Treasure Planet (2002)

Treasure Planet (2002)

In the same year as Lilo & Stitch, Disney released their third sci-fi themed film in a row,Treasure Planet, an adaptation of the classic novel Treasure Island, which the action transplanted into space, rather than the high seas. At this point, it became clear that Disney was slipping further and further away from what had made them so universally popular again, as Treasure Planet was yet another financial disappointment, becoming the biggest box office bomb in the Disney animated canon. Though the film was not without merit, a few glaring problems make it pretty easy to see why Treasure Planetdidn’t do so well.

The animation is good, though rarely anything better than that; the character designs, particularly those of the few human characters, are done in a very conventional Disney style, similar to those of the Renaissance, particularly Tarzan – the aliens do all look very different and nobody looks especially bad, but there are no stand-out designs either. One of the film’s greatest faults, unfortunately, is its huge overreliance on computer animation; Disney has proved with its last couple of films that they are more than capable of blending computer animation with traditional animation, while still keeping things looking fluid and real, but they fail to do so in this particular instance. The textures are blocky and unpolished, with little detail or definition, movement feels stilted and unnatural and the huge ships which are clearly supposed to evoke wonder as they sail through space instead look like clunky, unfinished models; when these poorly animated objects and environments are placed beside the well-animated 2D characters, it highlights just how bad they look and really takes you out of the movie. There are some skilled uses of computer animation, such as Long John Silver’s cybernetic arm, but they are few and far between, so most of the movie is just not fun to look at, which becomes a big problem considering how many of the film’s larger set-pieces rely on you being awestruck by visuals which are entirely uninspiring. 

Totally... uh, slightly radical

The basic story of Treasure Island is of course, one we all know, so the intrigue comes from how well the film approaches the sci-fi theme; unfortunately, the answer is “not very well.” Though the film takes place in a futuristic, intergalactic setting, it also tries to blend this with the swashbuckling, 18th Century setting of the original novel; this means that instead of technologically advanced space ships, we have standard naval ships complete with sails and rigging just floating through space. Though not inherently a bad idea, this kind of steampunk combination between past and future technology – clearly reminiscent of the similar setting of Atlantis: The Lost Empire – is awkwardly handled; I can’t quite explain it, but it just doesn’t feel right and I think they should have simply stuck to one idea, either tell the story of Treasure Island as it is, or set it in a fully futuristic, sci-fi world. With the film unable to decide between either idea and equally unable to find a comfortable balance between the two, it just feels schizophrenic, at one point showcasing wild intergalactic adventures with wacky aliens and hover boards and a minute later showing people unfurling sails and swabbing decks like a scene right out of Moby Dick. Instead of cutting the cord and letting one setting stand on its own, Treasure Planetgreedily tries to have its cake and eat it too and as a result, both ideas suffer.

The characters are at the heart of the film, though very few of them play a big role in the action. Jim is a typical teenage hero, he’s rebellious, but isn’t a bad kid, he’s cheeky, but not arrogant, he does poorly at school, but is street smart, he’s roguish and charming, but has a sensitive side; he takes a lot of inspiration from other characters, particularly Aladdin, who he even takes specific facial expressions from. He has a degree of attitude and style, though like early Disney protagonists, he does have a tendency to kind of stand by the sidelines and let others drive the story, at least until the final act, where he gets more directly involved with what’s going on. The best part about Jim is the fact that he is given a simple, but effective back story and sense of motivation, something which is often lacking in Disney heroes; though main characters in Disney movies are often left orphans or are missing a parent, it is usually because their parents died or they were separated, never before has it been that their parent simply walked out on them, as is the case with Jim, who was abandoned by his father. This is a realistic and harsh scenario, evoking a genuine sympathy for Jim, as well as giving legitimate reasons for his need to rebel and lack of self-esteem; he clearly feels that if he’d been good enough, his father wouldn’t have left him, building a strong inferiority complex in him which we see crop up throughout the film, before finally being vanquished in the climax. Though these issues aren’t always portrayed as well as they could be in the film proper, they are in themselves a welcome change from what we’re used to.

The Iron Chef

The side characters are a strange lot, as they mostly dominate the first half of the movie, only to drop out of sight almost entirely for the second half. Dr. Doppler sways between being slightly humorous and outright annoying and in my opinion, his role as the bumbling, awkward, intellectual sidekick is a tired one that really doesn’t need to be here; the film itself almost seems to agree with this, as despite having a lot of focus early on, he practically disappears at the end of the first act. Thankfully, he’s a lot easier to handle after this point as he only appears now and again, so despite a few uncomfortably bad jokes, he’s mostly not so bad. Captain Amelia is a reasonably good, if underutilised character, she has a quick wit and a sharp tongue which works effectively when she is pitted against the other characters and she’s well voiced by Emma Thompson; though like Doppler, she falls into the background about halfway through, she is enjoyable to watch while she is around, particularly her movements and animation, which are fluid, acrobatic and, appropriately enough, feline. B.E.N, however, is a textbook example of “The Hooter”: a loud, clumsy, obnoxious, inhuman sidekick, who constantly blabbers on, is involved in painfully unfunny comedy and repeatedly screws up and causes problems for the heroes; in this regard he is probably worse than any we’ve ever seen, as his unnecessary interference almost gets Jim killed multiple times! B.E.N really is a pain and though not as much of an irritant as he could’ve been, as he only appears in the final act, it certainly doesn’t help that he seems to be included purely from a marketing standpoint, his existence practically screams “I WAS CREATED FOR A MCDONALD’S HAPPY MEAL TOY TIE-IN”; the very core of his nature is an insult and he’s a pest whenever he’s on screen, for the characters and the audience.

Most notable is Long John Silver, who is relatively complex, for a Disney villain; though his motivation of wanting the treasure for himself initially seems rather weak, it soon becomes clear that he is not so much motivated by greed and wealth, but by a lifelong dream which has turned into a ruthless obsession, compounded by his insatiable need to win. It is obvious that Silver was once like Jim, a wide-eyed young boy who dreamed of being the first person to discover the legendary Treasure Planet, but after years of disappointment and failure, he was transformed into a selfish and bitter man who was willing to do whatever it takes to finally get what he felt he was owed; it is here that we find the most interesting part about this villain, namely, his relationship with the hero. Jim becomes like a surrogate son to Silver, who sees himself in the boy and develops a soft spot for him; as a result, the two share a lot of powerful moments which address the nature of parental abandonment, self-loathing, personal potential, free will and morality, all of which are handled maturely and humbly. Through his relationship with Jim, Silver is ultimately redeemed, something we have yet to really see from a Disney villain, who tend to either be unquestionably evil monsters, or simply mean-spirited, ineffectual bullies; Silver has a moral ambiguity to him that is entirely original amongst his peers. In terms of his direct personality, he is delightfully slimy and two-faced, constantly sucking up to and manipulating people to get what he wants, while secretly having another agenda; on the other side of the coin, when he wants to be threatening, he can be, but it is clear he always has a gentleness underneath all the bluster, especially towards Jim – everything Silver does is an act, both his goody-two shoes persona and his vicious pirate persona are façades, with his real persona as a confident, but kindly old sailor only coming out in his more tender moments with Jim. He’s not the most memorable Disney villain and he’s not the most fun, but Silver is unique and surprisingly complex, which earns him points with me; his and Jim’s relationship is the highlight of the film.

Gotta have a disgui- oh no wait, he’s actually just a robot

Treasure Planet is a movie with its heart in the right place (save for a few more cynical marketing moves) but its head is lost in the clouds; it has high ambitions, but seems unsure of exactly what those ambitions are – does it want to be a reconstruction of the traditional Disney format, in the vein of the films of the Renaissance, a darker and more action-packed adventure in the vein of something like Atlantis, or something new altogether? Ultimately, the film finds itself torn between all three, leaving it with a sense of identity crisis and a jarring lack of cohesion; there are some good ideas here, but they are too often played against other aspects which don’t follow the same tone or style. The relationship between the two central characters is capably handled, but the setting is messy; the character animation is skilful and conveys a lot of emotion, but the computer animated objects and environments almost single-handedly destroy any sense of wonder or immersion. Treasure Planet’s general attitude and new ideas make it difficult to dislike, but its numerous weaker elements prevent it from being anything all that special.

Other Thoughts:

Forget the annoying robot, Hooter is that you!?

Could be his brother

6.5/10