Review of Treasure Planet (2002) by Ryan P — 14 May 2009

One of the biggest flops in animated film history, Treasure Planet is an extremely uneven movie. Disney animation seemed to be in a sci-fi phase at the beginning of this decade (which also included the brilliantly creative Lilo and Stich and the solid Atlantis: The Lost Empire). This is the weakest of the three feature films. The animation is stunning - vibrant 2D combined with computer animation - and I think there are some scenes that rival the sexiest ever put on the big screen. However, the story severely lacks and is kind of...well, boring, despite the visual thrills that engulf the senses. Why did Disney feel the need to loosly adapt Treasure Island into an outer space flick? It's a head scratcher, because besides the flashy and futuristic technological gimmicks and machines, it doesn't add much to the overall experience, which feels kind of hollow. A pirates-at-sea movie would have not been a great idea, since the first Pirates of the Caribbean came out months after Treasure Planet, but certainly there could have been a better written script penned about outer space.

The characters are well below-average here as well. We've seen Pixar add a depth to family-friendly animated characters that this film ignores, besides a decent father-son relationship involving our bland yet rebellious hero and a good-hearted but scheming pirate. The pirate, John Silver, is unquestionably the best character in the film, and in my opinion, the only one that is even remotely interesting or likeable. All in all, I thought the artists deserved better than this - if only the writing was as engaging as what was appearing on screen, this would be a top-of-the-line Disney classic.