In 2002, a Disney movie was released that its director had been waiting for a long time. He had wanted to make it 15 years earlier. However, that was prevented by Star Trek – and a movie that never came out.
Which Disney movie is it? Do you remember the animated film “Treasure Planet”? It hit theaters in 2002 and was essentially a loose adaptation of the novel “Treasure Island” by Robert L. Stevenson.
The film set the story of the book in the future. The protagonist, 15-year-old Jim, goes on a quest for the treasure planet.
The film’s director, Ron Clements, would have liked to make this passion project 15 years earlier. However, his ideas were rejected by Disney in 1986 and were not implemented in the following years. What was going on?
Star Trek derailed the filmmaker’s plans
What was the problem? Disney liked Ron Clements’ idea of reworking the classic novel as a science fiction story. However, the then-bosses at Disney, Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg, saw a major problem.
Just shortly before, the two had worked at Paramount on Star Trek. Therefore, they were aware of the plans for the popular series featuring Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock. One of the upcoming films was also supposed to be a futuristic version of “Treasure Island,” just like Clements’ animated film.
So, a “Treasure Island in space,” as Clements himself called it. Disney rejected the project, and the director’s dream seemed to be shattered for the time being.
If you pause a Disney film at the right moment, you discover a hidden message.
Did the Star Trek movie come out? If you are fans of the Trekkie universe and are now justifiably wondering which of the films has a storyline like “Treasure Island”, you are absolutely right.
Because such a Star Trek film never came out. Apparently, Paramount had toyed with the idea of adapting the novel but then dropped it.
Ron Clements’ “Treasure Planet” was rejected several more times at Disney before the film was finally made.
Good for the director, but unfortunately, the animated film was quite a flop at the box office. It cost around 140 million US dollars and only made 109 million US dollars (via boxofficemojo.com).
Why did the film flop? One reason for this could be the timing of its release. The Disney film came out at a time when traditional 2D animation was on the verge of extinction. 3D films suddenly became the trend, “Shrek” came out in 2001, and the first “Toy Story” had already premiered in 1995.
It is questionable whether the film would have performed better with audiences 15 years earlier. From the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, Disney’s 2D films had a resurgence. Classics like “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King,” “Aladdin,” and “The Little Mermaid” were produced by Disney at that time.
Interestingly, the latter two were created by Ron Clements himself. He is also behind Moana. However, he is not directing the upcoming second part.
The director has a solid track record for lovingly crafted animated films. By the way, with “The Princess and the Frog”, he released another 2D animated film at Disney in 2009. Overall, however, it seems that the mouse company is focusing more on 3D-animated films and live-action adaptations of classic films. Steven Spielberg recommended an anime that he claims is better than any Disney film.
