The Heroes Journey and Archetypes Treasure Planet (2002)

(Fig1.Treasure Planet Poster)

Based on the original novel Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Planet is Disneys, sci-fi, reboot of the classic heros journey, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. The premise of the story is of a legendary pirate, Nathaniel Flint, who roamed the universe, stealing treasure and stashing it all on one world- Treasure Planet. This was the favourite bedtime story of the young hero Jim Hawkins. Having grown into a teenage delinquent, Jim has his world upended when an alien crash-lands, warning of a cyborg and hands him the greatest adventure of his life. The map to find Flints Treasure. In the original story, Jim Hawkins is quite clearly a pure hero, simply spurred by his destiny. However in Treasure Planet, Jim displays a persona masked as a troubled boy, plagued by the absence of his father. In the eyes of Empire Online this character, is a pony-tailed skate kid with attitude meaning we have a sullen hero who is difficult to root for. (Empire, 2003) Conversely this sullen attitude gives the character another more believable dimension that he gradually leaves behind as his character develops with the story. If there is one thing to note about this adventure, it is the way in which the character of Mister Silver, transitions between archetypes throughout. Mr. Silver is the star ship RLS Legacys cyborg galley cook. And also reluctantly made to be Jims mentor.

(Fig2. Silver and Jim, IMDb) Jim, forewarned by herald Billy Bones doesnt trust the cyborg. He takes the opportunity to probe Silver for information. In the scenes that follow, Silvers archetype shifts. With threatening mutterings to his pet shape shifter Morph about Jims questions, we realize Silver is the shadow archetype and our heros greatest enemy. However in a bid to keep Jim in the dark Silver pushes his role as a mentor, simultaneously this builds a bond between the characters. Following Chris Voglers Heros journey outline. During act 2, roughly half way through the film comes the ordeal the hero enters a central space in the Special World and confronts death or faces his or her greatest fear. Out of the moment of death comes a new life. (Storytech, N/A) Here Jim is faced with the death of a crewmember, trying to avoid an exploding star. He is then deceived into thinking it was his fault. At this point Silver takes his mentoring responsibilities to another level, consoling Jim until he becomes a father figure.

This rounds Jims hard edges filling him with a new faith in people he had lost since his father left. This behavior leads the audience to feel warmth and trust towards Silvers character, despite knowing that he is indeed a pirate conspiring against Jim and his fellow allies.

(Fig3. Jim and Silver as the star explodes, IMDb) Of course, as is well known in the original Treasure Island, mutiny takes place after arriving at the island, or in this case planet and Silver once again becomes a villain. On locating the treasure, the characters attempt to take it, accidentally initiating a self-destruct sequence. Jim and Silver are the last to face the danger of the imploding planet. Meanwhile Silver is still firmly villainous, leading the audience to question his true persona. Is Silver still wearing a mask or is his true self always a pirate? This leads to some very climactic scenes in the film that make for some interesting viewing and finally Silvers archetype is revealed. Despite being based upon a very old childrens tale, Treasure Planet makes for a great reboot. Adjustments to the storytelling, the slight tweaks to characters and events quite simply give it a new lease of life. Time writer Richard Corliss finds that the style of the film Splashes lavish special effects on a colorful palette without forfeiting attention to character detail. (Corliss, 2002) With characters full of depth and charisma it is difficult not to love this film. And sumptuous colourful sets of things beyond this world., the sense of adventure couldnt be stronger. This is a great film for young viewers looking for a little alien adventure.

Bibliography Empire Online (2003) Treasure Planet http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?DVDID=9170 Storytech (N/A) Heros Journey http://www.thewritersjourney.com/hero's_journey.htm Corliss, Richard (2002) Outer and Inner Space http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101021202- 393764,00.html Images IMDb (2013) Fig1-3 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133240/mediaindex