by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

Lo and behold, Disney’s on a roll of late. They’ve delivered some exceptional animated features recently—I’m thinking of Mulan, of the magnificent Atlantis and of the sweet, engaging Lilo & Stitch (which featured what might be my favourite Disney character ever, the cute, cantankerous Stitch/Experiment 626). The hot streak continues with their latest, Treasure Planet.

Obviously, it’s a variation on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel Treasure Island, which posited that bloodthirsty buccaneers make suitable role models for impressionable young lads. As the title indicates, this one’s set in the sci-fi zone, a parallel, cyber-baroque universe that’s at once archaic and futuristic. The story follows Stevenson’s closely—troubled teen Jim is bequeathed holographic map to the ultimate pirate-booty cache, sets out on quest aboard space galleon, latches on to ship’s shifty, peglegged cook Long John Silver, faces mutiny by treacherous pirate crew, finds treasure, becomes a man.

While the film’s assortment of alien species won’t cause George Lucas to lose any sleep, the design on a few of the creatures is pretty neat. I could have done without Morph, Silver’s excessively cute, Schmoo-like sidekick, though. The best design work is on the space galleons—fantastic airships, a marvel to look at—and on the port asteroid of Cresentia, which bubbles with nifty eye-candy.

The colour scheme is a joy—royal blues and salmon pinks, ruby reds and deep, rich golden yellows, all so easy on the eyes. More importantly, and rather in keeping with the film’s retro-futuristic sensibility, this is one of the best blends of trad and digital animation I’ve seen. The digital stuff isn’t a crutch, it’s a counterpoint, and perfectly suitable for things like holographic maps of the universe and such. Most important, however, is the complete absence of Disney’s worst sins. Treasure Planet is satisfyingly devoid of cheap tearjerking, ugly and unnecessary musical numbers and even the faintest trace of Elton John. :

Treasure Planet is now playing

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