A real treasure

Disney's animated cartoon, a SF version of Treasure Island, cost between $110million and $140million to make, and didn't take many pieces of eight at the US box office.

Such failure is undeserved. The story plays fair by Stevenson's yarn, with solar-powered 17th century galleons sailing across the galaxies, crewed by mutinous mutants and a Long John Silver cyborg, half-man, halfmachine, with robotic peg-leg and a fearsome bunch of cutlery where his hand should be.

But his paternal heart remains in the right place when young Jim Hawkins comes aboard.

The story could cut some slack in the last couple of reels; but set against that is some of the best comic animation I've seen since Aladdin.

Particularly funny is a hyperkinetic blob called Morph, standing in for Silver's parrot, who shapeshifts mischievously every second or so.

The vocal performances are sheer delight, with Emma Thompson outstanding as a feline captain with a clipped British accent.