By Tanya Batson, Staff ReporterTREASURE PLANET is a wonderful retelling of a superb tale. Do not fall for the lie that just because it is an animated Disney picture it is only for children.
Treasure Planet changes the Robert Louis Stevenson classic Treasure Island into an intergallactic adventure. As such, what you have is a pirate adventure tale with the sci-fi splendour of Star Wars added. It is the most comprehensive and involving tale that Disney has brought forward in years.
Most of the movie features a teenaged Jim Hawkins, who is bent on getting himself in trouble with the aid of a futuristic equivalent of a skateboard/ snowboard. However, Treasure Planet is not a celebration of teenage delinquency.
The plot which follows, Jim Hawkins' search for the treasure planet, is a very involving one. The animated trip through outer space creates beautiful visions, which are (to be clichéd about it) sights for sore eyes. On their space odyssey on a majestic galleon, Jim and his shipmates have to protect their lives and the ship against a supernova, a dangerous space storm, a black hole and of course, pirates.
Although it is in essence futuristic, Treasure Planet makes a good combination of 17th and 18th century paraphernalia and modern technology to create a feel which audiences can identify with and sometimes even marvel at.
The use of props which are reminiscent of the 17th and 18th century means that the movie loses none of the adventurism of a great pirate tale. The galleon may use sunsails, but they function the same way as windsails. The peg-legged pirate John Silver is made into a cyborg with almost an entire half of his body, including an eye, replaced by machinery.
Although the animation technology is 2-D, the characters are definitely three dimensional. Jim (voiced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt of Third Rock From the Sun and 10 Things I Hate About You), who at the beginning seems to get in trouble in spite of himself, is clearly suffering from the lack of a father figure. When Jim meets the cyborg John Silver (Brian Murray) he finds in the ship's cook a man who can replace that missing parent.
However, the tale is not simply a soft-hearted piece, because Jim will also soon have to learn about betrayal and what friendship actually means. Jim will soon learn that there are greater dangers than physical ones and he must learn to pick his battles. His relationship with Silver is a particularly complex one and helps to bring heart to what could have been a very light piece.
A lot of comedy is brought in with the characters Morph (Dane A. Davis) and B.E.N. (Martin Short). Morph is a shape shifter who replaces the pirate's parrot. He proves to be far more entertaining than any parrot could be, especially since his mimicking goes beyond voice.
B.E.N. is another strange character. He is a robot who is missing a memory chip and has been without company for far too long.
Doctor Doppler (David Hyde Pierce of Fraser) and Captain Amelia (Emma Thompson) bring more serious comedy and a little romance to the tale. Especially through Captain Amelia, who is particularly sarcastic, adults will be able to enjoy several jokes that the youngsters will not get.
As such, Treasure Planet is the kind of movie that can be enjoyed by children of all ages. So, do not let the little ankle bitters get away with all the fun.
