Review of Treasure Planet (2002) by Jon T — 01 Feb 2011

Turn Robert Louis Stevenson's famous sea-faring epic "Treasure Island" into an outer space adventure? It's an odd idea, and unfortunately, TREASURE PLANET only comes across as a marginally realized attempt, going high with the technology but skimping on everything else.

There are some impressive computer-animated backgrounds mixed with cel animation, but like Don Bluth's TITAN A.E., these two styles don't mesh very well as smoothly as it should. Furthermore, there is not a single character who comes across as interesting or compelling in the whole film.

.. even longtime fans of the original novel are likely to cringe at the "father/son" relationship between John Silver (here cast as a bulky pirate with a cyborg arm) and Jim Hawkins--notably the final parting scene.

Considering that TREASURE PLANET is a Disney film, and especially one helmed by the team who delivered the brilliant LITTLE MERMAID, it is all the more disappointing to see this come from the House of Mickey.

Incidentally, the film proved to be a tremendously expensive megaflop, and it really isn't hard to see why. Walt Disney's own live-action treatment of the tale is a far better venture, and MUPPET TREASURE ISLAND, while more of a parody, offers lots of more fun than this high-tech, emotionless misfire.