Two decades later, those words from John Silver still hit harder than most Disney monologues. Treasure Planet —Ron Clements and John Musker’s passion project that nearly bankrupted the studio’s 2D department—is less a film and more a beautiful, reckless gamble. And oh, does that gamble pay off.
Let’s address the cyborg in the room. Long John Silver, voiced by the late, great Brian Murray, is not a villain. He’s a survivor. One minute he’s sharpening his claws and plotting mutiny; the next, he’s teaching Jim how to tie a knot and looking at him with the quiet ache of a man who lost his own son. Their relationship is the film’s anchor. When Silver finally softens and says, "I’m proud of you, Jimbo," you believe it. You feel it. It’s a level of emotional maturity that modern blockbusters still struggle to reach. escape from treasure planet
This film is gorgeous . The blend of traditional hand-drawn characters with CGI backgrounds—reviled at the time—now feels visionary. The spaceport of Montressor, with its glowing lanterns and Escher-esque canals, is pure concept art come to life. But the real showstopper is the "solar surfing" sequence: Jim, strapped to a solar sail, carving through the cosmic void with a punk-rock energy that feels like The Matrix meets Moby Dick . It’s kinetic, dangerous, and utterly thrilling. Two decades later, those words from John Silver
