Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas

This article's introduction section may not adequately summarize its contents. To comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines, please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (November 2008)

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Patrick Gilmore Tim Johnson
Produced by	Jeffrey Katzenberg Mireille Soria Associate Producer: Jill Hopper
Written by	John Logan
Starring	Brad Pitt Catherine Zeta-Jones Michelle Pfeiffer Joseph Fiennes
Music by	Harry Gregson-Williams
Editing by	Tom Finan
Studio	DreamWorks UK Outsource Animation
Distributed by	DreamWorks Pictures Internationaly United International Pictures DVD Relese Universal Home Entertainment
Release date(s)	July 2, 2003 July 25 August 21 December 19
Running time	1hr. 26 min.
Country	U.S.A.
Language	English
Budget	$60,000,000
Gross revenue	Domestic $26,483,452 Worldwide $80,767,884

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas is a 2003 animated film produced by DreamWorks SKG with voices of characters from Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Joseph Fiennes. It uses traditional 2D animation with some 3D. The film received mixed reviews. Also, the abandonment of the story's Arabic roots in favor of a Greek setting was brought up as a matter of discussion.

This is the last traditionally-animated feature film made by DreamWorks Animation, due to being considered a commercial disaster and Dreamworks' decision that the American public would be more interested in computer animation. However, the film retains a cult following.

Plot

A pirate named Sinbad and his crew are chasing after a ship carrying the legendary Book of Peace, a mysterious artifact that protects the land from chaos, to Syracuse, which he plans to steal and hold for ransom. He runs into his old friend Prince Proteus who is guarding it, despite this he still plans to steal the book, until a sea monster attacks the ship, Sinbad kills the monster, but is dragged under water by one of its tentacles. He is saved by Eris, the Greek goddess of chaos, who makes a deal with him, in exchange for stealing and giving her the book of peace she will give him whatever he wants. Sinbad and his crew arrive at the place and plan to steal the book, but Sinbad calls it off after he meets Proteus' fiancée Marina. Knowing that Sinbad won't do it Eris disguises herself as him and steals the book leaving his knife as evidence. Sinbad is imprisoned, he tries to explain that Eris framed him after he decided not to steal the book, but they don't believe him and he is sentenced to death. Proteus however believes him and makes an offer, allowing Sinbad to go to Tartarus and get the book back, but if Sinbad doesn't return within 10 days then Proteus will be executed in his place. The court accepts and Sinbad is freed. Knowing that the king won't let his only son die, Sinbad decides to head for Fiji. However Marina Proteus' fiancée has stowed away to make sure that Sinbad goes after the book, convinces him and they head after it.

Sinbad is at first annoyed by Marina's pressence saying that a ship is no place for a woman, and constantly having to argue with her. Eris sends Sirens to stop Sinbad and his crew, while they all fall under their spell Marina and the Mast Dog Spike keep their senses and save everyone. Which wins Marina the trust of the rest of the crew, while Sinbad, not wanting to admit that he's wrong, only pays attention to the damage to his ship. The crew looks for wood on an island, only to find that the island is actaully a giant fish, after narrowly escaping they hitch a ride on the fish's tail, but cut it loose after a day, as almost everyone is sick from the ride. As the crew passes through ruins, their ship and the water are frozen in place by Eris; when they try to break up the ice they are attacked by a huge white bird. Marina is taken while trying to rescue a crewman and Sinbad has to climb up the side of the mountain to rescue her. Sinbad makes it but he and Marina are found by the bird and have to slide down the mountain on a shield. The bird is crushed by falling ruins, Sinbad and Marina just barley make it, landing on the ships sails. The falling ruins break the ice allowing them to move further.

As times goes on, Sinbad starts to accept Marina and they both start to have feelings for each other. The crew makes it to the entrance of Tartarus, but they are stopped short by "The edge of the World", a huge gap where the world ends leaving the gate floating in mid air. Sinbad has his crew set the sails so that they will catch the wind flowing up from the rift and fly; it works and the ship flies to Tartarus. Marina and Sinbad go through the gates alone and enter Tartarus, there they meet Eris, who reveals that her real plan wasn't to steal the book but rather to rob Syracuse of Proteus, it's next true Heir to the throne causing mass chaos once his father dies. Eris agrees to surrender the Book if Sinbad truthfully answers this question: 'if he cannot gain possession of the Book, will he fulfil his promise and return to die in his friend's place?'. Sinbad says he will return, but Eris accuses him of lying and sends him and Marina back to Earth without the Book. Sinbad admits to Marina that he was lying, and that he did not intend to keep his word and die, even to save the life of his friend. Marina begs him to flee, hoping to return alone to Syracuse and somehow save both Proteus and Sinbad. Sinbad nevertheless travels back to Syracuse, where he embraces the death penalty. Before the executioner can kill him, Eris intervenes, furious at Sinbad for his decision. Sinbad quickly realizes that, despite doubting himself earlier, he has indeed kept his word to return to Syracuse and surrender his life for Proteus, and that Eris, as a goddess, is bound to hold true to her promise to give him the Book. She gives him the Book and disappears, promising to find other places to destroy, whereupon Sinbad opens the Book to fulfill its purpose. Later Sinbad leaves Syracuse to embark on another voyage, leaving Marina behind despite their burgeoning romance. Proteus realizes that Sinbad and Marina have fallen in love and bids Marina to go with Sinbad. She and Sinbad sail away, presumably to have more "adventures."

This story takes the name Sinbad, the presence of a Roc, and the incident wherein Sinbad and his crew encounter an island that turns out to be the back of a gigantic sea-beast from the One Thousand and One Nights; however, much of the setting is derived from Greek mythology, including the presence of monsters that also appear as constellations, a trip to Tartarus to recover the Book, and an encounter with the Sirens. The plot scenario of Proteus taking Sinbad's place is similar to the legend of Damon and Pythias. Throughout the film, Eris appears as a sadistic femme fatale who is constantly in sinuous motion. During the quest, Marina and Sinbad fall in love with each other.

Cast and characters

• Brad Pitt - Sinbad, a pirate and thief as well as the film's protagonist. Sinbad attempts to steal the Book of Peace from Proteus, only to find himself framed for the theft. After being given ten days to return the Book, Sinbad tries to escape to Fiji, but eventually decides to go to Tartarus to recover the Book out of his obligation to Proteus. Having loved Marina since the first time he saw her, years before he became a pirate, their love for each other deepens after multiple encounters together.
• Catherine Zeta-Jones - Marina, Proteus's fiancee. She stows away on Sinbad's ship to ensure that Sinbad keeps his promise. Marina initially has a very strong dislike to Sinbad because of his attitude, but eventually falls in love with him. Most of the crew members besides Sinbad fall in love with her; but they seem to be more like a crush rather than real romantic intentions (Rat is seen offering Marina help or advice at numerous occasions)
• Michelle Pfeiffer - Eris, the Goddess of Chaos, the film's key antagonist. Eris frames Sinbad for stealing the Book of Peace and dispatches several monsters to hinder his quest to return the Book. Oddly enough, she seems to have a crush on Sinbad.
• Joseph Fiennes - Proteus, the Prince of Syracuse. When Sinbad is framed for stealing the Book of Peace, Proteus offers to lay his life on the line so that Sinbad can retrieve the Book. He is originally engaged to Marina, but ultimately gives her up in an act of selflessness.
• Dennis Haysbert - Kale, Sinbad's first mate and trusted friend. He is a very strong and tall man with a tough-looking exterior, but is very helpful and kind. He uses his strength to his advantage during fights.
• Adriano Giannini - Rat, the ship's Rigger and Lookout. He is a short and skinny Italian man with long hair and a moustache similar to that of the Fu Manchu. He is sceptical at the beginning of the film; but is charming and gentlemanly around Marina. He is always seen wearing a white bandanna, and displays amazing acrobatic skills using the ships riggings and ropes. Rat displays courage at several parts of the movie, but at many times he turns cowardly and runs away.
• Timothy West - King Dymas, Proteus's father and ruler of Syracuse.
• Jim Cummings - Luca
• Frank Welker - Spike (uncredited), Sinbad's pet bulldog. Spike uses a catapult to land on ships by pulling on a bone attached to a string. He is very courageous and is usually willing to fight as well as any other crew member.

Reaction and box office

The film was considered a commercial disaster in the US, where it became the lowest earning film of 2003 to be shown at 3,000+ theatres. It would earn an estimated $26.5 million at 3,086 theatres in the US and $80.7 million worldwide.^[1] Because of this, it is the last traditionally-animated feature film made by DreamWorks. Additionally, the film's poor performance led Jeffrey Katzenberg to proclaim that traditional animation was dead,^{[citation needed]} as the American public seemed more interested in computer animation, which led to much controversy with directors and animators who worked with the traditional format.

While the film was unsuccessful at the box office, the film received mixed reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 46% of its critics gave positive reviews based on 114 reviews.^[2] Metacritic gave the film a 48/100 approval rating based on 33 reviews.^[3] However, Roger Ebert gave the film 3 1/2 stars and concluded that, "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas is another worthy entry in the recent renaissance of animation, and in the summer that has already given us Finding Nemo, it's a reminder that animation is the most liberating of movie genres, freed of gravity, plausibility, and even the matters of lighting and focus. There is no way that Syracuse could exist outside animation, and as we watch it, we are sailing over the edge of the human imagination."^[4]

The fact that the film removes the story from its original Arabic context and places it in an entirely Greek setting earned it some criticism. Jack Shaheen, a critic of Hollywood's portrayal of Arabs, believes that "the studio feared financial and possibly political hardships if they made the film's hero Arab". "If no attempt is made to challenge negative stereotypes about Arabs, the misperceptions continue. It's regrettable that the opportunity wasn't taken to change them, especially in the minds of young people," he said. At one point, Shaheen asked Katzenberg to include some references to Arabic culture in the film.^[5]

Production

Sinbad is the first movie to be produced fully using the Unix operating system.^[6]

The monsters and the backgrounds in the film are mostly computer-generated, while the human characters are hand-drawn.^[7]

Merchandising

A PC game based on the film was released by Atari, who worked closely with one of the film's directors, Patrick Gilmore. It was released prior to the DVD and VHS release of the film.^[8] Burger King released six promotional toys at the time of the film's release, and each toy came with a "Constellation Card"^[9] Hasbro Inc. produced a series of Sinbad figures as part of its G.I. JOE action figure brand.^[10] The figures were 12" tall and came with a mythical monster.^[11]

References

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas

• Official website
• Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas at Allmovie
• Official website
• Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas at the Big Cartoon DataBase
• Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas at the Internet Movie Database