dolescent Jim Hawkins (voiced by Gordon-Levitt) has little direction in life beyond riding his solar surfer around his home planet of Montressor. Jim's mother, Sarah (voiced by Laurie Metcalf), is worried about his future and about to give up hope when destiny arrives at their door in the form of an old pirate named Billy Bones. The dying pirate warns Jim to beware of the cyborg following him and leaves behind a golden orb that contains a holographic map. Jim immediately recognizes the destination as the legendary Treasure Planet, which is said to contain "the loot of a thousand worlds."
When Sarah's inn is destroyed by a band of pirates searching for the map, Jim decides to seek the treasure himself with the help of a family friend, an astrophysicist named Dr. Doppler (voiced by Pierce). They commission a ship, the RLS Legacy, helmed by the no-nonsense Captain Amelia (voiced by Thompson). Jim is disappointed when his duties as cabin boy force him to work alongside the ship's cook, Silver (voiced by Murray), but when he discovers that Silver is a cyborg, he begins to suspect that there is more to the burly cook than meets the eye.
Although the journey to Treasure Planet is fraught with peril, the true threat lies among the Legacy's motley crew of incognito pirates. Despite his initial suspicion, Jim grows close to Silver and begins to see him as a father figure. His illusions are shattered, however, when he overhears Silver and the other pirates planning a mutiny. Jim, Dr. Doppler and Captain Amelia manage to escape in a longboat and crash-land on the planet below, where they encounter B.E.N. (voiced by Short), a loopy robot left behind by Captain Flint, the deceased owner of the treasure. B.E.N. helps them find the treasure but inadvertently leads Silver and his cohorts to it as well. Their presence sets off a hidden booby trap within the planet, forcing the characters to make choices that test their inner strength and reveal their true natures in an explosive finale.
A blend of old and new animation techniques
Treasure Planet has been in the works for nearly 17 years, but it seems that the project has only benefited from its time on the back burner. The film is filled with amazing visuals and eye-popping computer-generated sequences that simply could not have been done until now. Yet all this technology doesn't seem at odds with the hand-drawn style typical of Disney's feature animation division.
This peaceful coexistence between the past and the future can be seen on several levels, from the design of the 18th-century-inspired flying space galleon to the old-world look of the Benbow Inn, which is patronized by a variety of whimsical aliens. But nowhere is this concept embodied better than in the character of Silver himself, a seamless amalgam of traditional and computer animation. Silver's mechanical arm, leg and eye (the digitally created elements) move in harmony with the parts that remain flesh and blood (which are hand-drawn). As distracting as this may seem, the novelty wears off quickly and the character takes on a life of his own beyond the techniques that created him.
The humanity of the characters is only heightened by the depth of the vocal performances by Murray and Gordon-Levitt. On the whole, the vocal work is superb, especially by Thompson and Hyde Pierce, who have an amusing subplot in which their catlike and doglike characters prove that opposites attract. Short has some very funny moments as the unstable B.E.N. and walks the line between manic and annoying with few missteps.
With Treasure Planet, Disney clearly seeks to remain relevant to its core youth audience by incorporating hip elements like extreme sports and contemporary music from John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls. These elements may give the film a contemporary feel, but it remains to be seen whether it will prove as timeless as the original source material.
