adaptations, the most appealing have often been those that restaged the story in an unusual manner while being faithful to its spirit - for instance, Muppet Treasure Island. The kindest thing that can be said about Treasure Planet is that it demonstrates the hardiness of Stevenson's story, both by staying very faithful to the plot and by not adding very much that is new in the process. Many of Treasure Planet's shortcomings can be explained by understanding the ethos of Disney's solo CG works in this period. While PIXAR was hitting a rich vein of form, making films which pushed the envelope of what children's animation could do, Disney was trying to push the same old stuff overlaid with snazzier visuals. This approach was nothing new - it's arguably what they'd been doing since The Little Mermaid. Treasure Planet was first pitched around the same time as that film, and to some extent epitomises the ruthless consolidation of the formulas and strategies of the Renaissance - strategies which in many cases encumbered good storytelling. As the title suggests, the main quirk of Treasure Planet is setting Stevenson's story in space. There have been many attempts to restage classic stories in space before, and while it's often used as a gimmick when pitching a film, there are numerous examples of it working well. Forbidden Planet successfully restaged Shakespeare's The Tempest on a distant world, while Alien is on one level just Hallowe'en in space. Treasure Planet is distinctive in the visual decisions it takes to transpose the story. The world of Jim Hawkins juxtaposes intergalactic space travel with 18th-century nautical designs and details, with rocket boosters being combined with sun sails and wooden hulls. It's not steampunk per se, but it shares with steampunk the idea of futuristic societies being run (at least to some extent) on antiquated technologies. However we care to explain it, the detail in the ship's designs makes us feel that at some effort was expended on the production. Unfortunately, setting the story in space also betrays how much of the film is deeply derivative. There are whole sections which not only owe a massive debt to Star Wars, but which are so close that they are practically ripping off the series. The whole ship-buying sequence is structured like the Mos Eisley scenes in A New Hope, with all manner of strange creatures walking around and Captain Amelia's cockiness standing in for that of Han Solo. The film incorporates Luke's backstory into Jim's, retaining his rebellious spirit but letting George Lucas take care of the rest. Some of the Star Wars touches can be excused on the grounds that the film was in production for a very long time, during which two of the three prequels made it to our screens. So while Jim Hawkins does look scarily like Anakin Skywalker, right down to having the same haircut as he does in Attack of the Clones, this is almost certainly a coincidence since they wouldn't have had time to fundamentally alter his character just to cash in. Other touches, however, are less easy to overlook; Ben is essentially C3PO but more annoying (and his Jaws joke is completely needless). When I reviewed A New Hope, I commented on how the film is more notable for its technical innovation than for its storytelling - something which has carried over into much of mainstream sci-fi or space fantasy. Treasure Planet does look pretty good, with its expansive setting, appealing colour scheme and whizz-bang action. But all too often the film carries itself on visual spectacle, neglecting the plot for the sake of a few passingly good diversions. The encounter with the black hole or the escape from the planet (through a portal ripped off from Stargate) are ultimately overlong, and the more the running time is padded out, the less interest we have in the characters. When the story does take charge, the film turns out to be pretty faithful to the book. Like Trishna it gets the basic beats of the story down pat, such as the fateful encounter with Billy Bones, the Benbow being destroyed, the scene in the apple barrel and the treasure hunt using Flint's map. Even with all the interpolation of tropes and key scenes from Star Wars, it still feels like the story we know and love, and unlike Trishna we are left anticipating how the next key plot point is going to be restaged. The departures Treasure Planet makes are a mixed bag; some of their changes are reasonable, others are inexplicable. On the one hand, the futuristic setting makes it acceptable to tone down all the talk about drinking; the pirates are already a motley bunch without throwing space-age rum into the mix. And the idea of Flint's planet being booby-trapped does kind of work, reinforcing the theme of the treasure being unobtainable and the characters' development being more important than their goal. On the other hand, the film omits all the talk about the black spot, for no sensible reason: Muppet Treasure Island played up this aspect and still got a U certificate. This brings us on to the characters, which is where the film begins to look more like the product of a committee. In Muppet Treasure Island each of Stevenson's characters was given a different personality, the result being an interesting blend of both the original and the Muppet that was playing them. Here the characters have the same functions as in the novel, but they are written in very broad strokes. The crew comprises many oddly-shaped creatures, physically distinctive but otherwise unmemorable, and there is a goofy sensibility to the film which undermines the drama. Like The Black Cauldron there are one too many sidekicks, and some of the character choices are just bizarre: did we really need a sailor that only communicates by farting? This problem becomes magnified when it comes to Long John Silver. Silver is one of the most distinctive and complex antagonists in English literature, someone who is ruthless and brutal but also capable of selflessness. Making him a cyborg rather than a peg-leg is fine - in fact the character design is pretty cool. But the film seems torn over how the character should be played; sometimes it wants him to be as in the novel, other times it wants him to be a traditional Disney bad guy. The result is conflicted but ultimately successful, if only because of Brian Murray's performance. While the characterisation in Treasure Planet is off-kiltre, the voice acting is quite impressive. The cast is filled with famous names, like Emma Thompson, David Hyde Pierce and a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt, but it doesn't feel like a Dreamworks-style cameo fest with said famous people showing up to enjoy themselves. Put simply, the voices match the characters well enough to make us focus on the protagonists without constantly thinking who is playing whom (watch out, incidentally, for Patrick McGoohan, who plays Billy Bones in his final performance). Treasure Planet is a middling effort from Disney, boasting some impressive animation but being let down by its storytelling and characters. As a transliteration of Treasure Island it works perfectly well, retaining the main plot points and providing a few thrills, but the characters are too broad and their surroundings too derivative to fully hold our attention. It is ultimately as flawed and frustrating as The Black Cauldron, providing good disposable entertainment but not a great deal more.

• Michael E

  
  OH MAN! Where do I start? Treasure Island is one of my favorite novels for thing and Sci-fi is one of my favorite genre, and I love animation, combine all of those things and you get this film. Treasure Planet is a Disney film, no FILM in general that gets everything right. The… More
  OH MAN! Where do I start? Treasure Island is one of my favorite novels for thing and Sci-fi is one of my favorite genre, and I love animation, combine all of those things and you get this film. Treasure Planet is a Disney film, no FILM in general that gets everything right. The characters, music, animation, its just all flawless. Joseph Gordon Levitt does a great job at making Jim Hawkins out to be a delinquent and plays it very well and makes him very likable and the relationship he shares with Silver is probably my favorite character relationship I've seen in a film just how well these two work off each other just makes for some great emotional scenes and some great rivalry at the same time. David Hyde Pierce plays Dr. Delbert Doppler and he does a very good job at playing this neurotic scientist out and the relationship he shares with the captain is a great loving relationship, which is the best thing this film gets right which is the relationships which it gets down amazingly well. The film also has a very subtle sense of humor in the robot B.E.N. played by Martin Short and the scenes involving this gelatinous alien blob named morph. Also the animation in this film is hands down Disney's best in my mind. The designs of the ships and the aliens are all original and very creative and the designs of the planets are all very interesting to look at. Also the film has very good build up to very emotional scenes and the ending is one of the biggest tear jerkers I've seen in an animated film. Also this film has one of my favorite side villains ever, Scroop.while not a main focus, he really is the biggest evil entity in this film being the only character to kill another main character off in the film and rather grisly as well. Treasure Planet is just a film that has everything that I can appreciate in a film and thats what makes it my favorite Disney film and one of my favorite films.

• Marc L

  
  You know, some movies really get undervalued when talking about the best Disney films ever. "Hunchback of Notre Dame", "Snow White" and "Beauty and the Beast" are all certainty's and for good reason. But I truly believe that "Treasure… More
  You know, some movies really get undervalued when talking about the best Disney films ever. "Hunchback of Notre Dame", "Snow White" and "Beauty and the Beast" are all certainty's and for good reason. But I truly believe that "Treasure Planet" is better than anything Disney has produced not named "Toy Story" or "Monsters Inc" The strength is obviously the characters. I haven't seen characters from an animated movie so memorable in a long time. The main character, Jim Hawkins, is a teenage rebel who has had low expectations all his life. Wherever he goes he seems to screw up, until he runs into a dying space sailor who has given him the map for a massive treasure stolen by a pirate named Captain Flint. While on his mission to find the treasure, he runs into lots of other great characters, including a cyborg ship cook called John Silver. heir relationship is a strong but cautious one. You'll have to see the movie to know what I'm talking about. The script is the best thing I've seen from a Disney movie since "Spirited Away". And I absolutely LOVED "Spirited Away". I think that Hawkins and Silvers lines were the best. You can really tell that the script for this movie must have taken months! The voice acting is really good. There really isn't a single person here who did a bad job, though Joseph Gordon Levitt stole the show. Of course, then there's the animation. This animation was spectacular and breathtaking, even better than some of Hayao Miyazaki's work. It really is a masterpiece. Above all, Treasure Planet remains one of the best children's movies I've ever seen. I highly recommend it to anyone who liked "Spider-Man" and "Spirited Away".

• Dead A

  
  Yes it's entertaining and I absolutely loved Morph! <a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a471/3niR/?action=view&amp;current=images.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a471/3niR/images.jpg"… More
  Yes it's entertaining and I absolutely loved Morph! <a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a471/3niR/?action=view&amp;current=images.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a471/3niR/images.jpg" border="0" alt="Morph"></a>

• Conner R

  
  One of the last great Disney movies. It takes Treasure Island to the next level with some truly incredible visuals. I loved the blend of cgi and 2D animation, to me it's better than pixar animation. You still have all the old great qualities of the Disney name and some new… More
  One of the last great Disney movies. It takes Treasure Island to the next level with some truly incredible visuals. I loved the blend of cgi and 2D animation, to me it's better than pixar animation. You still have all the old great qualities of the Disney name and some new additions. Some great voice talent from Joseph Gordon Levitt, martin short and others. It also happens to be an incredible tear jerker.

• Morgan S

  
  Now i know who's voice is the Captins...she sounded soooo familiar!! Emma Thompson! Not bad. Definety watch if you liked...oh that other space on with Matt Damon i think... I just like to watch emma thompsons cat and the other guy who is the doc. (the dog)

• Jens S

  
  This Disney adventure takes Stevenson's classic tale of Treasure island, keeps the 18th century look but carries it into space, with starships and aliens, which is quite a brilliant idea, to be honest. Of course only the basics of the plot remain the same, but kudos to the movie… More
  This Disney adventure takes Stevenson's classic tale of Treasure island, keeps the 18th century look but carries it into space, with starships and aliens, which is quite a brilliant idea, to be honest. Of course only the basics of the plot remain the same, but kudos to the movie for keeping such a grey and ambiguous character like Silver pretty intact. While the film may not be suitable for the smallest of the Disney fans, due to lots of action, even a few deaths and threatening aliens, the humor and easily predictable plot does not have a lot to offer for adults either. That being said, the right audience should have a blast with this half animated half computer generated adventure, especially the showdown is pretty damn exciting.

• danny d

  
  i loved this movie, creative and entertaining

• Red L

  
  Eh, its an OK cartoon -- nothing special. I didn't find the upgrade from days of pirate ships to days of space ships that special.

• Dillon L

  
  An incredibly inept animated film. Has some interesting animated techniques, but lacking in virtually all other departments.

• DOCTOR P

  
  6th of the Competition Era The closest in animation stye to the Disney Renaissance so far in this era, "Treasure Planet" a real beauty to look at. Though the film really has a lot of cg mixed in to it, the cg meshes well and adds more beauty to it. It evokes a look that… More
  6th of the Competition Era The closest in animation stye to the Disney Renaissance so far in this era, "Treasure Planet" a real beauty to look at. Though the film really has a lot of cg mixed in to it, the cg meshes well and adds more beauty to it. It evokes a look that while futuristic still looks like something from the past, no exactly steam punk but something along those lines. The film really benefits from it's great animation. The film has a decent score that works well enough for the film. The songs written for it come off a bit bland and uninteresting, but are not sang by the characters so it doesn't really affect the film by that much. Jim Hawkins in this version is voiced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who does a well enough job in voicing the character, but sadly the character just doesn't offer much of interest. The Cyborg/ John Silver voiced by Brian Murray here does a decent job, but nothing to special. The relationship between the two characters is one that felt like it could've been more interesting but just didn't have enough effort put into it. The rest of the cast provide serviceable performances, but none really stand out among the 'pantheon" of characters from Disney. From a story standpoint, the film doesn't do too much bad, unfortunately it just doesn't do much interesting. The film probably could've benefited had it tried to stray farther from the books and other versions rather then just doing pretty much the same only instead of seas it's in space along with robots and aliens. Had the film chose to change around some more it probably would stand out more, granted there are more differences then the ones mentioned before in this review, it just still feels similar enough that it makes anything interesting about the premise feel like a cheap gimmick added as an attempt for more money from children. "Treasure Planet" is a great movie... visually, had the people behind this focused on more then the beauty on the surface it might've been an even better film, rather then one only worth watching if one likes to see great animation with poor storytelling. Up Next:A sorta rapping, sorta Johnny Cash, sorta bear

• Bradley J

  
  It doesn't rank among the best of Disney, but it is beautifully animated, adventurous, and enjoyable. A very good family film with very likable characters. Overall rating: 72

• Matthew Y

  
  People can blame Home on the Range or computer animation all they want, this was the film that really sent Disney's original animated film productions spiraling out of control. A major money loser that followed several underwhelming grossers, most of the problems grew from the… More
  People can blame Home on the Range or computer animation all they want, this was the film that really sent Disney's original animated film productions spiraling out of control. A major money loser that followed several underwhelming grossers, most of the problems grew from the inflated budget as Disney was trying to blend their traditional hand drawn animation with the new age computer graphics. The biggest shame of the whole thing is that Treasure Planet is actually not that bad. The visuals do not blend well together but they still look fantastic independent of one another. The upgrading of Treasure Island to an intergalactic setting was original and certainly made the film more interesting than it's classic setting. Not a great film by any means, its flaws are easily noticeable even to younger audiences but certainly better than it's reputation and worth a watch.

• Bryce I

  
  With the great animation, and the well written storyline, it is another home run for Walt Disney.

• Nick C

  
  No better than the live one in the 50s, but still, I thought this one was well done, a good science fiction fantasy, but I'm afraid that this film definatly did not compare to as I like to call "The King of Sci-Fi Fantasy"(Star Wars).

• Juan C

  
  an animated film with amazing visuals, wonderful storytelling, and has to be a disney treat you'll never forget. A+

• Yinalí R

  
  Great animated action movie all the way.

• Stephen E

  
  "Treasure Planet" was one of my very favorite films when I was a child, so it's nice to revisit it after all of these years and see if there's anything about it that I still remember. Of course, there's no sense in trying to defend it as a great film (because… More
  "Treasure Planet" was one of my very favorite films when I was a child, so it's nice to revisit it after all of these years and see if there's anything about it that I still remember. Of course, there's no sense in trying to defend it as a great film (because it clearly isn't), but it does offer a solidly entertaining hour and a half. The animation is spectacular, the voice acting is great and I don't think there's ever been a more original representation of outer space in all of cinema.

• Sarah P

  
  Futuristic, yet old-timey. It was interesting, but definitely not a Disney favorite. I probably wouldn't watch it again.

• Edward S

  
  The film launches itself with such promise, with such great animation, and with a world it managed to create so vividly that we want to vicariously live in it. Then it slowly degrades... from its unexciting stock lead protagonist to its cheesy sentimentality and finally to its… More
  The film launches itself with such promise, with such great animation, and with a world it managed to create so vividly that we want to vicariously live in it. Then it slowly degrades... from its unexciting stock lead protagonist to its cheesy sentimentality and finally to its extremely disappointing ending (and that music...) which solidifies its position as another made-for-TV (or straight-to-VHS) film that is unexceptional and bland. The film does have its high points, however, circumvented around its original concept.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings