ONE of the greatest adventure stories ever told Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island takes on a new dimension in new animated film Treasure Planet.

The story takes us on a daring and imaginative journey across a fantasy universe that combines expert hand-drawn animation, incredible 3D "virtual sets.

At the centre of the story is 15-year-old Jim Hawkins, who joins the crew of an intergalactic expedition as cabin boy aboard a glittering space galleon. Befriended by the ship's cook, a charismatic cyborg (part man, part machine) named John Silver, Jim blossoms under his guidance, and shows the makings of a fine "spacer" as he and the alien crew battle supernovas, black holes and ferocious space storms.

But even greater dangers lie ahead when Jim discovers that his trusted friend Silver is actually a scheming pirate with mutiny in mind.

Confronted with a betrayal that cuts deep to his soul, Jim is transformed from boy to man as he finds the strength to face down the mutineers and discovers a "treasure" greater than he had ever imagined.

Directing/producing/writing duo, John Musker and Ron Clements are the creative team behind Treasure Planet, which features the vocal talents of David Hyde Pierce, Martin Short and Emma Thompson.

February 13, 2003 11:31