Space pirates. Incredibly designed aliens. Spaceships with sails. Cyborgs. A cute alien blob creature. What isn’t there to love about Treasure Planet? And I didn’t even mention the characters or plot yet! 

This post was extremely difficult for me to write because I love (read: LOVE!!!) this movie—so it’s hard to not just gush and gush about it (and still, it ended up being one of my longest posts ever)! It’s one of my top five favourite films of all time and it’s always had a place there ever since I first saw the movie as a wee little six-year-old. This is one childhood love that was certainly warranted because Treasure Planet is a fantastic film with brilliant storytelling and unforgettable characters. It’s the absolute definition of a meaningful story. 

And yet, due to a series of unfortunate circumstances (or perhaps even deliberate sabotage on Disney’s part, according to some), Treasure Planet is usually only known as the greatest profit loss in Disney movie history. The small bunch of animators that worked on Treasure Planet (and Atlantis, too, I believe) used groundbreaking technology to combine 2-D and 3-D animation and create a stunning film that perfectly fits the unique sci-fi setting—but of course, when you’re literally creating new animation techniques to make a movie, it’s not cheap. And because of extremely poor advertising, bad timing, and other factors, Treasure Planet flopped when it debuted. 

Now, some movie flops are certainly warranted (I’m looking at you, Lightyear and Elemental), but Treasure Planet deserved so much more. In my opinion, it is one of the greatest—if not the greatest—films ever made by Disney. The concept is so beautifully original and every single piece of the movie fits together to form a true cinematic masterpiece: the animation, the story, the acting, the music… 

Okay, okay, maybe I’m getting carried away already, so before I get lost in my love for this movie, let’s talk about what makes Treasure Planet a storytelling masterpiece. 

Official Synopsis

The legendary “loot of a thousand worlds” inspires an intergalactic treasure hunt when 15-year-old Jim Hawkins stumbles upon a map to the greatest pirate trove in the universe in Walt Disney Pictures’ thrilling animated space adventure, Treasure Planet. Based on one of the greatest adventure stories ever told – Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island – this film follows Jim’s fantastic journey across a parallel universe as a cabin boy aboard a glittering space galleon.

Courtesy of Google

The Adaptation

I’ve talked about adaptations quite a bit on this blog because I love them a lot. And do you know what sparked my love for adaptations, especially the more imaginative ones? 

That’s right. Treasure Planet. 

What could be more brilliant than looking at the already fantastic story of Treasure Island and saying, “Hey, what would happen if we made this sci-fi? And not just some generic brand of sci-fi, but something unique and identifiable?” Talk about absolutely insane—in the best way possible! Transferring the beloved Robert Louis Stevenson story to such a different genre is nothing short of genius. It refreshes the story and lets us experience it with new eyes; you might have read Treasure Island 100 times, but when you watch Treasure Planet, it’s like a brand new story still filled with all the things you loved about the book.

These are my favourite kinds of adaptations because they’re tricky to get right but turn out marvellous if you do. Treasure Planet delves even deeper into the characters than Treasure Island does, emphasising the heartwarming and complicated relationship between Jim Hawkins, the protagonist, and John Silver, who is revealed to be the main antagonist. But it still retains (and perhaps even improves upon) the heart of the story and most of the main characters of the original. 

The Setting

I’ve touched on it a bit already, but one of the most wonderful things about Treasure Planet is that while it’s science fiction, it’s not your generic “spaceships and aliens” type of deal. As you watch the film, you get a sense that you’re in a very specific era in this universe, one where spaceports are made to look like moons and spaceships look like sailing ships. It’s almost steampunk-esque but different even than that. The clothing, accents, and technology give you a sense of something nostalgic, even while it’s futuristic. 

All of this serves to produce a unique feeling from the start of the film and prepares you for the emotional journey that the movie will take you on; the primary feeling of nostalgia is especially important to help the audience sympathise with Jim, who has been mourning the loss of his father ever since he was a young boy. 

The Plot

We’re getting into the meat now! Here’s how Treasure Planet excels in all the nitty-gritty details of plot: 

Solid Beginning

The beginning of the story does everything it’s supposed to: introduces us to Jim and lets us sympathise with him, gets us comfortable with the normal world right before completely destroying it, and lets us understand the setting the story takes place in. 

Beginnings are integral in any story. Get the beginning wrong and you might not keep your audience past the “crisis” point where the plot really starts to kick in. Make the beginning too fast or too slow and your audience either won’t understand it or won’t care about it because they’ll be bored. Treasure Planet does it just right, where it’s fast-paced enough to keep you interested but slow enough to help you understand the world and its characters. 

Shattering Crisis Point

The “crisis point” in a story, or the catalyst, is the event that kicks off the whole story. It’s what puts the hero on their path and makes them unable to go back to the life they had before. In Treasure Planet, this point occurs when a rogue ship crashes right outside the Benbow Inn. When Jim comes in contact with the injured alien inside, his life is changed forever. Billy Bones hands over his map to Jim right before he dies, and just moments afterwards, pirates arrive in numbers and ransack the inn (which is also Jim and his mom’s home). Jim, his mom, and Dr. Doppler barely escape with their lives and the Benbow Inn burns to the ground. 

Here’s the important part: there’s something propelling Jim forward (the map) and something keeping him from going back (the loss of his home). The map also aligns with his personal goals to make a name for himself and be free to explore and take risks (goals that we’ll see change throughout the movie).

Action-Packed Middle

The middle of a story can be difficult to get right because it’s the real “meat,” the part that the audience came to experience. Balance and pacing are extremely critical here, as they must be maintained perfectly throughout the entire middle. You know that the middle of the story has failed when you find yourself wondering how much longer it’s going to be. 

Treasure Planet, however, never has you asking that for a moment. From the moment Jim steps aboard the ship, it’s go-time, and you’re totally caught up in the story. Even the slow-paced moments are so captivating that they only add to the story rather than detract from it. In fact, the story keeps an excellent balance of plot and character focus; instead of one overshadowing the other, they work in harmony to create a deep, meaningful, and entertaining story. 

Memorable Ending

Any good story must have a memorable, conclusive, and satisfying ending—and of course, Treasure Planet meets all of these qualifications. The characters’ goals change, there’s tons of action, the fitting of the last puzzle pieces, and those hold-your-breath-because-someone’s-going-to-die adrenaline-packed moments. Everything comes full circle, there’s lots of happiness and some bittersweetness, but overall, you leave feeling satisfied (if not a bit emotional). 

The Characters

If you know me at all, then you know this is my favourite part. This is one of the only parts of a story that you can’t “band-aid.” Nothing else can take the place of great characters: not a stellar plot, unique setting, or even a great theme. The characters are the connection between the story and audience; without them, the story utterly fails. Without good characters, the story might still be there, but there will be a huge layer of depth lost. 

The reason why Treasure Planet is so good is because it lets the plot and characters work together to create something amazing. Too many stories nowadays try to be plot-focused, meaning the story is more important than the characters. In these cases, the characters and their relationships are stifled. But when you allow the plot to support the characters, then something really magical happens. 

The Protagonist: Jim Hawkins

How could you even ask for a better hero? He’s not anything special, just a depressed kid with a lot of baggage who wants someone to tell him who he is and what he’s meant for. He stumbles into the plot by just happening to be at the right place at the right time when he’s given the map. All he wants is adventure, freedom, and riches—but throughout the course of the story, he develops a close relationship with John Silver (who coincidentally is the antagonist—it doesn’t get better than this, y’all!) who becomes like a father to him and shows him that he doesn’t need someone to tell him who he is; he can “chart his own course” and live his own life free of baggage and full of joy and wonder. His skills that were once criticised because he used them to break the law end up saving the day in the end!

Jim is a character you can sympathise with because at our core, all of us want to know we’re wanted. We all want to find where we belong. These universal wants are packed so neatly into Jim that we don’t even realise how much we relate to him, but we sure do root for him!

The Antagonist: John Silver

One of the best things about Treasure Island, and subsequently Treasure Planet, is the complex relationship between the protagonist and the (pseudo) antagonist. Treasure Planet makes Silver more of a lovable character than he is in the book, which I actually appreciate. Treasure Planet strikes a good balance with the “he’s a pirate but still good at heart” kind of thing; Treasure Island’s Silver is more ruthless and less fond of Jim, which makes the story a bit less satisfying for me. 

That being said, I love the way Silver sees Jim in need and instantly takes him under his wing. It’s so interesting to see how later in the movie, Silver finds himself fighting against a Jim who he helped to create, a Jim who now thinks for himself, isn’t afraid to stand up for what’s right, and knows exactly what he wants. The story is almost a journey of how Silver defeated himself; from his point of view, he created his own antagonist. Without Jim’s character development, Silver would have had virtually no obstacles in getting to the treasure. It’s almost as if Silver’s conscience manifests itself in Jim…

Before I get too deep into reflecting on Silver’s nuanced character, I’ll finish by saying that creating such a lovable and hatable character like this is difficult to do, and even more difficult when he’s involved in such a meaningful relationship with the hero of the story. But throughout the course of the story, Silver becomes the most memorable character. Jim is fantastic, but Silver, with his personality nuances and memorable character design, really becomes the central part of the story. Without Silver, Treasure Planet wouldn’t be Treasure Planet. 

The Side Characters

The funny thing about Treasure Planet is that there aren’t that many characters, but a lot of effort is put into the few characters that are there. The side characters are no exception, and they add wonderful flavour to the overall story. 

The first is Dr. Doppler, who’s the one familiar face besides Jim who carries from the beginning through the end of the story. While he does serve in part as comic relief, he brings a brand of humour that’s universal, making both adults and kids laugh (whereas BEN, in contrast, brings humour specifically for a younger audience). And if you look closely, you’ll see that he has some great character development, too. When Captain Amelia is injured during the last leg of the story, he’s the one who has to take charge instead of hiding behind his knowledge and words. He becomes bolder and braver because of both Amelia’s influence and the adventure itself. It’s always great to see what characters do when the plot puts them in difficult spots like this. 

Next is, of course, Captain Amelia (who, let me add, was a captain before female captains were cool). Her character design is incredible; one of my all-time favourite moments in the entire movie is when Jim hands her the map for the first time and her eyes get huge as she looks curiously at the shiny globe, just like a real cat would. She’s a static character in the story, but one that’s needed as most of the other characters develop and change. She’s a solid force for good and a strong character with a perfect voice—I honestly don’t think anyone else could ever play Amelia after Emma Thompson. 

I always found Scroup to be an interesting character because he seems like the obvious antagonist, and for a time he is the main antagonist until Silver finally accepts his role as the “big bad.” He also terrified me as a child! 

And finally, the lovable Mr. Arrow who serves as an extension of Amelia as a (literal) rock of all things pure and upright. His death drives home the seriousness of the journey, drives a wedge between Scroup and Silver, and adds a serious note of sadness to an otherwise exciting and fast-paced part of the film. 

“That Movie Would Have Been Perfect if It Weren’t for that Stupid Robot”

—a direct quote from my older brother who first introduced me to Treasure Planet. He’s always hated BEN with a passion, and because of “that stupid robot,” he criticises that part of the movie more than he praises the rest of it, even though he thinks everything else is pretty much flawless. My older siblings have always had more of a critical mindset when it comes to stories and I’m actually thankful for it because I’m pretty sure it’s the reason why I’m the opposite; I’m more apt to give stories grace and pick out the good rather than the bad. Why talk about how much you hate one part of a story when you could be talking about how much you loved the rest of it? Why let one part you don’t like ruin the whole thing? These were the questions always in my mind growing up, so somewhere along the way I decided that I’d just enjoy stories even if they weren’t perfect, because what story is? 

It’s the same with Treasure Planet, but BEN doesn’t even bother me that much. He’s an integral character in the book, and honestly, I think the way they adapted him as a crazy robot was a pretty good idea. We have to keep in mind that Treasure Island is a children’s book (though kinda violent and dark at parts, let’s be honest), and Treasure Planet is a kid’s movie. The last third of the story is especially dark, and without BEN’s wackiness to shake things up, kids would get too scared. 

Is BEN a bit too annoying, perhaps even the Jar-Jar Binks of Treasure Planet? Maybe. But in the overall context of the movie, I think he works. Most importantly, I don’t think his presence ruins the story.

A Masterpiece Lost

It’s such a huge tragedy to me that Treasure Planet is so underrated. Because it did so poorly at the box office, Disney likes to pretend like it didn’t happen, and thus, people don’t hear about it; it’s even less popular than Atlantis! But if you haven’t seen this amazing movie, go watch it! Now! Add it to your watchlist and get ready to be amazed. I’ve only talked about the incredible writing involved in the story, so I haven’t even covered the amazing animation and beautiful, breathtaking soundtrack (add it to your writing playlist now!). But when everything comes together and you see the film…you’ll understand. Every single element fits together perfectly to form a masterful piece of storytelling that is both meaningful and memorable. If you need a superb example of great storytelling or even just a great adaptation, look no further than Treasure Planet. 

What story do you want me to review next? Let me know in the comments or contact me! And, as always…

Happy writing!
—E.J.

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