Treasure Planet Appreciation Thread

2099net · Post by **2099net** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:30 am

Well SOME of the 3D animation is badly integrated, mainly objects and backgrounds (think Hook's Pirate ship in Return to Never Land for an idea) but some is beautifully integrated.

I'm especially thinking of John Silver's cyborg arm and hand, which is all CGI but wonderfully integrated into his hand-drawn animation.

CampbellzSoup · Post by **CampbellzSoup** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:57 am

Well how is the story and heart...that's what matters most. As I love Dalmations although I HATE HATE the Zerox look they did.

SpringHeelJack · Post by **SpringHeelJack** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 12:42 pm

Personally, the film didn't flop because there was anything wrong with it, it flopped because it was poorly marketed and a bit more grown up than what Disney had been doing. I know by that point they'd been in PG territory, but "Treasure Planet" deals with some slightly more adult themes and morally ambiguous characters than "Atlantis" or "Lilo & Stitch" did.

Me, I love "Treasure Planet". I think once you're in the mindset, it's a great movie. I might be biased because I like Joseph Gordon Levitt so much, but there you have it.

I will admit some of the CGI animation is a little iffy, mainly those flying things when we first see Crescentia and sometimes the ship itself. Long John's CGI, as Netty said, looks amazing, though, and fits him spectacularly well.

BelleGirl · Post by **BelleGirl** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:18 pm

On second viewing I quite liked TP. I think there is a genuine heart to the story and the relationship between Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver.
The film does remain a weird experience: "Stevenson meets Starwars", it's an odd combination and it doesn't mix very well. Especially since the whole setting is half 'classic pirate' and half 'scifi space adventure'. Am I looking at a sailing ship or a spaceship? How can people breath in space? Is this character (forgot his name) a human-like dog or a dog-like human?
And so on and so on... so what do you guys think of the scifi setting? Does it really add something to the story or does it just make it look odd?

blackcauldron85 · Post by **blackcauldron85** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:22 pm

I love Treasure Planet; I love all the DACs, it's true, but I have a special place in my heart for the "action" movies (TBC, Atlantis, TP).

I think that the story has heart- I can't help but feel for Jim when (highlight to read- spoilers!) his dad leaves, and just his angst- not being the best kid on the block, and when he's getting close to Silver and then that relationship sort of disappoints Jim. (end of spoilers) I like funny sidekicks, so by default I like Morph (I <3 Morph!), and B.E.N. It's easy to get absorbed into the film, as Brendan pretty much said. It's an exciting space adventure! "I'm Still Here" is one of my all-time favorite Disney songs, and songs, period. Even just listening t it in the car can get me a little choked up.

The animation is beautiful, and I agree that some of the CGI sticks out like a sore thumb, very similar to Hook's ship (that always bothers me!), but the majority of the CGI isn't glaringly obvious enough to take you out of the story, IMO.

2099net · Post by **2099net** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 3:01 pm

BelleGirl wrote:On second viewing I quite liked TP. I think there is a genuine heart to the story and the relationship between Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver.
The film does remain a weird experience: "Stevenson meets Starwars", it's an odd combination and it doesn't mix very well. Especially since the whole setting is half 'classic pirate' and half 'scifi space adventure'. Am I looking at a sailing ship or a spaceship? How can people breath in space? Is this character (forgot his name) a human-like dog or a dog-like human?
And so on and so on... so what do you guys think of the scifi setting? Does it really add something to the story or does it just make it look odd?

Well, its not really Sci-Fi, its more science fantasy - fantasy being the key word. As for breathing in space, it's not space! It's called Etherium, is mentioned in the film and explains how people breathe:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Planet

the crew created the concept of the "Etherium," an "outer space filled with atmosphere"

Treasure Planet is as much of a fantasy as Pinocchio, Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast. I can accept anything in Treasure Planet as much as the magic in those films.

PixarFan2006 · Post by **PixarFan2006** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 3:16 pm

I have not seen Treasure Planet in about five or six years. When I first watched it, I rented it from a video store. I did not really like it much. I hard a hard time watching it. I recently bought it on DVD a while ago. I should try and watch it again.

Mooky · Post by **Mooky** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:18 pm

Treasure Planet never really sat right with me, maybe because I prefer to have romance in my Disney movies - however cheesy it may turn out to be

- and the lack of a potential love interest for Jim in TP kinda put me off. And, yes, I know it wouldn't even fit with with the story. Still, it's a great adventure movie nonetheless, with a touchy subject, strong emotional conflict and fantastic visuals. Why it failed? Beats me. I guess the timing wasn't right, and I'm not just talking about it being released at the same time as Chamber of Secrets and Two Towers. For some reason, TP always felt like it came straight out of the '80s to me. It has that Back to the Future/Masters of the Universe/Goonies/Indiana Jones vibe.

As for it being black sheep of modern Disney, I think that title belongs to either Atlantis or Home on the Range.

So anyway, for me, Ron & Jon are incapable of making a bad movie. Go PatF!

Btw, why is this Disney decade considered the worst among the fans? The only real stinker is probably Chicken Little, every other movie took risks, dealt with important subjects and avoided being formulaic at the same time (something that can't really be said about Disney of the '90s, which, for the record, is my favorite Disney decade). I mean, first you have The Emperor's New Groove which broke that musical mold of the '90s and became hated because of that, then action-heavy Atlantis, emotionally-punching Lilo & Stitch and Brother Bear, a brief return of the musical with Home on the Range, all the way down to Meet the Robinsons and Bolt and their contemporary themes.

Stats87 · Post by **Stats87** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:33 pm

I bought Treasure Planet a few months ago and watched it for the first time. I liked it a fair bit and don't think it deserves most of the flack it receives.

The story is good, as it is working from good source material, and I would say that the film does have heart. However, what's different with this film is that there is no love story between main characters. Instead, the main relationship is a paternal one between Jim Hawkins and Silver, and I think it works.

The DVD itself is pretty solid, with a very good commentary track (With Clements, Musker and the Producer) and solid bonus features relating to the making of the film. There is also a "Visual Commentary" that integrates the making-of elements into the movie so you watch them in order of where they fit in the film. (an excellent feature that I wish more films had)

Flanger-Hanger · Post by **Flanger-Hanger** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:43 pm

I love Treasure Planet, especially Jim who is so different and wonderful compared to the bland "every boy/girl" character who usually shows up in Disney films. Jim has a every specific and unique personality that is likable and rateable for me (love his voice too, but not necessarily the actor who does it). Captain Amelia is just friggin' amazing. The look of the film is great and the score by James Newton Howard is fantastic. BEN is the only drawback but he doesn't show up until the last 30 minutes and even during then isn't the main focus or takes away form the storytelling too much.

I wish I had seen it in IMAX.

Escapay · Post by **Escapay** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:57 pm

To use a silly pun, Treasure Planet is an underrated treasure. Last time I watched it was last year with my cousins Cricket and Annalise, and they've probably seen it more times than I have.

Stats87 wrote:There is also a "Visual Commentary" that integrates the making-of elements into the movie so you watch them in order of where they fit in the film. (an excellent feature that I wish more films had)

Ditto.

albert

SpringHeelJack · Post by **SpringHeelJack** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 5:10 pm

I think the sci-fi/fantasy setting can "rationalized" more if you know the filmmakers intents more, like the 70/30 rule (70% 1800s, 30% sci-fi) and the idea that they weren't so much doing "Treasure Island" in space, but wondering what the book would be like if Robert Louis Stevenson had written it as a space fantasy as opposed to a straight-forward story.

Avaitor · Post by **Avaitor** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:05 pm

I'm a bit indifferent to Treasure Planet. While I really liked the sci-twist to the classic novel and found Jim to be an engaging lead, I can't help but feel that this was a tad disappointing considering how determined Ron & Jon were in getting this film out and ready. I couldn't help but look at various parts of the movies and feel that they could of been directed better or that a redraft or two might be best. The animation is fine, even if I also find combining hand-drawn and CGI to often be a pain.

Even then, at the end of the day, I think I'd rank Treasure Planet higher on my preferred DACs than my lesser favorites. And after checking it's review on the site, I should of picked it's OOP DVD up when I found it at Sam's on Sunday. Sounds like a really great single-disc release.

CampbellzSoup · Post by **CampbellzSoup** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:16 pm

How was the story?

JiminyCrick91 · Post by **JiminyCrick91** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:25 pm

CampbellzSoup wrote:How was the story?

It was "Treasure Island" in space. The story is still solid had has the core of pirate adventure and rarely changes a character's overall personality (as compared to other versions) but has major tweeks to make boats into spaceships, Peg Legs into cybertronic ones, and of course islands into planets.

I want to go watch this again. It's been a while.

-Sky

2099net · Post by **2099net** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 1:40 am

Avaitor wrote:The animation is fine, even if I also find combining hand-drawn and CGI to often be a pain.

[6th Doctor]Fine? FINE? FINE?[/6th Doctor]

The animation is awesome, its streets ahead of the animation in films like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King. It's gob-smackingly perfect in-fact.

This is what I find depressing about Disney and it's insistence on going back to fairytales for its films. True artistry like the draftmanship of Treasure Planet, or even the storytelling of Treasure Planet are instantly overlooked, just because its not "a love story" or "a broadway musical" or "a fairytale" and especially because it's not all three.

Look at the interaction between Jim and Silver. It's streets ahead of the so-called romance between the Beast and Belle in all respects; the script, the voice acting; the animation and even in the whole context of the story. It's totally organic. We see Jim is missing a father figure, and Silver becomes the father figure he's missing. And as for Silver, his friendship with Jim changes his outlook on life and his motivations.

I despaired when I saw the castle design for Rapunzel. Have you seen anything looking more generic? You could mash-up the three castles and towns from Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast and come up with Rapunzel's yourself. Compare that to the vast imagination in Treasure Planet's environments and vehicles. Again, there's no comparison.

Goliath · Post by **Goliath** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 4:26 am

2099net wrote:The animation is awesome, its streets ahead of the animation in films like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King. It's gob-smackingly perfect in-fact.

2099net · Post by **2099net** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 5:27 am

Goliath - find me one instance of a character off-model in Treasure Planet. Even if you do (I suppose there are some) they won't be as off-model as some of the Arials and Belles in their movies.

In addition to that, there's some excellent animation acting when it comes to Jim and Silver too.

Flanger-Hanger · Post by **Flanger-Hanger** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 6:45 am

2099net wrote:Goliath - find me one instance of a character off-model in Treasure Planet. Even if you do (I suppose there are some) they won't be as off-model as some of the Arials and Belles in their movies.

In addition to that, there's some excellent animation acting when it comes to Jim and Silver too.

Agreed and that's something I've noticed about all DAC from earlier this decade the characters are far more refined in both begin on model and how they move. Compare that to the multiple Ariels and Belles of earlier films.

On another note, I prefer the Knights Bridge version of "I'm Still Here" to the one used in the film. Anyone else agree?

2099net · Post by **2099net** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 6:59 am

I prefer the French David Halliday version. Anyone with the R2 DVD can hear this by selecting French as your language when you play the disc - for some reason its hidden for other languages.

Or see this youtube video (although the DVD has live action clips of the singer)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWsWpKu_m_A

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Treasure Planet Appreciation Thread