Treasure Planet

“Look at you! Glowing like a solar flare. You’re something special, Jim. You’re gonna rattle the stars, you are!” Kicking off 2024 in the only correct way - by watching Disney’s greatest and most underrated film. Treasure Planet is a masterpiece and easily my favourite Disney film. Ever since I first watched it, it’s stuck with me and I’ve been craving a rewatch and so I just had to introduce my dad to it and start off the new year right. I’m in utter awe of this film. Everything about it works so incredibly well. The worlds are so wondrous and filled with a sense of life and adventure. I could seriously spend so many hours indulging myself in this beautiful universe. The style of the film is so glorious. The camera-work here is delightful to watch and the CGI style shots work so well that it’s impressive this was all done 22 years ago. It looks seriously impressive blending CGI and traditional 2D animation and I find myself lost within how beautiful this all is. The soundtrack is truly spectacular. Not only do we have an instantly amazing score from James Newton Howard, but we also have an absolute banger of an original song in the form of “I’m Still Here.” The soundtrack suits the film perfectly and it only enables the film to soar to new heights. The characters are on another level here. I love each and every single one of them. The father/son dynamic between Jim and John is amongst the best Disney have ever done and you really become invested in their relationship. John’s arc might actually be one of my all time favourites. While it’s nothing new, it’s an arc that has me so emotionally invested that I just can’t help but love it. I’m surprised by how much they packed in with its lean 90 minutes runtime. Speaking of which, the pacing of this film is perfect. It flies by without ever feeling rushed. It manages to pack so much in such a short time and yet you never want to leave. It’s such an interesting universe and I’d love to be able to explore so much more, but unfortunately that never came to be. To sum up my thoughts, Treasure Planet is easily one of my all time favourite films. I’ve only seen it twice now, but it has become engraved in my brain. It’s by no means flawless, but it’s so emotionally rich and unique that I can’t help but completely adore it. It’s such a special film and I will never forgive Disney for the way they handled its release.