The Pagemaster Reviews
September 8, 2010
The Pagemaster in my opinion, was a wonderful film, and I do think the 4.8 rating is too low. I have seen much worse movies, that are rated higher than that. Sure it's not Disney, but it is a good family film that I guarantee if you give it a chance that the whole family will love. The animation is not so bad, perhaps a little dated and rushed, but I've seen worse, and the dragon was excellent. The music by James Horner was beautiful, very fitting with what was going on on screen, very reminiscent of Land Before Time and Once Upon a Forest, and Whatever You imagine was amazing. The story tells of a young boy named Richard, who is serious and fearful of everything, until an unexpected visit to the library changes his life forever. I loved the story and the clever and diverse references to the literary giants, like Treasure Island, Jekyll and Hyde and Moby Dick, and the message of the film about facing your fears that doesn't preach. Macaulay Culkin is excellent here as is Christopher Lloyd, and Patrick Stewart (rousing and witty), Whoopi Goldberg (sugar and starch) and Frank Welker (in a fine Igor impression) expertly bring the snappy screenplay to life. I loved the witty banter between Adventure and Fantasy, and the librarian's rant about the different literary genres. And I don't think it is Macaulay Culkin or Christopher Lloyd's worst film, Culkin's was Richie Rich, Lloyd's was My Favourite Martian. All in all, a terrific film, with a 8/10.
April 30, 2012
Adults might be able to pass the time by looking at the backgrounds and trying to figure out which books are on the shelves but that's just a way to pass the time and children will zone out. The story doesn't take advantage of the premise or of the classic literary works referred to in the library world. The film is only an hour and seven minutes long (excluding the ending credits) and it's still padded out with a song montage towards the end. While the first two worlds of the library have legitimate references to classic works, with our protagonist interacting with "Moby Dick", "Treasure Island", "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and more, in the fantasy section we just get a generic dragon, no memorable or unique characters (except in the song montage or in quick clips that last less than a few seconds). It really feels like an episode of a TV show stretched out with nothing to close the gaps. Kids won't get any new interests in reading and if you want to get them interested in a good story, give them some credit and watch any adaptation of "Moby Dick", "Treasure Island" or "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" instead or just grab a good book and spend some quality time together reading. You might remember the movie being good, but you would be wasting your watching "The Pagemaster". (1,5 / 5, Dvd, June 22, 2012)(1,5 / 5, Dvd, May 1, 2012)
"The Pagemaster" is a boring adventure/fantasy with good intentions, but a poor execution. Upon seeing the special feature "Creating Pagemaster" (included on the Dvd) it is obvious that the creators had every intention of making a quality film that was about books and a child finding the courage to face to real world and there is genuine effort put into the animation (which is impressive at times) but there really isn't anything to see here. The story is dull and the main character has no personality (unless you count being afraid and shouting statistics about safety a personality), The side characters (Adventure, Fantasy and Horror) are just an excuse to add some bad humor to the film (and you can tell that some of it was last minute, there is a scene towards the end where "Horror" tells a joke but his lips don't even move).
Adults might be able to pass the time by looking at the backgrounds and trying to figure out which books are on the shelves but that's just a way to pass the time and children will zone out. The story doesn't take advantage of the premise or of the classic literary works referred to in the library world. The film is only an hour and seven minutes long (excluding the ending credits) and it's still padded out with a song montage towards the end. While the first two worlds of the library have legitimate references to classic works, with our protagonist interacting with "Moby Dick", "Treasure Island", "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and more, in the fantasy section we just get a generic dragon, no memorable or unique characters (except in the song montage or in quick clips that last less than a few seconds). It really feels like an episode of a TV show stretched out with nothing to close the gaps. Kids won't get any new interests in reading and if you want to get them interested in a good story, give them some credit and watch any adaptation of "Moby Dick", "Treasure Island" or "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" instead or just grab a good book and spend some quality time together reading. You might remember the movie being good, but you would be wasting your watching "The Pagemaster". (1,5 / 5, Dvd, June 22, 2012)(1,5 / 5, Dvd, May 1, 2012)
February 21, 2013
It has some good animation, but aside from a few rather frightening moments, there is nothing really to see that will draw you into this mediocre family flick. But worst of all, it fails to do what it set out to do; getting kids to love the world of literature.
Alexander R.
January 6, 2013
A magical and colorful film with a musical score worthy of an Oscar.
Matthew J.
November 25, 2012
'The Pagemaster' will bore you with it's overlong cartoon scenes and annoying performances.
Nik M.
November 9, 2012
There isn't anything along the lines of involving plot structures, but there is something appreciative and creative of Pagemaster. There is a glorifying act on imagination that takes viewers on a reflective journey of our childhood stories and fantasies. If only it contained more effort...
October 31, 2012
A good concept, but Culkin wore out his Hollywood welcome years ago and this movie becomes very unenjoyable.
Dammy G.
October 30, 2012
As a movie it's not too great. As an animation Demo reel it blows me away. That and Picard as Adventure and Gainen as Fantasy is epic win.
October 26, 2012
Great movie! How do I NOT remember this movie from my childhood??!! Horror is my favorite character :)
Noah Abraham G.
December 23, 2011
A film full of potential let down by lackluster plotting. It has some great ideas and wonderful animation, but at the end of the day it's just so dreadfully boring.
Robyn M.
October 24, 2012
One particularly funny line in the film comes in the live-action prologue, co-starring Ed Begley, Jr. and Mel Harris as Richard's parents. Alan, the father (Begley), recalls to his wife Claire (Harris) the day he signed his son up for Little League Baseball: "...he drove everybody crazy with statistics about how you can get a blood clot just by being hit on the head with a ball. 'Did you know that shin-splints can lead to blood clots in the legs?' Claire, he brought in a medical journal! Nobody wanted to play after that! And now, I'm building him a tree-house in a tree he refuses to climb!" Looking back, it's not how Begley utters that line, but rather, it is the way he delivers it that makes me laugh.
Learning to love and accept your child for who he is, not who you want him to become!
One particularly funny line in the film comes in the live-action prologue, co-starring Ed Begley, Jr. and Mel Harris as Richard's parents. Alan, the father (Begley), recalls to his wife Claire (Harris) the day he signed his son up for Little League Baseball: "...he drove everybody crazy with statistics about how you can get a blood clot just by being hit on the head with a ball. 'Did you know that shin-splints can lead to blood clots in the legs?' Claire, he brought in a medical journal! Nobody wanted to play after that! And now, I'm building him a tree-house in a tree he refuses to climb!" Looking back, it's not how Begley utters that line, but rather, it is the way he delivers it that makes me laugh.
October 2, 2012
PLOT:Young Richard Tyler (Macaulay Culkin) is a kid that's scared of nearly everything he sees or touches. One day when he's running to get some tools for his dad in the town, it starts to rain and Richard is forced to enter the library where he meets the ecstatic librarian, Mr. Dewey (Christopher Lloyd). After being somewhat introduced to books, Richard asks to use the phone to call his parents. On his way there, he slips and falls, knocking him out. Now Richard is trapped in a world ruled by the Pagemaster (Christopher Lloyd) where he must make it to the exit by facing and meeting the worlds and books of Adventure (Patrick Stewart), Fantasy (Whoopi Goldberg), and Horror (Frank Welker). It's a unique but simple plot that's executed very simple-mindedly.
ACTING/VOICES:Most of the acting in the live action scenes was overdone, especially Culkin's, but in the voice-acting section, every voice fit its persona accurately in a fun and loveable way.
SCORE:The score was made up of just regular adventure score and extremely cheesy inspirational songs about imagining and dreaming.
ANIMATION:Some say the animation is lazily done, but I say aside from the beginning scene, it's pretty well done. It reminds me of the nostalgic animation as used in "An American Tail".
OTHER CONTENT:This movie was mainly made for one reason, and that is to persuade children to read. The simple idea shows through cheesily, as nearly the whole movie's an inspirational nightmare as related to books. I'm one for literature, and I appreciated the book references too, but there is such a thing as overdoing it. The one thing besides the voice acting, animation, and references that kept this going was the dry yet sharp-witted humor used to refer to the books. I laughed a few times, guilty as charged. To think I would've given this an 8 out of 10 when I was about 5...
OVERALL,a movie that's not too shabby with a simple plot, overdone acting and fitting voicing, cheesy score, nostalgic animation, cheesy and inspirational feeling, great book references, and sharp-witted humor.
It's amazing how one of your favorite childhood movies can be so different with age.
PLOT:Young Richard Tyler (Macaulay Culkin) is a kid that's scared of nearly everything he sees or touches. One day when he's running to get some tools for his dad in the town, it starts to rain and Richard is forced to enter the library where he meets the ecstatic librarian, Mr. Dewey (Christopher Lloyd). After being somewhat introduced to books, Richard asks to use the phone to call his parents. On his way there, he slips and falls, knocking him out. Now Richard is trapped in a world ruled by the Pagemaster (Christopher Lloyd) where he must make it to the exit by facing and meeting the worlds and books of Adventure (Patrick Stewart), Fantasy (Whoopi Goldberg), and Horror (Frank Welker). It's a unique but simple plot that's executed very simple-mindedly.
ACTING/VOICES:Most of the acting in the live action scenes was overdone, especially Culkin's, but in the voice-acting section, every voice fit its persona accurately in a fun and loveable way.
SCORE:The score was made up of just regular adventure score and extremely cheesy inspirational songs about imagining and dreaming.
ANIMATION:Some say the animation is lazily done, but I say aside from the beginning scene, it's pretty well done. It reminds me of the nostalgic animation as used in "An American Tail".
OTHER CONTENT:This movie was mainly made for one reason, and that is to persuade children to read. The simple idea shows through cheesily, as nearly the whole movie's an inspirational nightmare as related to books. I'm one for literature, and I appreciated the book references too, but there is such a thing as overdoing it. The one thing besides the voice acting, animation, and references that kept this going was the dry yet sharp-witted humor used to refer to the books. I laughed a few times, guilty as charged. To think I would've given this an 8 out of 10 when I was about 5...
OVERALL,a movie that's not too shabby with a simple plot, overdone acting and fitting voicing, cheesy score, nostalgic animation, cheesy and inspirational feeling, great book references, and sharp-witted humor.
