This woefully underappreciated movie takes my breath away. I am a die-hard Robert Louis Stevenson and while Treasure Island is not my favorite Stevenson book (it's Kidnapped for me), I thought the idea of making an animated science fiction movie out of Treasure Island is perfect. It has been done before, of course, but none in such an inspiring spectacle as Treasure Planet.

This movie has taken some liberties with the original story, but I always believe that movie adaptations of books should do just that to inject some sense of freshness in the movies. Ignore those psychotic Literary Nazis who scream murder at movie adaptations (I'm talking about those freaks who are right now nitpicking the Elven tongue - Elven tongue! - as spoken by the cast in Lord Of The Rings) - they don't watch these movies anyway - they just want to bitch and moan about the Evil of Cinema, so who cares what they say, right?

Treasure Island faithfully captures the magical sense of exploration and discovery that Stevenson's original story conveys so well, and it also fleshes out the bonding between James "Jim" Hawkins and John Silver very well. Where most adaptations prefer to romanticize John Silver as a misunderstood hero, this John Silver stays true to Stevenson's character: a complex but unmistakably amoral man.

Treasure Planet tells the story of Jim, a teenager who lives with his mother. His father has walked out of the family, and Jim has never gotten over that. One day, a stranger's spacecraft crashes near his mother's inn and they nurse this stranger back to health. As it turns out, this stranger bears a map to the famed Treasure Planet, a planet where the infamous pirate Captain Flint hid his stash. If the original stash in an island is big, we're now talking about a stash that filled a planet kind of big here. Everybody sees intergalatic dollar signs, and Jim's mother protests only half-heartedly when Jim sails off with a crew of intergalactic motley critters to search out this Treasure Planet.

Among the crew are the feitsy feline Captain Amelia and her loyal second-in-command, Mr Arrow. The wealthy canine Dr Doppler finances this trip and he is a dashing but useless scholar way out of his league. There are many humanoid and not-so-humanoid members of the crew, but none bonds as close to Jim as the cook John Silver who becomes a father figure for the lad. But John Silver is actually not who he seems to be, and this deception of his will soon pit him against Jim.

One of the best things about this movie is the relationship between John Silver and Jim. The scenes of Jim's dreaming of witnessing his father's abandonment of his family cutting into John Silver beckoning him to test drive the life shuttle are very nicely done to bring forth the developing kinship between these two people. Jim's transformation from zero to hero is also beautifully done in a way teens and kids can relate to. Okay, we may never look as good as Jim while being a zero, but I think many people may understand Jim's insecurities about responsibilities, need for stability and security, and longing for adventures. It's what drove me as a kid to Stevenson's stories - the adventures, the rarely black and white conflicts and idealisms, and the young insecure hero's finding the courage within. These stories make me dream myself. Treasure Planet doesn't compare to the original book - okay, as a bookworm first, movie fan second, I may be biased here - but watching it makes me pick up my copy of Treasure Island for a reread. Hopefully kids out there will be tempted to do the same.

The movie falters towards the second half with the introduction of the really irritating Jar Jar Binks wannabe BEN as well as the insertion of tired explosions and chases - is it that easy to blow up a planet? - but I am utterly satisfied with this movie. John Silver isn't my childhood boyfriend (that honor goes to my mad, tamperamental Alan Breck Stewart), but Treasure Island is a glorious tale that evokes a sense of discovery and excitement while presenting well-done aspects of a teenager's discovery of his self-worth and an antihero who remains conflicted and unrepentant to the end. A movie who succeeds in capturing most of what makes Treasure Island a pleasure to read is a very good one in my opinion.

It's a pity that studio politics have sunk this movie. It's really a treasure in its own right, and hopefully it'll find a new lease of life on video.

Rating: 91

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