When space galleon cabin boy Jim Hawkins discovers a map to an intergalactic "loot of a thousand worlds," a cyborg cook named John Silver teaches him to battle supernovas and space storms. But, soo...
Treasure Planet almost strikes Disney gold. An adaptation of Stevenson's novel 'Treasure Island' but with a plethora of sci-fi twists to freshen up the story. A childhood favourite of mine and among the more underrated Disney animations in their classic canon, it will leave you staying aboard as opposed to walking the plank. Troublemaker Jim Hawkins stumbles across a map that reveals the location of the formidable Treasure Planet, a celestial body believed to hold Flint's universal riches. Cyborg John Silver hears news of the map and, with the help of his crew, lead a mutiny to obtain the gold for himself. Reinterpretations of classic stories are always interesting, particularly when the links between them are conveyed with clarity. Hawkins, Silver, B.E.N, Bones and the planet itself all resemble key plot points of the novel, yet are reinvented to create a fresh plot that introduces the famous story to a new generation. For the most part, it works extremely well. As with any Disney classic, it's filled with imaginative visuals that will delight the eyes as they glance into the depths of outer space, witnessing supernovas, black holes and an insectoid who commits murder. Maybe scrap the last point, but it remains visually interesting throughout the short runtime. The pacing is extremely rapid as if skysurfing across the glistening stars. The character designs relished in anthropomorphism, from your average cat and dog to a floating blob that can morph into any form. Consistently retaining a sense of innovation and memorability. Voice casting was good particularly Gordon-Levitt, Thompson and Murray who inject astronomical life into their characters. The final act was notably gripping and who doesn't love a tense countdown to total obliteration! The characterisation was slightly on the thin side, particularly the bond between Hawkins and Silver, which does make certain characters unmemorable (seriously, no one remembers Delbert Doppler...). The overuse of 2D hand drawn animation atop 3D CGI felt gimmicky. However, the film retains its position as one of my favourites.
