Jim on Film: Treasure Planet: 101 Reasons
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Aiding this unique vision is the art direction, which was, as indicated in the book Treasure Planet: A Voyage of Discovery, heavily influenced by the Brandywine School of Illustration, which is why every frame seems washed in deep and moody colors, reminiscent of the richness of The Hunchback of Notre Dame with the drawing style of classic illustrations. In short, it’s a beautiful, luscious film, with every frame feeling like a masterpiece of art. I love looking at pictures from the film because they are so rich and emotional.

In addition to this lush coloring, I am repeatedly astounded by the animation every single time I watch it. John Silver is master animator Glen Keane at the top of his game. The character is complex and so nuanced. My favorite Silver scene to watch is his initial interactions with Jim. As Jim attempts to tease Silver to determine whether he is the cyborg Bones warned him about, Silver is deliberately nonchalant, unusually reserved, keeping his eyes half-closed to show lack of concern, atypical for Silver’s boisterous, volatile actions. Even in our short introduction to the character, this reserved response seems out of sorts for him, cluing us to his sinister intentions. It is also interesting that Silver is a very flawed personality. In anger, he lashes out, waving his arms about his wide, imposing frame to intimidate those around him. He’s also quite the scalawag, not above trying to charm his way into people’s confidence, such as his futile attempts at complementing Captain Amelia or his weak excuse to Jim for escaping punishment at the end of the movie. Most importantly, however, is that Silver really cares very deeply for Jim. After losing his composure in trying to convince Jim to hand over the map, he walks away, expressing his sadness at the loss of his relationship with Jim in a downcast look and a regretful headshake. His characterization and animation is so rich that it required several viewings on my part to even realize that he wasn’t a human.

Rivaling John Silver is John Ripa’s awesome Jim Hawkins, who is emotionally so real. Treasure Planet’s Jim Hawkins is not a sulking, pouting brat teenager as similar movies have portrayed such characters, but he is a pained young man who rebels for reasons he can’t fully understand but can’t seem to stop. One of my favorite scenes to watch in the movie is when Jim helps Silver lower the boat out of the Legacy. Jim’s actions as he eagerly jumps across the drop hole to untie a rope vividly communicates his eagerness to please and bond with his mentor, casting a wondering glance at him out of the corner of his eye. His desire to be with Silver, to be accepted and mentored, is so clearly communicated in the drawings that we feels Jim’s pain when it appears that he has been abandoned by Silver, only to be welcomed along for the ride. That is just one of several powerful moments for me in Treasure Planet, and it is one of the many expert moments in the animation of Jim Hawkins, really making Treasure Planet, more than anyone’s, John Ripa’s film. And the beauty of John Silver and Jim Hawkins is not to belittle the other animators whose work in Treasure Planet shows them at the top of their game; Treasure Planet is overflowing with character animation that rivals the best the studio has ever done.

In a rare thought for me, I am also equally impressed by the film’s use of computer animation. It is so difficult to fool a trained animation fan’s eye, but almost all of the computer-assisted animation—of which there is much—blends seamlessly with the traditional, hand-drawn elements, so much so that it’s only apparent from the effect rather than the look. Of the many impressive computer elements, the most impressive is the combination of the hand-drawn animation on Silver with his computer-generated cyborg parts, animated by Eric Daniels. The details of the gears and utensils are perfectly suited to the computer, and the blending is brilliant. I can vividly remember the excitement I felt as I watched Silver slicing the foods for the meal, his computerized parts moving rapidly as the “camera�? swirled around him. It was an excitement not felt since the massive wildebeest stampede in The Lion King. Coming quite a close second would have to be the character of B.E.N., who is another character in need of the details allowed by computer animation but still looks as if he belongs alongside Jim Hawkins and friends. In his scenes with Jim, there is never a moment in which he looks awkward or out of place. More importantly, he’s a rich character who is beautifully animated. Prior to Treasure Planet, I always felt that the only invaluable thing computer-generated animation could bring to traditional animation was moving backgrounds; however, the potential for computers to do what hands couldn’t do was just one of the reasons the art of Treasure Planet astounds me still. Even watching it today, it is apparent that it was a movie on the cutting edge of both genres, hand-drawn and computer-generated animation.