Treasure Planet

Hello!  This week's Disney film takes on a classic tale with a futuristic adaptation.  It's Treasure Planet.

The film premiered in 2002 and sports a voice cast of Emma Thompson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Hyde Pierce, and Martin Short.  The film's plot is based on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic published in 1883, Treasure Island.  And so here is Disney's take on one of the world's most famous pirate adventure stories. 

As the film opens, we meet Jim Hawkins (a young man who's taste for adventure oftentimes finds him on the wrong side of following the rules) and his mother (who runs an inn).  A mysterious (badly injured) stranger arrives at the inn and gives Jim a map (before his untimely demise).  Soon after the inn is set upon by pirates and the entire place is burned to the ground.  Jim and his mother escape with their friend Dr. Doppler - and soon Jim and Dr. Doppler find themselves on the adventure of a lifetime.

If the title didn't give it away, you should know that this film is set in the future.  In outer space.  With aliens and cyborgs and black holes and... other very not-classical pirate things.  It's a science fiction adaptation of the traditional pirate story.  There's still pirates and captains and cannons and villainy and general swash-buckling, but it's decidedly low on sea monsters, sand, and... humans.

Nevertheless, it is still the tale of a lonely youth set out on adventure to find a lost treasure only to find himself betrayed and in a race to save his friends, find the treasure, and beat a nasty group of scallywags.

I ended up somewhat enjoying this film.  I had never seen it before, and I was interested to see Disney's version of this classic tale.  It did not delight me as much as it had the potential to.  The first 30 minutes of the film left me entirely nonplussed.  However, at the 30-minute mark, we have a musical montage sequence of Jim learning and finding his place on board the ship and bonding with the ship's cook, John Silver, interspersed with scenes from Jim's childhood.  I'm fairly certain this musical montage saved the film for me. 

Treasure Planet does have an interesting array of characters, some credible humor, and a classic plot, but it does not have the Disney magic like the films from Disney's Golden Age a decade earlier.  Also, I should probably confess that my frame of reference for the classic "Treasure Island" tale is Muppet Treasure Island.  I have actually never seen a pure film production or read the novel.  I will say that I enjoy the Muppets' version very much.  :)  However, I am still at a bit of a loss to a few parts of this story.  For example, whatever happened to Jim's father?  And how does the tale end for Silver?  I'm thinking the Muppet's ending and the Treasure Planet ending might not be the most accurate...

Feel free to draw your own conclusions regarding this film.  As per my above confession, I'm not exactly an expert on the subject...  But I will leave you with words of wisdom from an expert on entertainment (Walt Disney):

There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates' loot on Treasure Island and best of all, you can enjoy these riches every day of your life.

Coming Up Next: Brother Bear

Lilo & Stitch

Aloha!  This week's Disney film takes us to Hawaii!  It's Lilo & Stitch.

The film premiered in 2002 and introduces us to what would turn out to be one of Disney's most beloved characters, a little blue alien with generally bad manners and (as it turns out) a heart of gold.

The film opens in the distant reaches of space at a trial for a mad scientist who has created Experiment 626 - a being created with great strength and the instincts to destroy everything (particularly large cities).  In the process of trying to exile this creature, Experiment 626 escapes and finds himself marooned on an island in the Pacific Ocean.  Aloha!

Meanwhile, Lilo (a little Hawaiian girl) is having trouble adjusting to life with her big sister (after their parents passed away), making friends, and just staying out of mischief.  The mad scientist (Jumba) and the alien "Earth" expert (Pleakley) are dispatched to Hawaii to retrieve Experiment 626, where as luck would have it, Lilo has adopted Experiment 626 from the pound and heads home with her new "dog" named Stitch.

Now all that's left to do is convince Mr. Cobra Bubbles (the social worker) that Nani (Lilo's big sister) is an adequate caretaker (and find her a job); teach Stitch to stop destroying everything (and some manners); oh, and prevent the other aliens from capturing Stitch and blowing up Hawaii.  Sounds like a recipe for some Disney magic!

So going into this film, I did not consider myself a fan of Stitch.  Bad manners and general bad behavior are two things that I have no patience for - and they pretty much define Stitch.  HOWEVER, Stitch is a dynamic character which means by the end of the film, he managed to etch a small piece of territory in my heart.  He learns that his actions have consequences (even if they are unintended) and that the most important thing is family and the people you love. 

Lilo & Stitch has so many of the ingredients that make a Disney film great.  It has great humor (Example: the aliens consider Earth a protected planet because it is a natural habitat for the "universally-endangered" mosquito. Ha!)  It has a good story and plot.  You end up rooting for Lilo and Stitch to get their happy ending.  It has good music.  Not as great as say The Lion King or Aladdin, but significant nonetheless.  I mean, musically, the film has Elvis and "Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride."  Decidedly significant.

But as usual, the most important factor in the definition of the Disney great film is that it has heart.  And this ingredient, Lilo & Stitch delivers in spades (aka a large amount).  Because at the root of the film, it's really all about family - even if your family looks a bit unconventional.  As they say in the film: Ohana means family and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.  And so we've made it to another film that made me cry.  Twice.  It was not as bad as this tearjerker, but it definitely hit me in the feels.

Lilo & Stitch is a must-watch on this Disney journey.  Preferably with family (and a box of tissues).

I think Stitch, himself, sums up the film the best, and so I'll end this post with a quote from a little blue alien:



This is my family.  I found it all on my own.  It's little and broken, but still good.  Yeah, still good.

Coming Up Next: Treasure Planet

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Hello again blogging world!  I apologize for my long absence.  I put aside blogging in the fall to spend more time making memories with friends and family around the holidays. But, now I'm back and ready to finish this year with Walt!  (Disclaimer: I recognize that it's more than a year with Walt, but is that really such a bad thing?)  The plan is to finish up this journey by Easter (April 5th).  We have thirteen movies to go (after this one) including Big Hero 6 which will be our grand finale.  :)

The movie we find ourselves at is Atlantis: The Lost Empire.  It is the 41st movie on this journey through Walt's animated features and premiered in 2001.

Atlantis tells the tale of Milo Thatch (voiced by Michael J. Fox), a young, bumbling professor who's life's dedication is to find the lost city of Atlantis.  The year is 1914.  And to put it nicely, Milo's theories and hypotheses regarding the lost city are not received well by the rest of the academic community...  Thankfully there are eccentric (and wealthy) expedition/explorer funders in the world.  Enter Preston Whitmore (good friends with Milo's grandfather, who also happened to be an explorer...) and Milo finds himself on the expedition of a lifetime!

The supporting cast is one of the best features of the movie.  They add the warmth and humor that is so prevalent in the Disney franchise.  You've got Vinny (he likes to blow stuff up), Mole (he likes dirt. A. LOT.), Dr. Sweet (the crew's doc), Mrs. Packard (she likes to talk and she's the radio operator), Audrey (the mechanic - she can fix just about anything with a motor), and Commander Rourke (the leader of the pack, voiced by James Garner).  Oh.  And there's Cookie, the cook (though I'm not sure you'd want to eat anything he cooks up...)  This crew definitely makes for one interesting journey.

After many perils, the crew does indeed find themselves in Atlantis.  Milo soon finds himself trying to save the city, rescue the princess, fight some unscrupulous crew members, and all around just save the day.  (Anybody else thinking of another explorer/teacher?  Dr. Henry ("Indiana") Jones?)

This film was far more enjoyable to me than it's predecessor.  It had a good story, good characters, and good humor.  And really, who doesn't enjoy a good adventure story?

This week, I'll leave you with some wisdom from Milo's grandfather:

It's been my experience, when you hit bottom, the only place left to go is up.

Coming Up Next: Lilo & Stitch