Directors: John Musker, Ron Clements
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emma Thompson, Roscoe Lee Browne, Corey Burton, Patrick McGoohan
MPAA Rating: PG
Distributed by: Walt Disney Video
Release Date: July 3, 2012
Running Time: 95 minutes
Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 4 out of 5 stars
There is something unique about Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island”, it is such a timeless story and always draws me in no matter what. Throw in the fact it is made by Disney and includes a futuristic twist, I say count me in! The directors behind this film are John Musker & Ron Clements known best for “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin”. They are legends and even though this film isn’t a classic it still ranks well among Disney’s animated films. It is fun and very visually impressive. In fact the film not only showcases hand-drawn 2D traditional animation but also feature fully-mapped CGI environments. Even though this film was a financial disappointment, it is still a visual masterpiece, includes fun characters and a great tribute to Stevenson’s story. Disney fans will not want to miss this release for sure!
Like all Disney Blu-ray, especially the hand-drawn ones, “Treasure Planet” looks amazing with its 1080 transfer. It is a virtually perfect transfer and a really treat for this film’s anniversary release. The audio available is jam packed with its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. It really shines and works great with the film’s action scenes. This release comes in a combo pack with a Blu-ray and DVD disc within.
The special features included on this Blu-ray are basically ports of the 2003 DVD but still are decent. There is an introduction to the extras from actress Laurie Metcalf. There is an amazing audio commentary with producer Roy Conli, co-directors/co-writers John Musker and Ron Clements, and supervising animators Glen Keane, John Ripa and Ian Gooding. It is extesive and very entertaining. There are almost 45 minutes of production featurettes within mini one-to-three-minute featurettes ranging from pencil tests, early animatics and more. “Disney’s Animation Magic” features Roy Disney going behind-the-scenes of “Treasure Planet” within all aspects of the production. There are three unfinished deleted scenes, including an alternate ending with intros by directors John Musker and Ron Clements. “R.L.S. Legacy: Virtual 3D Tour” is split into two parts, the first is “Technical Tour” and “Nautical Tour”. Lastly “DisneyPedia: The Life of a Pirate Revealed” is a six-part featurette looks at the life and time of historical pirates.