Treasure Planet (2002)

Treasure planet poster — November 6, 2002 (Paris)
November 27, 2002 (United States)

Treasure Planet is a 2002 American animated science fiction action-adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The 43rd Disney animated feature film, it is a science fiction adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's adventure novel Treasure Island (1883), and it is the third retelling of the story in an outer space setting, following the Bulgarian film Treasure Planet and the miniseries Treasure Island in Outer Space (1987). It is the third Disney adaptation of the novel, following Treasure Island (1950) and Muppet Treasure Island (1996). In the film's setting, spaceships are powered by solar sails and resemble the 18th-century sailing vessels of the original Treasure Island.

The film was co-written, co-produced and directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, and features the voices of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brian Murray, David Hyde Pierce, Martin Short, Roscoe Lee Browne, Emma Thompson, Michael Wincott, Laurie Metcalf, and Patrick McGoohan (in his final film role). The musical score was composed by James Newton Howard, while a couple of songs were written and performed by John Rzeznik. It marks Clements and Musker's first non-musical film since The Great Mouse Detective (1986). The duo pitched the concept for the film at the same time, where they worked on another Disney animated feature, The Little Mermaid (1989). After they finished their work on Hercules (1997), development of the film officially began. It employs a novel technique of hand-drawn 2D traditional animation set atop 3D computer animation. With a budget of $140 million, it is the most expensive traditionally animated film to date.

Treasure Planet premiered on Paris, France and Cinerama Dome in November 6 and 17, 2002, and received a wide theatrical release on November 27. It was the first film to be released simultaneously in regular and IMAX theaters. The film was a box-office bomb, earning $38 million in the United States and Canada and $110 million worldwide, but received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences. It was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards, but lost to Spirited Away (2001). The film has gained a cult following.

Storyline[]

On the planet Montressor, young Jim Hawkins is enchanted by stories of space pirate Captain Flint and his ability to strike suddenly and disappear without a trace, hiding his loot on the fabled "Treasure Planet". Twelve years later, Jim has grown into an aloof troublemaker after his father abandoned him when he was a child. He reluctantly helps his mother Sarah run the Benbow Inn, and is caught by police after recklessly skysurfing with a rocket-powered sailboard. A spaceship crashes near the inn, and the dying pilot, Billy Bones, gives Jim a sphere and warns him to "beware the cyborg". Pirates attack, burning down the inn, and Jim flees with his mother and their dog-like friend, Dr. Delbert Doppler. Jim discovers that the sphere contains a holographic star map, leading to the location of Treasure Planet, and decides to seek out the legendary fortune.

Doppler commissions the ship RLS Legacy, commanded by feline Captain Amelia and stone-skinned first mate Mr. Arrow. The motley crew is secretly led by half-robot cook John Silver, whom Jim suspects is the cyborg he was warned about. Sent to work in the galley, Jim is supervised by Silver and his shape-shifting pet, Morph, and they form a tenuous father-son relationship. When the ship encounters a supernova, Jim secures the crew's lifelines. As a black hole forms, ruthless insectoid crew member Scroop cuts Mr. Arrow's lifeline, sending him to his death. The ship rides the shock waves to safety, and Jim is framed for neglecting Arrow's lifeline, but is comforted by Silver.

Reaching the Treasure Planet, Jim discovers the crew are indeed pirates led by Silver, and a mutinyerupts. Doppler, Amelia, and Morph abandon ship, and Jim retrieves the map, while Silver cannot bring himself to shoot Jim, allowing him to escape with the others. The group is shot down, injuring Amelia, and discover that the map is Morph in disguise, with the real map still on the ship. The group meet B.E.N., an abandoned navigational robot with knowledge of Flint and his treasure, but missing much of his memory. Cornered by the pirates, Jim, Morph, and B.E.N. hijack a longboat and return to the Legacy to retrieve the map. Scroop attacks them, and the artificial gravity is disabled; Scroop attempts to cut Jim loose, but Jim kicks him overboard into deep space. Returning, they are caught by Silver and his crew, who have already captured Doppler and Amelia.

Silver forces Jim to use the map, directing them to a portal that opens to any location in the universe, allowing Flint to conduct his raids. They open the portal to the core of Treasure Planet, which is actually an ancient machine Flint commandeered to stow his treasure, but trip a hidden sensor. As the pirates collect the loot, Jim finds the skeletal remains of Flint, holding the missing component to B.E.N.'s cognitive computer. He reinserts it, and B.E.N. immediately recalls that Flint rigged the planet to explode upon the treasure's discovery. As the planet collapses, Silver attempts to escape with a boatload of treasure, but abandons it to save Jim. The survivors board the Legacy, which becomes damaged and unable to escape the planet in time. Jim rigs a makeshift sailboard and rides ahead, setting the portal to Montressor Spaceport as he and the others clear the planet's explosion.

Jim finds Silver below decks and allows him to escape, and Silver gives him Morph and a handful of treasure, to pay for rebuilding the inn, believing Jim will "rattle the stars". Sometime later, a party is hosted at the rebuilt Benbow Inn; Doppler and Amelia are married with children; B.E.N. has become a waiter at the inn; and Jim, matured under Silver's mentorship, has become an interstellar cadet. He looks to the skies and sees an image of Silver in the clouds.

Treasure Planet (2002)

Contents

Storyline[]

Movie Trailer[]

Sound Effects Used[]

Image Gallery[]

Audio Samples[]

External Links[]