Movie Journals |
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Treasure Planet
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Treasure Planet
This week I decided on a light movie, a cartoon. Disney’s Treasure Planet (running time 95 minutes) was actually better than I expected. Despite the Moody Blues-like voice over in the beginning, the first 15 minutes did its job of reeling me in.
The movie opens with an action/adventure scene showcasing nasty looking pirates and gold; then, we realize that the scene is actually a book that a small child is sneaking to read. The book is high-tech, which uses what looks like holographic images. The child turns out to be likable and the relationship with his mother is charming.
The hook of the movie is effective because is makes use of establishing relationships and making the audience like and care about the main characters. In addition to emotional appeal, the movie addresses the audience’s need for novelty by creating an interesting mix of old and new. As the movie flashes forward we see the little boy at about 18 “sky boarding” on an obviously high tech vehicle. In contrast, the clothing and the interior setting of the home and the bar where the mother works look like scenes from the middle ages.
By the time plot point one comes at about 11 minutes in, we have been charmed by a loving relationship between mother and son, we have laughed at what at first appears to be a sweet little alien girl lashing her tongue out to steal food away from someone, and we have been intrigued by the interesting contrast of past and future. The first plot point takes place when a ship from out of no where crashes onto the young man’s dock, spilling out a dying pirate who is protecting a treasure chest.
Plot point two is comes right on time when the young man proves to himself that he can take on a challenge; he fights and kills the bad guy, an mutinous ugly spider-like pirate.
At times the film drags along; I found myself checking the clock at least twice. This movie stands out mostly because of one character, the ship’s cyborg cook. This character is fully revealed over time. Although the story-line of this character is transparent, he is three-dimensional and makes for several interesting scenes. I was worried that this was going to be “another Disney movie,” but the pull and push of the relationship between the cook and the young man kept me watching.
Karen Walker 19 September 2003 |