Now that Disney has officially announced that they will be going back to traditional animation (not like that was really a surprise), it's a good time to look at one of the movies that was actually the reason for Disney dropping out of traditional animation in the first place. And incidentally, it's also the last movie made by the directing team of Ron Clements and John Musker, the directors readying Disney's newest traditional animation, The Frog Princess, for it's 2009 release. The movie I'm talking about is of course Treasure Planet, a $140 million production that made back only half it's budget worldwide, but which is really one of Disney best later movies.
When you watch Treasure Planet, it's hard to imagine why it was such a commercial disaster. The movie looks amazing, has a great style to it, feels like a true epic, and isn't afraid to goof around with the traditional Disney stereotypes a little bit. It's a scifi-reworking of Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson's legendary story of a young boy who is caught up with notorious pirate captain Long John Silver when Silver goes on the hunt for one of the most legendary treasures ever. It's made completely up to date, with our young hero hoverboarding through the cities, and with very human looking animals mingling with the regular humans. It was a break for Disney animation in the fact that it wasn't the type of musical the studio was so well known for at the time it was released, with Treasure Planet trying it's best to outdo even Disney's successful Tarzan in the adrenaline department.
There is hardly any time to breathe when you are watching Treasure Planet, as the story, like many of it's scenes, moves along at a breakneck speed. The traditional story was given a huge boost of adrenaline, and there is so much happening at once that you can hardly permit yourself to look away for a minute without losing your grip on what is going on. Disney was clearly trying to be hip and happening with this movie, staying revelant to a young audience that was getting more and more used to see big blockbuster movies with spectacular effects. But in doing their best to blend the old with the new, Musker and Clements missed the mark for many viewers who just wanted the regular Disney stuff, while the movie was too new fangled for older Disney fans who just wanted some good old fashioned animated entertainment. Besides that, the movie was too complex for younger kids, a fact that even the plethora of funny sidekicks couldn't cure. Audiences snubbed the movie everywhere, making this possibly Disney's bigest flop ever.
Which is a shame, because if you bear with Treasure Planet, you will find that it's really a very well crafted piece of entertainment, directed by two men who were at the top of their game, but who were too desperate in trying to please too many people at once. What would have helped would be a bit more sedate pace at times, a few less characters (Martin Short's robot wasn't really that necessary) and a main character with a bit more character. I don't think it would have helped turn Treasure Planet into a box office smash (it never really stood a chance in the year when Shrek was released), but maybe it could have softened the financial blow at least a little.
Treasure Planet didn't make the Top 30 Treasure Movies list I assembled at http://www.treasurewriter.com/2009/11/top-30-treasure-movies/ but I remember seeing it and thought it was a fantastic movie. I hope Disney will make more treasure movies because quite frankly, I love them :)
Posted by: RayRay | November 12, 2009 at 04:51 PM