Somewhere along the way this film got lost. I'm inclined to think that Disney buried this film on purpose since it opened at exactly the same time as the latest Harry Potter film. This was the film that, according to Disney, the future of traditional animation hung, and they went out of their way to bury it, going so far as to declare it a failure even before the first days grosses came out.
The reputation of this film is bad, which is a shame since its actually quite a good film. Yes, the idea of Treasure Island in space does tend to put one off on the face of it, but the film does everything it can to change that for the viewer once you actually watch it.
This is a perfectly cast. I must single out Brian Murray's Performance as Long John Silver. It is the first time I ever thought seriously that a voice actor should be nominated for an Oscar. Its simply one of the high points in all of animated film history.
The film that looks great, all the designs are based on the classic illustrators like Pyle, Wyeth and the others of that ilk and focused through their spiritual child of Tom Kidd. The animation is amazing, a brilliant mix of traditional and computer styles that compliment each other nicely.
The story telling is of the classic swashbuckling style and draws you in instantly with a battle between ships and then never lets up, well it's fine until it hits the bump about the time that Martin Short comes in and things try to be too grand towards the end. Still the movie gets back on track and finishes off nicely.
Don't believe the negative hype, see this film and be pleasantly surprised.
