I watched this film on video in 1995. Instead of rushing, directly after viewing it, to my trusty word processor, I hunkered down and continued reading a fantastic novel I'd just started, Russell Banks' "Rule of the Bone." I read more than half of it in one sitting. I am now writing this on the very next day.

"The Pagemaster" is good that way. It massively supports the idea of literacy. But more than that, it whole-heartedly promotes the beauty and the majesty of books. And there's no lofty posturing here. This film idolizes books like "Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde" and "Moby Dick." This film isn't trying to encourage us to read dry, old literature like "War and Peace" or "Silas Mariner." It tries to entice the viewer, ideally youngsters, to get into books that they might actually like... Thrillers, Adventure stories, Fantasy and the like. It's message is simple: A book opens up a whole new world to the reader. What could be a better message?

The film bookends a cartoon feature with two live action segments. Macaulay Culkin is cast as our tour-guide and he remains the main character whether the film is using live action or animation to tell it's tale. Christopher Lloyd also serves in both arenas but he plays two different characters, sort of. Regardless, it is odd that the lesser of these two mediums actually works better. I found the live action opening and closing (about 15 minutes of the films 70 minute running time) much more convincing and interesting. It also acts as a better proponent for reading as well with Mac cast as an uptight middle class lad who is afraid of everything - sort of a Don Knotts in training. His parents, Ed Begley, Jr. and Mel Harris, are pretty concerned about him. They send him on an errand which causes both he and us to be worried about his safety. I mean, what right-thinking parental unit sends their kid out on a bicycle, in bad weather, to the hardware store to get a bag of nails when they know the direct route is a highway that goes through a dark tunnel? It's a little far-fetched but it serves the purposes here.

It isn't long before make meets up with Llloyd who plays a magical character in both realms. The character actor is his usual marvelous self. No surprises. His animated character is just as good as his live action one. In fact, after Mac gets animated, we kind of wish the whole film was in live action. This, however, would have cost way too much to produce as Mac deals with talking books and mysterious characters in the plot. He also has to battle an unnamed dragon. In the process, he gets carried through sub-plots of various well-known classics.

His guides here are 3 books with voices supplied by Patrick Stewart (Adventure), Whoopi Goldberg (Fantasy) and Frank Welker (Horror). Other talents lend their voices to the project with Leonard Nimoy and Phil Hartman the most recognizable names. Everyone, of course, does a fine job and it's interesting to note that 3 of the voices (Stewart, Nimoy and Goldberg) are all associated with the "Star Trek" franchise. (4 if you count Lloyd's appearance as a Klingon in one of the "Star Trek" films). Also, none of the characters are forced to sing silly songs or syrupy pop tunes, although, a couple of the later are used to emulate Disney films for little or no reason in the film's late, and unnecessary lengthy, sequences.

The animation here, directed by Maurice Hunt, is fairly dull. It's certainly a far cry from Disney - more along the lines of Don Bluth. Still, it serves it's purposes even when it gets a little long and drawn out. With animation able to take us to so many magical places, it would have been nice to go further and deeper and to do so faster. But kids should enjoy the story and the cartoon work well enough to want to see it several times. With the message of the film so worthwhile, this is important.

David Kirschner (co-story, co-script and co-producer) and David Casci (co-story and co-script) seem to be the main influences in what we see here and they deserve some kudos. They've given us a remarkable tool to inform youngsters about the magic of literacy and literature. And they've done it in a way that is interesting yet never pedantic. That's a pretty valuable contribution to society in the late 20th century. Take advantage of it with the youth that you know.

Note: Director of live action Photography is Alexander Gruszynski. Art Director is Pixote. Ernie Contreras also worked on the script. Live action directed by Joe Johnston. Music by James Horner with The London Symphony Orchestra playing on the score. Lisa Stansfield and Babyface sing one of the obligatory soft-pop songs used during the film.

The nepotism factor: Alexis and Jessica Kirschner appear as child extras in a live action sequence.

The books used in the film in order are: "20,000 Leagues under the Sea" by Jules Verne "The Hounds of the Baskerville" by Artur Conan Doyle "Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe "Moby Dick" by Herman Mellville "Treasure Island" by Robert Louis Stevenson "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift Mother Goose "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand "Alice in Wonderland" by Louis Carroll ("Through the Looking Glass")?

The video-cassette version of the film featured an extended trailer for "The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers" movie as well as an ad for the video games based on "The Pagemaster."

Review written in 1995

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