Treasure Planet is a 2002 American animated science fiction and adventure film directed by John Musker and Ron Clements and written by Musker, Clements and Rob Edwards. Produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, it is a science fiction adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island (1883) and the third Disney adaptation of the novel, following Treasure Island (1950) and Muppet Treasure Island (1996). In the film's setting, spaceships are powered by solar sails and resemble the 18th-century sailing vessels of the original Treasure Island. The film features the voices of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brian Murray, David Hyde Pierce, Martin Short, Roscoe Lee Browne, Emma Thompson, Michael Wincott, Laurie Metcalf, and Patrick McGoohan in his final role. The musical score was composed by James Newton Howard, with songs written and performed by John Rzeznik. Clements and Musker pitched the concept for the film during production of The Little Mermaid (1989). Development began after they finished their work on Hercules (1997). It employs a novel technique of hand-drawn 2D traditional animation set atop 3D computer animation. With a budget of $140 million, it is the most expensive traditionally animated film to date. Treasure Planet premiered in Paris on November 6, 2002, and was released in the United States on November 27 by Walt Disney Pictures. It was the first film to be released simultaneously in regular and IMAX theaters. The film was a box-office bomb, earning $109.6 million worldwide against a budget of $140 million, but received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, and was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards. Years after its release, it has since gained a cult following.
Plot On the planet Montressor, Jim Hawkins operates an inn with his mother, Sarah. Billy Bones crashes his spaceship near the inn, gives Jim a sphere, and warns him to 'beware the cyborg'. A group of pirates arrive to search for the sphere, destroying the inn. Jim flees with Sarah and their friend, astrophysicist Dr. Delbert Doppler. At Doppler's observatory, they discover that the sphere contains a holographic star map leading to the location of the fabled Treasure Planet, where the space pirate Captain Flint hid his treasure years ago. Doppler commissions the ship RLS Legacy, commanded by feline Captain Amelia, and stone-skinned first mate Mr. Arrow, on an expedition to locate Treasure Planet. The ship's crew seems to be heavily influenced by cook John Silver, who Jim suspects is the cyborg Bones warned him about. Under the supervision of Silver and his shape-shifting pet Morph, Jim works in the ship's galley, where he and Silver form a tenuous father-son relationship. During the voyage, the ship encounters a supernova devolving into a black hole. Jim secures the crew's lifelines, but a ruthless arachnid crew member named Scroop secretly cuts Arrow's lifeline, sending him falling into the black hole to his death. After the Legacy escapes the black hole, Scroop blames Jim for improperly securing Arrow's lifeline. Realizing the truth, Silver comforts the guilt-stricken Jim. After reaching Treasure Planet, Jim discovers that the crew are pirates led by Silver, and a mutiny erupts on the ship. As Doppler, Amelia, and Morph prepare to flee in a lifeboat, Jim returns onboard to retrieve the map. Having grown attached to Jim, Silver allows them to escape. Another pirate shoots down the lifeboat, injuring Amelia. Jim discovers that the "map" is Morph in disguise, with the real map left on the ship. The four meet B.E.N., a navigational robot lacking his primary memory circuit who once belonged to Flint. Jim, Morph, and B.E.N. secretly return to the Legacy to recover the map. Scroop discovers Jim and fights him. B.E.N. inadvertently disables the artificial gravity, allowing Jim to kick Scroop overboard into deep space to his death. Upon returning to camp, the trio finds the pirates holding Amelia and Doppler hostage in exchange for the sphere. Silver forces Jim to use the map, leading them to a large teleportation portal that opens to any location in the universe, which Flint used to conduct his raids. Realizing that Treasure Planet is a giant piece of machinery, Jim directs the portal to open to the planet's treasure room, located in the core. As the pirates enter and begin collecting the loot, Jim finds Flint's skeleton, holding B.E.N.'s missing circuit. After Jim re-installs the circuit, B.E.N. remembers that Flint rigged the planet to self-destruct if anyone discovers the treasure chamber. As the planet begins collapsing, Silver attempts to escape with a boatload of treasure, but abandons it to save Jim's life. The survivors board the Legacy, which becomes damaged by flying debris, leaving the ship without enough power to clear the planet's atmosphere and escape the destruction. Jim rigs a makeshift sailboard and rides ahead, setting the portal to Montressor Spaceport. Doppler steers the Legacy through the portal to safety. Jim finds Silver below deck and allows him to escape due to their friendship. As a farewell gift, Silver gives Jim and Morph a handful of treasure he had salvaged from Flint's hoard before sailing away into the stars. Back on Montressor, Jim uses the treasure to help Sarah rebuild their inn, where B.E.N. becomes a waiter. Doppler and Amelia marry and start a family. Jim, having matured under Silver's mentorship, accepts Amelia's offer to become a cadet at the Interstellar Academy. He looks up at the sky and sees an image of Silver in the clouds.
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