Beyond subjecting the
world to decades of iffy TV cartoon series (from The New Adventures of Superman in the 1960s to BraveStarr in the 1980s), as well as occasionally producing
live-action programs (raise your hand if you wasted more than a few Saturdays
watching The Shazam!/Isis Hour in the
’70s), Filmation Associates made a brief foray into the realm of adapting
classic literature for the big screen. Filmation’s take on Robert Louis
Stevenson’s Treasure Island was followed
by a version of Charles Dickens’ Oliver
Twist, and both were released by Warner Bros., which wisely ended the deal
before any more mediocrity was unleashed.
Shamelessly copying the Disney
formula of blending comedy with high adventure and songs, Treasure Island is passable at best. The narrative is basically
faithful to the source material, and new wrinkles—such as a pirate who wheezes
musical notes because of the harmonica that’s visibly lodged in his throat—don’t
exactly add value. Worse, the songs are pathetic and unmemorable, and it’s hard
to understand why Filmation hired Davy Jones, of the Monkees, to play the
leading role seeing as how his character sings just one number. Anyway,
intrepid young Englishman Jim Hawkins (Jones) stumbles into possession of a
treasure map, which makes him the center of intrigue involving dueling pirate
factions. An eventful sea voyage and a surprising trip to a mysterious island
ensue. So do silly antics involving a mouse with a taste for liquor, as well as
innumerable renditions of the traditional tune “Dead Man’s Chest,” whose
“yo-ho-ho” refrain probably should have been retired from other uses once it
became a staple of the Pirates of the
Caribbean attraction at Disney’s theme parks. The uninteresting voice cast
of Treasure Island also features
tiresome TV funnymen Richard Dawson and Larry Storch, and Filmation’s signature
“limited animation” style ensures anemic visuals. In sum, Treasure Island is colorful, inoffensive, and altogether mindless—more “yo-ho-hum” than “yo-ho-ho.”
Yet Oliver Twist makes the preceding film seem inspired by comparison. (To say nothing of
redundant—the Oscar-winning live-action musical Oliver!, culled from the same source material, was released just a
few years previous, in 1968, and Hanna-Barbera made an animated version for television,
called Oliver and the Artful Dodger,
in 1972.) Repeating a stylistic misstep from Treasure Island, Filmation modified Oliver Twist by adding animal characters, as if the original
narrative was insufficient to command attention. Hence "Squeaky," the
nervous frog that long-suffering protagonist Oliver carries around in his
pocket throughout most of the movie, and the trio of creepy birds who lurk
around the villain's lair and perform evil errands. Whatever. The power of
Dickens' story isn't entirely lost, thanks to grim episodes of Oliver being
mistreated by various "friends" and guardians along the way to
escaping poverty once he finds a wealthy surrogate family. Yet the combination
of flat animation and weak vocal performances is toxic. (The cast includes some
of the same folks who participated in Treasure
Island, notably Davy Jones and Larry Storch.) As for the original songs,
they barely merit a mention. Some are generic. Some are insipid. Some are
saccharine. All are forgettable. That said, a cursory review of online
commentary indicates that Filmation’s Oliver
Twist has actual fans, mostly folks who saw the picture at a young age and now
retain nostalgia for the escapist pleasures of their childhood. With all due
respect to those with fond memories of Squeaky, it's a good thing the Filmation/Warner
Bros. union was terminated after just two films.
Treasure Island: FUNKY
Oliver Twist: LAME
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