Sunday, May 02, 2010

(The Other) Treasure Planet


Long ago, I read the book Treasure Island and saw the 1950 film version. Both times I thought It'd be totally cool if this was set in space! It could have aliens and craziness! It could be called "Treasure Planet!"
Years later I learned something terrible- Disney was making a movie called "Treasure Planet!" How could they? Didn't they know this was my idea?*
The 1999 Disney film turned out a bit different than how I envisioned it.
My version would have been more goofy and cartoony.  No gorgeous steampunk ships sailing through the ether.
For example, early in the book the Jim (the kid narrator) runs into a blind cutthroat who grabs him, pins his arm behind his back, and threatens to break it.  I'd picture Jim as a mallard. The thug is a tentacled alien.  Three mangled eye stocks rise from his head.  It's gross.  It's scary.  More importantly, it's silly.
That's my kind of cartoon.
I suppose it wouldn't be nominated for an Acadamy Award (as was the Disney version).  The critics would think it was stupid.  Maybe everyone would...
...but I'd love it!


*Actually I bet a lot of people have thought, Let's put "Treasure Island" in space! over the years. 
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6 comments:

  1. stray7:25 AM

    Yours sounds more fun.

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  2. Namowal (Jennifer Bourne)11:29 AM

    Thanks, Stray.
    I know I'd have fun creating it.

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  3. Linda Davick6:09 PM

    Namowal, how old were you when you first had the idea for Treasure Planet? Were you between 8 and 10 by any chance?

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  4. Namowal (Jennifer Bourne)10:03 PM

    Hi Linda,
    Believe it or not, I was a bit older when I discovered Treasure Island. (As a kid I thought the book was a "boy's book"
    Had I discovered it at eight or nine, I probably would have come up with something even goofier!

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  5. booda baby7:46 PM

    That was the most get you to read Treasure Island-inspiring post there could possibly be.

    I like thinking that the pendulum might swing back to fun and goofy again. I'm getting a little weary of the superdy-duperdy 3-D stuff. Now that you've planted the seed, maybe some studio exec somewhere might see it on an internet crawl...?

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  6. Namowal (Jennifer Bourne)8:42 PM

    Thanks Booda baby.
    Have you read Treasure Island? I reread it a few years ago and was surprised how entertaining it was.

    I agree with you about the "look how gorgeous THIS is" trend in animation. I want an engaging story.
    And throw in some laughs.

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I dislike typing the quasi-legible words too, but without them it's Spam City, Sorry!