One of my all favorite animated Disney films since it came out has been ‘Treasure Planet’. The film, an adaptation from Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Treasure Island’, landed in theaters with nothing more than a dull thud when it was originally released. But those who saw it seemed to fall in love with this new, futuristic telling of Stevenson’s classic tale, myself included. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, the directors of ‘Aladdin’, ‘The Little Mermaid’, and ‘Princess and the Frog’, and featuring a brilliant cast including Joseph Gordon, David Hyde Pierce, Martin Short, and Emma Thompson, ‘Treasure Planet’ is another strong, but misunderstood title, from Walt Disney Animation that everyone deserves to give a chance.
Jim Hawkins (Joseph Gordon Levitt) is a rebellious teenage with few things he enjoys in life as much as solar surfing. But all that changes one night when a spaceship crashes next to his mother’s Inn, and the dying pilot gives Jim a map that could change his future. A map to the fabled Treasure Planet. Jim’s friend Delbert Doppler commissions a ship, led by Captain Amelia (Emma Thompson), to help find Treasure Planet. Jim quickly befriends the ship’s cook, John Silver, who takes Jim under his wing and mentors him. As their journey gets closer to its destination, Jim soon realizes that Silver may not be exactly who he says, and the fate of the trip could be in serious danger.
This is easily Disney storytelling at its finest. I’m a sucker for steampunk style films, and ‘Treasure Planet’ is a perfect example of it being executed perfectly. I’ve always been a fan of Robert Louis Stevenson’s book, but you can only tell the same story the same way so many times before it becomes boring. I thought the futuristic take on the book was actually a very cool twist, and it really works in the movie’s favor. Clements and Musker poured their hearts and souls into the films, and it shows. They spent years developing and working on the film, making sure the time was right so that the technology could catch up with the vision. The movie has a very romantic adventure feel, with lots of great action scenes, such as the raid on the Inn at the beginning being a particular standout for me, that really makes this movie that much more fun. The film really is just fun, plain and simple.
Part of the reason the movie works so well, other than just the story of course, is the cast they’ve assembled. Joseph Gordon Levitt is terrific as Jim Hawkins, the rebellious and adventurous teenager that the story centers around. Levitt’s voice perfectly fits the character, and it makes me wish that he would do more voice acting. David Hyde Pierce is also quite good as Jim friend Delbert Doppler. Hyde Pierce is no stranger to voice acting, and I love his work here. He’s just great as the best friend, and also a bit as his conscious. His voice just fits the character so well. Emma Thompson really is quite good as Captain Amelia. She brings a headstrong, authoritative, but fun life to the character. She was who the directors had in mind all along for the role, and I’m glad they landed her, because she really is wonderful in the role. But one of the best actors in the whole film is Brian Murray as John Silver. He really brings the character to life, playing the caring father figure of Jim so well, only to turn when he shows his true color, in a terribly menacing style. I absolutely love him in the role.
This movie is really great to look at, so it’s great to see that Disney has released another stellar blu-ray with great picture. ‘Treasure Planet’ is absolutely breathtaking here, looking crisp, vibrant, and downright incredible. The voyages through space are a sight to behold, and the movie could easily be a reference disc for home theater enthusiasts. This is easily the best the film has ever looked. The movie also bolsters an incredible 5.1 DTS mix that really brings the movie to life like never before. The action scenes especially get an incredible new life with this mix. I’ve seen the movie many times on DVD and never once heard this movie this clear before. It’s quite amazing how different it is.
Disney also doesn’t skimp in the special features section. ‘Treasure Planet’ comes chock loaded with features, including deleted scenes featuring the original opening prologue of the film, and an alternate ending. The prologue pening is really fun to watch, because it’s so incredibly different then what he got, and I actually wonder what it would have been like had the movie had this original opening. I actually really like it, and I’m a bit sad to see that it was cut. We also have ‘DisneyPedia: The Life of a Pirate Revealed’, which is a fun little feature that gives kids a short look into what the lives of real life pirates was like. I’m sure they’ll eat it up, because it really is fun. There is a forty five minute set of production featurettes that gives a fun look at different things from throughout the production of the film, such as story, art design, the animation, characters, and so much more. It’s a great behind the scenes look at the movie and I absolutely loved it. There’s also a music video for “I’m Still Here”, the song from the film’s montage between Jim and Silver. But the best feature on this disc is the commentary by directors Ron Clements and John Musker. It’s very informative and fun to listen to, and deals a lot more then anything the special features covers. I’m just incredibly impressed overall with all the features that Disney has put on this release, making it that much better.
‘Treasure Planet’ is still one of my favorite films from the Disney Animation Studio, even if it isn’t the most well known or loved. The fact that Disney has put so much time and effort into this tenth anniversary release makes this disc one of the best that they’ve produced. I’m very happy to report that ‘Treasure Planet’ features not only great picture and sound, but also a whole plethora of special features to choose from. If you’ve never seen the movie before, I highly recommend it, and this release is a great way to discover it. Fans will be happy to see how well the film has been treated, and they’ll want to get their hands on the film as soon as they can. I really can’t recommend this movie, and its release, highly enough. It’s definitely one to add to your collection.
I give it a solid A
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- ‘Treasure Planet’ Comes to Blu-ray July 3, 2012 (chipandco.com)
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