Treasure Planet

[Zor]

Like i did with Atlantis, once again i would like to go to bring up an fairly old Disney film that i saw when i was younger and have decided to re-watch. If anyone else has thoughts on this film, please share them.

At its core this movie is, well, Treasure Planet IN SPAAACE! Basically a very gimmicky retelling of this classical tale, which is something your enjoyment of which is dependant on if you can wig by this or not (it's not an issue for me, i loved Muppet Treasure Island). It also is worth noting that this is the softest hour and a half of science fiction i have ever seen, as soft as the omnipresent space air that everyone is breathing as they sail aboard their age of sail space frigates. However, it never the less is a beautiful film with some rather lovely asthetics and some top of the line animation, although a few of the cast members seem to have rather rushed designs.

In general, you have some pretty good executions. Long John Silver and Jim were convincing (even if Jim was something of a stock character) with some decent development over the film and i did like Captain Amelia and the Doctor, though you do get some annoying characters as well (Morph and BEN). It's of course fairly short but does move fast enough. There is not that much fighting, all the Fights were brief and generally quite one sided, but there are some good tense scenes. Humour is hit and miss with something of a bias towards the latter. Ultimately i found it to be alright and generally well executed for what it was, if nothing spectacular and while it has some superior aspects to it i am going to place Atlantis ahead of it.

Zor

[Shroom Man 777]

The 'space air' was because the ships had forcefields that kept the atmosphere in.

[Molyneux]

The 'space air' was because the ships had forcefields that kept the atmosphere in.

Not really, the forcefields don't seem to have done anything more than apply artifiical gravity.

[El Moose Monstero]

Don't forget the SPACE WHALES! And the gravity field must have extended some way past the ship to explain the rope winches, the barnacle scraping... sorry, SPACE BARNACLES, I wonder why the space whales didn't fall towards the ship when they passed through the gravity field?

Then we've got the kingpin as the XO, cliched fast talking action brit as the Captain, lovable irish pirate, what's not to like? I have a soft spot for Treasure Planet, sure they could basically have just done a regular treasure island retelling and only changed a few minor events - a maelstrom for a blackhole etc, but I did quite like a lot of the designs, the ships particularly (regardless of lack of sense). The spaceport moon was cool, a really nice transition idea. There were quite a few cringeworthy moments in there though, "take care of yourself, ya old scallawag (I know it's scalliwag, but that was the pronunciation)" made me want to reach through the screen and kick the kid through the magic SPACE BOAT LIFT.

Oh, and you can replace the first ten minutes of the new star trek with the first ten minutes of Treasure Planet and basically get the same movie!

[Solauren]

Man, I always wanted to see a Spelljammer movie, and we get Treasure Planet....

[Pick]

Are you joking? Treasure Planet is infinitely better than that Atlantis abortion. It's a fun adaptation of a book for which Disney already made the most well-known movie version. The story works in the style. Why it is being soft science fiction a count against it? It was a fun way to present a tale in a way that appeals to children. If they'd added technobabble and showed long periods of people sitting around in the cargo hold of a space freighter where there is neither light nor sound, would this have made a better moviegoing experience? Would the analogues to the book been accessible enough to please the youths going for an adaptation?

If the fight scenes were any longer, they'd have dragged. Over-long fight scenes in animation are indicative of very poor planning, since animation is so time and money consuming. Furthermore, the animation is also infinitely superior to that in Atlantis, where the awkward style was tailored to a quick release and the integration of the characters into the 3D elements was often unconvincing. Long John Silver is probably one of the best animated elements in a movie you'll ever have the courtesy to see, with gratitude going to Glen Keane (the same guy who animated Beast). The arm, which was of course digital, was integrated seamlessly and given the appropriate weight in all shots.

Some of the humor is the movie is generally pretty juvenile, I'll admit. It's as if it were a children's movie or something. What on Earth were they thinking?

[Darth Wong]

I'm with Pick. Treasure Planet was great fun, while Atlantis plodded. My boys watched Treasure Planet many times, while they didn't even finish watching Atlantis the first time; they lost interest and started playing with their toys.

[SirNitram]

It is hard to overestimate my irrational enjoyment of Treasure Planet. The art design was amazing. Sense? Who needs it when it's fun and pretty?

[Tiriol]

I'm actually planning on seeing Treasure Planet; the premise seems nice, the original story was awesome (and at this point, rather nostalgic to me), the animation doesn't seem that bad and the Captain character has some strange allure (she reminds me of a friend of mine, for some reason). And quite frankly WHY is it so bad if a movie isn't "hard sci-fi"? Is a touch of fantasy so bad that it ruins everything for viewer?

[Samuel]

It only matters if the movie has pretensions of hardness. This movie does not and so it doesn't really matter.

Plus, who can hate a movie that has
Spoiler

a planet with a self destruct mechanism?

[Pick]

Wow, I didn't figure so many people would agree with me. Treasure Planet is just a sore spot of mine, since it's basically the movie that killed Disney animation (well, until Princess and the Frog comes out). Domestically, it was an enormous flop.

Animation-wise, the most you can fault Treasure Planet for is a style you don't enjoy, since from a technical standpoint, it's unbelievable. It was made by one of Disney's most talented teams. (Disney Animation Studios used different 'sets' of people for different films; since they take so long to make, several already had to be in development when any given one was being finished, hence some of the regular fluctuations in quality of pictures released.)

[Zor]

I never said the unrealisticness of it got to me. I just felt that in adressing that point that it is the way it is. As for box office preformance, that is at best an unreliable measure of quality.

Zor

[Batman]

At its core this movie is, well, Treasure Planet IN SPAAACE!

Unsurprisingly, as it is Treasure PLANET (sorry, but I found this goof incredibly funny).
And I didn't see the softest SciFi comment as any kind of criticism so much as a mere observation. For SciFi, this movie IS extremely soft, that's one of its charms. Sailing ships in space? Yes, of COURSE it's loopy, but it's also tremendous fun. Besides, Treasure Island isn't Treasure Island without a proper Sailing Age setting.
I very much enjoyed that movie.

[Zwinmar]

That has to be one of my favorite disney movies. Yeah it's whacky and stereotypical but, it is fun.

[Gil Hamilton]

I digged the design of it, since it was a cool retelling of Treasure Island. I particularly loved the Cresent Moon orbiting space port. That was amazing.

[CaptainChewbacca]

At its core this movie is, well, Treasure Planet IN SPAAACE!

Unsurprisingly, as it is Treasure PLANET (sorry, but I found this goof incredibly funny).
And I didn't see the softest SciFi comment as any kind of criticism so much as a mere observation. For SciFi, this movie IS extremely soft, that's one of its charms. Sailing ships in space? Yes, of COURSE it's loopy, but it's also tremendous fun. Besides, Treasure Island isn't Treasure Island without a proper Sailing Age setting.
I very much enjoyed that movie.

He's right, though. It's not Treasure Island, and it's not Treasure Planet. It really is Treasure Planet IN SPAAACE! It's the two extra A's that let you get away with silly, awesome, campy fun.

[LadyTevar]

As Nitram said, it had Amazing artwork and fantastic animations. Who needs Hard Science in a Space-Yarn? It's a great little fun movie that may not have done will in theaters, but is a great DVD to have around. If Nit or I see one of the Disney channels is playing it, dammit, we're setting the TV for Disney.

[andrewgpaul]

The first film I saw in an IMAX theatre was Matrix Revolutions. The second, which was much more enjoyable was Treasure Planet. Annoyingly, there was visible pixellation on the CGI at such huge magnification.

I love the look of it - that first zoom into the spaceport, and the "cool space stuff" montage. The only thing I can compare it to is Titan A.E., but that spoiled the cool montage by using crappy teen-rock as the music.

I've got a big soft spot for space whales. Every SF setting should have them, no matter the "hardness".

[Styphon]

As Nitram said, it had Amazing artwork and fantastic animations. Who needs Hard Science in a Space-Yarn? It's a great little fun movie that may not have done will in theaters, but is a great DVD to have around. If Nit or I see one of the Disney channels is playing it, dammit, we're setting the TV for Disney.

Just don't leave it on Disney if you have to leave in the middle of the movie... there are terrible things on that channel that could end up waiting for you when you come back.

[hongi]

I watched it just now after reading this thread, and it was awesome. Probably the best animated movie I've seen since...well, Wall-E. The Captain was a great touch, along with her propensity for British slang ('tosh' ftw) and long sentences, in a rather nice British accent.

[Emerson33260]

Inpired by this thread and a chance encounter with a DVD in my local video rental, I watched it. I cannot believe that anybody who comes to this site for the companionship of like-minded geeks does not fall immediately, totally, hysterically in love with the film when Doctor Delbert Doppler delivers his best line Spoiler

"Dammit, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a doctor....."

[Sam Or I]

I have always had a soft spot for the fantasy of "Ether Flyers" as a means of space travel. So I enjoyed it.

[Mayabird]

*sigh* Necro, dude, and you're not even a newbie. Thread locked.
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