Treasure Planet
On this date in 2002, Disney released Treasure Planet. Sort of a Disney version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island,” set in outer space.
This movie opened in both 35mm and a specifically-formatted 70mm IMAX version. This marked the first time that a film had concurrent releases in both formats.
After the September 11 tragedy, Disney decided that people being held at sword-point just wasn’t funny, so the animators were instructed to remove as many swords from the film as possible.
The film was a major financial disaster. Budgeted at $140 million, it grossed only $38.2 million by the time it left North American theaters. The loss reportedly resulted in Disney downgrading its earnings estimate for the last quarter of 2002.
So what did you think of this later Disney film… good retelling of a classic story, or overblown CG-Fest?
Great and creative re-telling of the original story. Its the business part of Disney that made this a disaster, not the artists and animators. This film deserves more respect and recognition for being a truely astounding piece of work.