Treasure Planet (2002) - 100 Years of Disney Animation
From Disney's biggest flop to a cult classic
On the same year as Lilo & Stitch, Disney released Treasure Planet. This is another case where the movie’s production history is arguably more interesting than the movie itself. For years, Ron Clements and John Musker had wanted to make a sci-fi adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. They originally pitched the idea to Disney in the mid-80’s, along with The Little Mermaid. Disney rejected both ideas at first, but later brought back Little Mermaid. Afterwards, Clements and Musker would pitch Treasure Planet several more times, but instead they were assigned to direct movies like Aladdin and Hercules. When Disney first approached them about Hercules, they said they would only direct it if they could make Treasure Planet right afterwards. This was clearly a huge passion project for the duo, but it sadly didn’t turn out very well. Upon its release, Treasure Planet received mixed reviews and was one of the biggest box office bombs not just in Disney history, but in movie history in general, losing over $70 million. But thankfully, the movie has developed a bit of a cult following in recent years.
With all that in mind, did Treasure Planet really deserve to be such a flop? Honestly, no; while I wouldn’t say I love this movie, I still enjoy it somewhat. For me, the biggest highlight has to be the visuals, which combine the Victorian aesthetic with futuristic technology, creating a very steampunk-like world. Atlantis also played with this style, but Treasure Planet leans into it much more heavily. Because of that, your enjoyment of the film partially relies on how you feel about steampunk. Steampunk is a very polarizing style, with some loving how unique it is, while others see it as tacky. Personally, I kind of like steampunk (although I’m not as into it as some are), so I didn’t mind it. In fact, I think this film ended up creating a very unique world that’s different from pretty much every other Disney movie. Also, much like Tarzan and Atlantis, this movie makes great use of the Deep Canvas technique which really immerses us in the environment. The backgrounds also do a great job of giving us a more fantastical look at outer space than what we usually see. And this doesn’t have to do with the animation, but once again, James Newton Howard delivers a great score, even though some of the music is very of its time (get ready to hear a lot of early 2000’s butt rock).
Well, that just about covers the presentation aspect of this movie; let’s talk about content. I personally find the protagonist, Jim Hawkins, to not be a very interesting character. He’s your typical rebellious teen who dreams of adventure, and the movie doesn’t do much to make him stand out, even if they give him a somewhat interesting backstory where his father abandoned him at a young age. What works better, though, is Jim’s relationship with Long John Silver. At first, Silver sees Jim as an obstacle in his mission to get the treasure, but he slowly forms a bond with him which complicates his plans. As for the side characters like Captain Amelia and Delbert, they aren’t particularly complex but are likable overall. I can’t say the same thing about the characters Morph and B.E.N., who are just there for comic relief and end up coming off as kind of annoying.
Overall, while it has some problems like uninteresting characters, Treasure Planet is still a pretty fun movie with beautiful animation and creative worldbuilding. Even though I don’t love the movie, I can see how it managed to get a cult following, as it is one of the most unique movies in Disney’s catalogue.
Next Review: Brother Bear (2003)