Main Cast: Macaulay Culkin, Christopher Lloyd, Ed Begley, Jr., Mel Harris, Patrick Stewart
Release Year: 1994
Country: US
Run Time: 75 minutes
Plot
A young boy overcomes his obsessive fears by discovering a love for books in this animated fantasy adventure. In a live action wraparound, Macaulay Culkin stars as Richard Tyler, an easily bullied, nervous wreck of a kid who's an expert on safety statistics. His mother and father (Mel Harris and Ed Begley, Jr.) don't know how to inspire their son to embrace life boldly. Barely able to leave the house, Richard ventures out one day, but he gets lost in a storm and ends up at a mysterious library. Inside, he slips, knocks himself unconscious and finds himself in a cartoon realm where books come to life. Guided by Adventure (Patrick Stewart), Fantasy (Whoopi Goldberg) and Horror (Frank Welker), Tyler experiences the adventures of classic novels such as Moby Dick and Treasure Island, and he even meets some famed fictional characters, such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Leonard Nimoy). Through his experiences in the pages of the legendary books, Richard confronts his phobias and learns to face life more courageously. The Pagemaster was directed by Joe Johnston, a former special effects supervisor and production designer who later directed Jumanji (1995) and October Sky (1999). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Review
Given a fairly negative critical reception upon its initial release, The Pagemaster is actually a more-than-passable mixture of live action and animation with a fair number of high points. While the filmmakers may be presenting the message of their movie -- essentially, that reading is a good thing -- in a fairly obvious and banal manner, it does serve as a smooth way of introducing children to some of the exciting characters that can be found in classic literature. It also features excellent voice work, especially from Patrick Stewart and Whoopi Goldberg. Stewart seems to be enjoying himself a great deal, bringing an enthusiasm and energy to his work that is a change of pace from his usually more restrained approach. Goldberg is Goldberg, full of sass and vinegar and always ready with a quip. Macaulay Culkin is less annoying than in many of his other films, probably because his mannerisms are naturally minimized when the character becomes animated. On the downside, the story is rushed and not as compelling as it should be; much of it lacks the magic and sparkle that the situation demands and it has episodes rather than a real plot. Although most of the animation is just middling, there are a couple of impressive moments, such as the initial "meltdown" sequence in which Culkin becomes animated and the segment involving a dragon. Pagemaster's quality varies, but there's more than enough there to satisfy children. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Whoopi Goldberg - Fairy Grandmother "Fantasy"; Frank Welker - Dragon; Leonard Nimoy - "Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde"; Charles Fleischer; Ed Gilbert - George Merry; Dorian Harewood - Jamaican Pirates; George Hearn - Captain Ahab; Alexis Kirschner - Neighborhood kid; Jessica Kirschner - Neighborhood kid; Christopher Lloyd - The Pagemaster; Brandon McKay - Neighborhood kid; Robert Picardo - Pirate; B.J. Ward - Queen of Hearts; Phil Hartman - Tom Morgan; Jim Cummings - Long John Silver; ad Pixote
Credit
Maurice Hunt - Art Director, Robert Lence - Animator, Don Morgan - Animator, Bruce W. Smith - Animator, Jim Hickey - Animator, Maurice Hunt - Animation Director, Claire Glidden - Associate Producer, Roxy Novotny Steven - Associate Producer, Amy Kimmelman - Casting, David Steinberg - Co-producer, Barry Weiss - Co-producer, Robin Lewis - Costume Designer, Betsy Magruder - First Assistant Director, Joe Johnston - Director, Kaja Fehr - Editor, Roy Forge Smith - Editor, Jeffrey Patch - Editor, James Horner - Composer (Music Score), Steve Nelson - Musical Direction/Supervision, Marie Cantin - Production Designer, Roy Forge Smith - Production Designer, Gay Lawrence - Production Designer, Valeria Ventura - Production Designer, Alexander Gruszynski - Cinematographer, David Kirschner - Producer, Michael R. Joyce - Producer, Paul Gertz - Producer, Richard T. Sullivan - Special Effects, Scott E. Anderson - Special Effects, Steve Maslow - Sound/Sound Designer, David Kirschner - Screenwriter, David Casci - Screenwriter, Ernie Contreras - Screenwriter, Ted Chu - First Assistant Camera
Caught in a violent storm, Richard Tyler crashes his bicycle into a tree, leaving him dazed and confused. He shrugs off the wreck and goes to the nearest building which happens to be the library. But this is no ordinary library. This library is a world of horror, fantasy, and adventure, crawling with animated characters derived from the many stories contained in the books lying and flying about. The librarian, a mysterious man called The Pagemaster, informs Richard that in order to return to the outside world of reality, he must find the library exit.
As Richard Tyler you must run and jump your way through 68 levels of bats, ghosts, pirates, skeletons, fire creatures, and other nasties from the world of literature. In addition to jumping on top of and over your enemies, you'll find weapons such as gooey eyeballs, a pirate's sword, and magic dust. To help you in your quest through the magic library, you'll find magic shoes for jumping power, sticky hands for enhanced climbing ability, helmets for temporary invincibility, skulls for extra height, and of course books, which can you can arrange as you like. At the end of each level, a 3D bonus flying game puts you in the air collecting gold tokens (100 gives you an extra life) and magic dust. If you survive until the end of the bonus world you'll receive a special reward, usually an extra life.
~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Roots & Influences
A popular kids adventure movie, it was inevitable The Pagemaster would find its way to home video game systems.
~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Review: Overall
Based on the film of the same name, The Pagemaster suffers from the same flaw that plagues so many action/platform games: at times when you jump from an upper surface to a lower surface, you have no idea where you are headed (unless you've played the game a lot and have it memorized), and you could land on anything from a bed of nails to a bad guy to a harmless book. The ability to look down half a level or so beneath your feet alleviates this problem somewhat, but most of the time in these situations your fate depends on luck or rote memory and not pure skill. This problem aside, The Pagemaster is not a bad game and will find quite a few fans, especially among bookish children enamored of fantasy come to life.
The graphics, though not particularly innovative, are pretty good and feature some nice detail such as when you shuffle your feet and your shoes stir up dust. Lively music that fits the various themes and moods of the game complement the competently drawn creatures, books, and items. The sound effects are pretty unremarkable for the most part, but sprinkled throughout are some nice moments such as when Frankenstein's fist comes crashing down. It sounds even more convincing than it looks.
This game handles fairly well, but jumping over and on the various creatures gets a little tiresome. Luckily, at certain points throughout the game, you'll brandish a sword and equip yourself with a bucket of eyeballs for throwing. These extra weapons help cut down on the monotony factor.
While playing The Pagemaster, you'll appreciate the novel theme and the wide assortment of literary nasties, but you'll wish there was more originality in the game play department.
~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Review: Enjoyment
Young boys with dreams of literary fantasies and conquests will find this game riveting, but others may be tired of this kind of action/platform game.
~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Review: Graphics
A nifty assortment of villains and a cool, aventurous literary environment enhance this otherwise average game.
~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Review: Sound
The music is above average, and the sound effects are usually adequate are better.
~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Review: Replay Value
This game is fun for a while, and you might keep playing just to see the next levels and characters, but the actual play mechanics can get a little bit dull.
~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Review: Documentation
The instruction book is complete, and it features some tips on how to play well.
10-year-old pessimist Richard Tyler (Culkin) lives his life based on statistics and fears practically everything. His exasperated parents have tried multiple ways to build up the courage of their son, but to little success. Richard is sent by his father to buy a bag of nails so that he can build a treehouse. However, Richard gets caught in a harsh thunderstorm and takes shelter in a library. Here, he is met by Mr. Dewey, an eccentric librarian who tries to find a book for Richard and gives him a library card. However, Richard does not want any books; he just wants to call his parents and go home. Mr. Dewey points the boy towards a payphone. Richard wanders off and finds a large rotunda painted with classic fictional characters. Richard slips on some water that had dripped from his coat and falls down, hitting his head and knocking him unconscious. He awakens and finds the rotunda paintings melting, forming a wave of color that transforms him and the library into illustrations.
Richard is approached by the Pagemaster who sends him on a journey into the fiction section to find the "exit". Along the way, Richard befriends three anthropomorphic books: Adventure, a swashbuckling pirate-like book; Fantasy, a sassy but caring fairy tale book; and Horror, a fearful "hunchbook" with a misshapen spine. The three agree to help Richard to find his way out if he checks them out with his library card. Together, the quartet encounter classic-fictional characters. They meet Dr. Jekyll in a haunted house where he heard Mr. Hyde was breaking into his house before heading out into open waters to the Land of Adventure. However, the group are separated after an attack by Moby Dick. Richard and Adventure are picked up by the crew of the Hispaniola, captained by Long John Silver. The pirates go to Treasure Island, but find no treasure, nearly causing a mutiny between the captain and crew. Fantasy and Horror appear and defeat the pirates. Silver attempts to take Richard with him, but he retreats when Richard threatens him with a sword. Adventure insults Horror, causing the hunchbook to get captured by Lilliputians from Gulliver's Travels. Adventure saves him and they make up.
As the group travels through the fantasy section, Richard sees the exit sign on the top of a mountain. However, a sleeping dragon is awakened and chases Richard and his friends. Richard fights the dragon off with a sword and shield, but the dragon wraps its tail around him, shaking his armor and weapons off of him before swallowing him whole. Richard finds books in the dragon's stomach and uses a beanstalk to escape. The heroes arrive at the top and enter a large dark room where the Pagemaster awaits them. Richard berates the Pagemaster for the horrors he has suffered, but the Pagemaster reveals that the journey was intended to make Richard face his fears. The characters Richard had met beforehand reappear in a magical twister congratulating him. Richard then awakens, discovering that he had been unconscious all along. Adventure, Fantasy, and Horror all appear next to his body as real books. Mr. Dewey finds him, and, even though the library policy only allows a person to check out two books at time, lets him check out all three books "just this once". Richard returns home a braver kid, sleeping in his new treehouse. Adventure, Fantasy, and Horror appear as silhouettes on a wall talking.
Cast
Macaulay Culkin as Richard Tyler: A young American boy who seems to have a fear of everything and runs his life based on safety statistics. He is transformed into an illustration while exploring a library and must face his fears in an animated world.
Christopher Lloyd as Mr. Dewey/The Pagemaster: The eccentric librarian and caretaker of a seemingly abandoned library. Dewey seems disappointed that children do not read books anymore and frightens Richard with his outbursts. Mr. Dewey's alternate form is the Pagemaster, Keeper of the Books and Guardian of the Written Word. The Pagemaster sends Richard on his journey into the fiction section to face his fears. Lloyd's facial structure and appearance was incorporated into the Pagemaster's.
Ed Begley, Jr. and Mel Harris as Alan and Claire Tyler: Richard's supportive parents. Alan considers himself a bad father due to his continuous attempts to help Richard drop his worries, but most have failed. He builds a treehouse in an attempt to help Richard conquer his fear of heights.
Patrick Stewart as Adventure: A swashbuckling thriller book resembling a stereotypical pirate. He wears a fake eyepatch and has a large number of pirate-based weapons and items in his pages. He has an aggressive relationship with the other books, but learns to swallow his pride and be friends. He falls in love with Fantasy in the climax of the film. He is described by the director Joe Johnston as a representative of all previous thriller and adventure heroes known in fiction.
Whoopi Goldberg as Fantasy: A fairy tale-styled book. She can be aggressive and hotheaded but is caring and sassy. She helps Richard on his journey, mishelved by accident. She has an uneasy relationship with Adventure, but they fall in love by the film's climax. Joe Johnston wanted a tough black woman as Fantasy rather than a white woman.
Frank Welker as Horror: A third book who helps Richard. Despite his name, he is quite the opposite of horrific. He is misunderstood and is afraid—very similar to Richard. However, he is very gentle and good-natured. He tries to befriend Adventure, who returns it with aggression, claiming Horror could never match up to him. Joe Johnston describes Horror as a book with a mishapened spine, whose mother was an encyclopedia and his father was a paperback, which led to him being misshelved for life.
Leonard Nimoy as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: The fictional scientist who heard the horrific monster. He terrorises Richard, the books & Dr. Jekyll in the haunted house.
George Hearn as Captain Ahab: An almost psychotic whale hunter who is out to kill the giant whale, Moby Dick.
Jim Cummings as Long John Silver: The infamous usurper Captain of the Hispaniola. Long John Silver recruits Richard as the ship's cabinboy and respects Richard for standing up to him with a sword. He is missing a leg and uses a crutch for support.
Phil Hartman as Tom Morgan: A pirate on the Hispaniola, possibly first mate. He is rather violent pirate, threatening to chop apart Richard and eat Silver's parrot.
Ed Gilbert as George Merry: An obese and ugly pirate on the Hispaniola. He leads the mutiny against Long John Silver.
B.J. Ward as The Queen of Hearts: The tyrannical ruler of Wonderland. Appears in a cameo to scare Richard while he searches for a book while trapped in a dragon's stomach.
The Pagemaster took three years to produce. The animation in the film was produced by Turner Feature Animation, heded by David Kirschner and recently spun off from Hanna-Barbera Cartoons. The crew included animators who were veterans of productions such as An American Tail (also produced by David Kirschner), The Land Before Time, and Aladdin. This was one of the first films to feature live-action, traditional animation, and CGI animation all together. One scene involving a computer generated dragon made from paint was used, a challenge for the filmmakers. All of the fictional works featured in the film were created and first published before January 1, 1923, making them a part of the public domain in most countries. The theme songs to the movie are "Dream Away", sung by Babyface and Lisa Stansfield; the other being "Whatever You Imagine", sung by Wendy Moten.
Additionally both Leonard Nimoy and Frank Welker voiced the character Galvatron in Transformers (with Nimoy voicing him in the movie and Welker voicing him in the cartoon).
Promotional advertisements for this film used the theme from the 1984 film The Last Starfighter.
Reception and release
The film was a co-production between 20th Century Fox and Turner Pictures. Fox handled U.S. distribution, while Turner Pictures Worldwide handled international distribution.[1]Turner Broadcasting handles telecast rights of the film to be aired on their variety of television networks (including Cartoon Network). Warner Bros. now handles international distribution to the film as a result of the Turner/Time Warner merger in 1996.
Brian Lowry of Variety said that the film would satisfy adults and did do enough with its famous fictional characters, although he noted that, "A more inspired moment has Richard using a book, 'Jack and the Beanstalk,' to escape from the belly of a dragon. Unfortunately, such moments are few and far between."[2]
In the same year that this film was released, a video game version of the movie came out. It was developed by Probe Software Ltd. and published by Fox Interactive.
Literary allusions
There are several smaller allusions to poems, books and rhymes in the movie in addition to the more obvious ones:
Above the doorway of Dr. Jekyll's mansion, a raven calls out "nevermore" and then flies off. Both the raven and the doorway are references to the poem The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe.
Horror calls out "Sanctuary! Sanctuary!" as he is being dragged into a hole in the floor by Mr. Hyde. This is an allusion to Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which is set in a time period when churches offered limited sanctuary from arrest.
The magic carpet that appears when Fantasy uses the story of Arabian Nights to help escape from the dragon is from her 1001st page, a nod to The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (an alternate name for Arabian Nights).
There are two references to The Wizard of Oz - once when Richard asks Fantasy if he has to "click his heels" in order to go home, and again when the characters are seen walking on a yellow brick road.
There are also two references to A Christmas Carol - the first when Richard slides down the hallway and we hear some dialogue of the introduction to the Ghost of Christmas Past, and the other when Richard, Adventure and Fantasy walk in a graveyard and one of the graves says "Jacob Marley", and even has chains.
There are even two references to Jack and the Beanstalk - the first when Richard slides down the hallway and we hear the giant roaring Fe, Fie, Fo, Fum, and when Richard uses a copy of Jack and the Beanstalk to grow the giant beanstalk out of the dragon's mouth.
