Forgotten Features: Treasure Planet (2002)

The new millennium saw Disney animation at its nadir. The Renaissance was over, and Disney’s output had (arguably) declined in quality considerably. In retrospect, however, the films that followed are perhaps not quite as bad as they have been made out to be – rather they are, for the most part, rather interesting – if less memorable – as experiments, some of which work rather well. Of particular note is a trilogy of science-fiction inspired movies, the last of which was Treasure Planet (2002), a retelling of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel Treasure Island. This particular feature has often been regarded as something of a dud, when it is in fact a supremely imaginative film, if a supremely flawed one.

While it is evident that a lot of consideration went into the visual appeal of the film, conceptually it nonetheless seems underdeveloped, to the point at which the finished product conveys itself as being all too surreal and ridiculous to be in any way emotionally engaging. The awe-inspiring futuristic/space setting is unusually countered by an old-fashioned, 18th century ambience and design, as though they were attempting to not only create a new vision of a classic story but also capture the dated aesthetic and atmosphere of the novel simultaneously, which results in a frankly bizarre amalgamation of ‘past’ and ‘future’ elements. It really is just Treasure Island in space. Evidently, that seems to be the point, but it doesn’t quite work. Rather than feeling like an inspired, modern update, it instead feels somewhat unformed and laboured.

Credit must be given, however, for the animation quality and the creative effort invested in the film’s visuals. The use of computer animation is quite substantial, and very impressive, particularly the character animation of BEN, and the space setting is beautiful, at times reminiscent of Fantasia 2000’s (1999) ‘Pines of Rome’ sequence. Character animation is excellent, yet the human characters seem to lack expression due to their having been based upon CG-rendered designs. The humanoid character designs are undeniably creative and complex, yet their surreal nature coupled with the film’s grandiose setting together make it seem rather ostentatious and superficial. Put simply, they make it seem ironically too ‘alien’ to be engaging.

The main issue is that it is too crowded a movie to impose much of an impact. While it is obvious that a great deal of effort was invested in the look and feel of the film, these visuals – which comprise the feature’s most prominent selling point – detract from the story itself, which is somewhat disappointing considering all the elements of the movie that work well. The voice acting, for example, is flawless, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Hyde Pierce and Emma Thompson occupying lead roles, while James Newton Howard’s outstanding score is nothing less than epic. John Rzeznik also provides two memorable numbers which perfectly capture the unruly-yet-misunderstood character of Jim Hawkins. Melded together, these elements should work well, but it’s just too much. While hardly ‘bad’, the film’s visuals and, indeed, its overall concept remain too complex, surreal and muddled to sustain an otherwise flawless narrative. Indeed, the pacing feels natural, and the characters do at least have some chemistry. But its sci-fi twist perhaps ironically hinders the film more so than it works in its favour, despite the twist itself serving as its most original aspect and overarching premise.

As previously stated, however, this doesn’t make the film ‘bad’. Many of the sci-fi elements are very effective, such as Jim’s solar surfer and Silver’s mechanised cyborgian limbs. Ultimately, however, it’s just too overwhelming and obscure, and therefore difficult to engage with. It is by no means a slow film, and holds your attention throughout, though this is perhaps more so for its unusual visuals than for its story and characters, which are consequently conveyed as rather flat. Overall, despite its many flaws, Treasure Planet is decent (not to mention underrated) but sadly, due to its rather laboured unconventionality, this much-overlooked sci-fi flick proves notwithstanding to be somewhat less-than-stellar.