The Pagemaster (1994)

November 23, 1994

November 23, 1994

The Pagemaster is a 1994 American live-action/animated fantasy adventure film starring Macaulay Culkin, Christopher Lloyd, Whoopi Goldberg, Patrick Stewart, Leonard Nimoy, Frank Welker, Ed Begley Jr., and Mel Harris. The film was produced by Turner Pictures and Hanna-Barbera and released by 20th Century Fox on November 23, 1994.

The film was written for the screen by David Casci, based on a six-page pitch by writer Charles Pogue entitled "Library Days", presented to Casci by producer David Kirschner. The film was directed by Joe Johnston (live action) and Pixote Hunt and Glenn Chaika (animation), and produced by David Kirschner and Paul Gertz. The film received negative reviews and grossed $13.7 million from a budget of $34 million. The film's poor box office performance, along with Cats Don't Dance, set back other animated films for the animation studio, Turner Feature Animation.

Storyline

Pessimistic 10-year-old Richard Tyler lives life based on statistics and fears everything. His exasperated parents have tried multiple ways to build up his courage, with little success. One day, Richard is sent by his father to buy a bag of nails for building a treehouse. However, Richard gets caught in a harsh thunderstorm and takes shelter in a library. Despite Richard's protests, he meets Mr. Dewey, an eccentric librarian/custodian who insists that he needs a special book and gives him a library card. Searching for a phone, Richard finds a large rotunda painted with many famous literary characters. He slips on water dripping from his coat and falls, knocking himself out. Richard awakens to find the rotunda art melting, which washes over him and the library, turning them into illustrations.

He is met by the Pagemaster, the mythical Keeper of Books and Guardian of the Written Word. Richard asks for directions to the exit, so the Pagemaster sends him through the fiction section toward the green neon exit sign. Along the way, Richard befriends three anthropomorphic books: Adventure, a swashbuckling pirate-like book; Fantasy, a sassy but caring fairy-like book of fairytales; and Horror, a fearful "Hunchbook" with a misshapen spine. The three agree to help Richard if he checks them out with his new library card. Together, the quartet encounters classic fictional characters. They meet Dr. Jekyll who turns into Mr. Hyde, driving them to the open waters of the Land of Adventure. However, the group is separated after Moby-Dick attacks, following the whale's battle with Captain Ahab. Richard and Adventure are shipwrecked and picked up by the Hispaniola, captained by Long John Silver. The pirates go to Treasure Island, but find no treasure except for one gold coin, nearly causing a mutiny between Silver and his crew. Fantasy and Horror return and defeat the pirates. Silver attempts to convince Richard to leave with him but surrenders when Richard threatens him with a sword.

In the fantasy section, Richard sees the exit sign atop a mountain. However, Adventure's bumbling awakens a dormant dragon. Richard tries to fight the dragon with a sword and shield, but the dragon swallows him. Richard finds books in the dragon's stomach and uses a beanstalk from Jack and the Beanstalk to escape the dragon's mouth. He and the books climb the beanstalk to reach the exit. They enter a large dark room where the Pagemaster awaits them. Richard accuses the Pagemaster of causing all the horrors he suffered (some of which could have cost him his life). Still, as Dr. Jekyll, Captain Ahab, Long John Silver, and the dragon reappear in a magical twister and congratulate Richard, the Pagemaster reveals the journey was intended to make Richard face his fears. The Pagemaster swoops Richard and the books into the twister, returning them to the real world.

Richard awakens, finding Adventure, Fantasy, and Horror lying next to him as real books. Mr. Dewey finds him, and though the library policy only allows a person to check out two books at a time, he lets him check out all three books "just this once".

Richard returns home a braver boy, sleeping in his new treehouse with his books, much to the bewilderment and delight of his parents: After they leave, the silhouettes of Adventure, Fantasy and Horror are seen conversing next to the sleeping Richard.

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Movie Trailer

Sound Effects Used

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