We’ve all had our experiences with reading at some point in our childhood, haven’t we? Whether it’s with comic books, picture books, or practically any form of reading, there are boundless opportunities that come with it. It opens our minds more to imaginative ideas. It opens our eyes more to possible scenarios that would work in the real world as it could in fiction. And the good news is there are so many of those to choose from for children and adults alike.
However, here’s something else that I thought was quite intriguing.
Remember what I talked about regarding FernGully and Free Willy and how I thought there was a prevalent movement in the 1990s to encourage environmental awareness? I may be mistaken, but there may also have been a widespread promotion of reading for children in the late 80s and early 90s. Reading Rainbow, anyone?
I don’t know if Ronald Reagan’s anti-drug PSAs in the 80s inspired this kind of movement or anything like that, but what I admire about the movements that spurred throughout the 1990s is that they at least had good intentions and everyone’s best interests at heart.
One movie I was very familiar with from my childhood that attempted to advocate the benefits of reading, but to mixed results, was The Pagemaster.
Speaking of which, here’s the story.
It all centers around a young boy named Richard Tyler, who constantly fretted about the mishaps and accidents that could have arisen in any circumstance. For example, he feared the mercury in tuna sandwiches. But he was especially rattled about heights, particularly ladders, since he said—well, as he put it:
8% percent of all household accidents involve ladders. Another 3% involve trees. We’re looking at an 11% probability here.
His father, Alan, attempted to help him by building him a tree house, which he thought would’ve encouraged him to conquer his fears and enjoy it as a reward for pulling something off. Then, after a mishap with the ladder happened, his father urged Richard to go to the nearby hardware store and bring home more nails for him to finish the tree house with. Next, he rode his bike, which came with way too much safety gear – though I will admit, a bicycle with headlights is pretty inventive, but everything else about it is just overkill – and little did he expect that he would run into a storm, forcing him to find shelter while he tried to find a phone to call his parents. And where did he take shelter? At a nearby library.
While there, an overtly enthusiastic librarian named Mr. Dewey mistook his arrival for him being interested in the books he had to offer in the library before finally catching onto his dilemmas and the reason for his arrival. So, after being shown directions to the phone, Richard stopped for a moment to look at a painted ceiling up above that recreated scenes from classical works of literature when he slipped on a puddle of water dripping from his coat and hit his head on the floor, knocking him unconscious. After waking up, he found himself surrounded by forces of magic – as in, in the form of waves of paint that fell from the ceiling – and he turned into an animated version of himself, as did all the surroundings. While there, he was approached by a wizard called the Pagemaster, who watched over everything written, primarily fiction.
Next, he sent Richard on a quest to find his way out of the library and towards home. It involved going through one genre-influenced environment after the next — all inspired by classical books — while accompanied by a few talking books named Adventure, Fantasy, and Horror. What perils would Richard and his friends have had to face to make it back home? And would Richard have mustered the courage necessary to do so?
Having first seen clips of this movie in the VHS tape of Mrs. Doubtfire, I always looked at the beginning portions of the film with awe because of what kind of library it was that Richard Tyler stumbled into on his way out of the storm. But as I decided to dig deeper into the film, what it also had to offer after that promised an exciting variety of topics, ideas, and presentations.
First off, I like the idea of its story: a young boy stumbled into a library to escape a storm only to suddenly go on a journey full of characters and plot threads reminiscent of classical books. That sounds like a fascinating way to provide some good references to classical literature for the adults while potentially introducing them to the children who would’ve watched this for the first time and seeing what may rock their boat.
As for how it ended up, however? Well, let’s pay close attention to what works in this movie and what doesn’t.
To me, the film came alive when it reached its animated portions. Everything about them seemed infused with life and was more colorful, lively, and intriguing. And even if it suffered from pop cultural references — I’ll get to that very shortly — it still emphasized the imaginary nature of what worlds can be explored in a library.
And that’s not all. There’s a certain crispness to the art style, the animation, and the backgrounds that only add to the magical nature of the worlds Richard wandered through and the characters Richard ran into. And the extreme angles throughout every corner of each literary world help lend some satiating atmosphere to the film. Because I was so used to Disney animation, seeing other studios unleash animated projects whose animated qualities are of this caliber is something to admire.
When Richard and his friends wandered through the Horror section, it looked dreary and ominous, like you can never tell what’s out there or who’s about to lunge out at you. When they toured through the Adventure section, whether out at sea with Captain Ahab or with Long John Silver, the general atmosphere varied depending on the mood and how the characters felt while remaining massive and outgoing. And by the time they finally reached the Fantasy section, I felt transported into someplace that only the imagination can unleash.
It’s even more impressive when you consider all of the distinct characters and backgrounds, which changed depending on the stories and genres Richard and his friends encountered.
The designs of the famous literary characters who appeared here might be my favorite part of the film. One of the biggest reasons this stuck out to me is because I grew up on Disney films and acknowledged later how many of the Disney films from my childhood were based on fairy tales, mythologies, and even novels, conveyed in top-quality 2D hand-down animation. And the idea of watching iconic literary characters like Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, Captain Ahab, Moby Dick, Long John Silver, and Humpty Dumpty come the closest in this film to being visually conveyed the same way lends this film some hidden substance.
Granted, some exaggerated moments from Long John Silver and the pirates seemed a little extreme, but I still admire how much of a natural essence the animation gives them as they remained ingrained within their stories’ modus operandi. In addition, the only other 2D hand-drawn animated adaptation of Treasure Island that I can think of is Treasure Planet, and even then, that was the outer space version of the story and not the original one.
When the animation is applied to Captain Ahab and his men as they hunted down Moby Dick, they were expressed with just the right amount of aggression and determination to heighten their intimidation, and Moby Dick, too.
Of course, I was taken aback by the color shifting when Captain Ahab spotted Moby Dick and prepared to shoot him down with his harpoon. The colors between red and teal provided a stark and distinctive portrayal of Ahab’s hunt for Moby Dick while also highlighting the dangers and inner rage as they came to a boil at this moment. But while it was effective as it was, seeing this conveyed through regular colors and weather would’ve felt just as spectacular.
Regarding Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, outside of the house being given a large and appropriately ominous appearance, Dr. Jekyll came across as a very civilized, if also abnormal, scientist with elegance and class about him.
But when he transformed into Mr. Hyde – Yeesh! – he is just something else. He was downright freaky and unnatural, and yes, I’ll admit, he did creep me out when I was a little kid; I remember feeling petrified when he showed himself.
Eight times out of ten, they matched the general presentation and progression of the original classical works of literature. It’s gotten to a point where it would clue you into its general identity before you even dig deep into the book. So they do sort of act like introductory roles, if you will.
So, I have to give the animators major props for pulling this off the way they have.
There’s also something about the design of the Pagemaster himself that I find quite admirable. Other people might see him as just an ordinary wizard. But I admire how distinct he looked from, say, Disney’s interpretation of Merlin from The Sword in the Stone.
The acting from the live-action portions of this film is decent…at best. Macaulay Culkin gave a nerdy portrayal of Richard Tyler, and I cannot help but feel as if Culkin provided most of Tyler’s obsessions with accidents to his character. But it wasn’t perfect. Culkin’s smart-alecky antics felt a little misappropriated and tended to go overboard for me. By having him focus his worries on something where the likelihood of it happening is very remote, it makes him look like an unintentionally strange kid, and not the adorable kind, just more of an off-putting kind of strange.
Of course, much like how Macaulay Culkin’s smart-alecky antics were overkill in his role, I looked at Christopher Lloyd’s eccentricities as if they were also overkill with his character. When he first showed up, he looked at Richard suspiciously before going on an excessively long promotion of venturing into the world of literature with Fantasy, Horror, and Adventure, and all before Richard could explain. I don’t know. I get the impression that Christopher Lloyd tried to play him as an enthusiastic librarian who was excited about opening up possibilities for books that would be the stuff of imagination. And I can understand it if his character hasn’t had customers in a long time. But this just felt a little too overbearing and pushy to me.
And believe me, as a librarian, I can assure you that no librarian would ever be this theatrical or in your face when promoting libraries or what is offered within them.
What worked about their roles in films like Home Alone for Macaulay Culkin or Back to the Future for Christopher Lloyd was that the distinguished features that made them household names were used in just the proper doses. But here, they must not have been given enough leeway to express themselves more freely outside their trademark expressions.
The supporting actors in the live-action segments seem decent but are nothing to write home about.
The actors playing Richard’s mother, Claire, and his father, Alan, felt like regular parents with good intentions for him, even if they didn’t always understand Richard’s fears and motivations, and conveyed their characters with generally grounded instincts. Though, I don’t know, there’s just something about Ed Begley Jr. playing the father that seemed a tad off to me. He wasn’t bad in his role, but it felt noticeable.
However, the voice actors in the animated portions helped give the movie a sense of vitality and energy.
By the time Richard Tyler and the Pagemaster made their appearances in animated form, Macaulay Culkin and Christopher Lloyd’s performances felt more refined. While not without some awkward moments, Culkin expressed more sensibility and an inner resilience out of Richard Tyler. And while he wasn’t without his eccentricity, Lloyd conveyed the Pagemaster with more wisdom and a borderline subtlety to him. The more I thought about it, The Pagemaster had two directors, Joe Johnston for the live-action half and Maurice Hunt for the animated half, so perhaps that explains the difference in their acting.
Patrick Stewart did the voice of Adventure, and whenever he expressed himself in the movie, Stewart sounded like he was having fun owning up to Adventure’s pirate-y nature. He spoke as if he had years of experience at sea and was always ready to fight whoever he saw as a threat. It gave Adventure a level of arrogance that felt exaggerated to the point of feeling ironically charming.
Whoopi Goldberg felt elegant as Fantasy. Sometimes, whenever she was aggressive, her feistiness was humorous and enjoyable. But whenever she was mellow or soft-spoken, suddenly, she sounded tender enough to understand how other people felt, like Richard.
Frank Welker did the voice of Horror, and I like how neurotic he can sound in character. Whenever he confronted anything that looked strange or unusual, Welker helped Horror sound like knew nothing but the most terrifying things and creatures imaginable. Welker displayed a level of uncertainty to Horror, but not so much that he came across as pessimistic. Instead, Horror tended to cower over anything that looked off, only to know when to put his enemies in their place. Think of him as a more expressive Eeyore.
The other voice actors did a remarkable job, too. Leonard Nimoy sounded incredible as Dr. Jekyll, for he honed his sense of professionalism as a doctor and the generally accommodating essence of a gentleman who allowed guests into his abode. However, despite all those tones about him, his voice carried a twinge of uncertainty, like it left me confused about whether he meant what he said or expressed a level of morbidity beneath his posh image. And as Mr. Hyde, Nimoy went all out in sounding more animal than man.
However, George Hearn owned Captain Ahab’s more aggressive nature. Unlike Leonard Nimoy, I felt like he brought forth more of an unhinged nature in his character as Ahab searched for Moby Dick.
I will admit, though, that I have mixed feelings about Jim Cummings as Long John Silver. Whenever I saw Long John Silver as a kid, I was drawn to his intimidating personality, and the way Cummings played him made me feel like he soaked in his character’s more pirate-y personality. Sometimes, Cummings does portray Silver with a level of menace, but other times, I cannot help but feel like I was listening to Peg Leg Pete doing the voice performance instead.
One other thing about The Pagemaster that I find admirable is the music by James Horner. The instrumental score conveyed the general whimsy, adventure, glory, and sometimes suspense of all the situations Richard Tyler and his companions dealt with throughout their journey. Sometimes, it even helped embody the massive and dangerous scope of what lay ahead, whether it be Mr. Hyde, Moby Dick’s arrival, or the awakening of the dragon in the Fantasy section.
It also came with two songs in the movie, and while I can’t say they’re anything special, they’re not half bad either and are pretty musically evocative. The first one, ‘Whatever You Imagine,’ is a spirited song about the powers and wonders of imagination sung beautifully by Wendy Moten. The second one, ‘Dream Away,’ sounds more like the ultimate escapism song. Still, the rhythms, beats, and generally whimsical conveyances of relishing in whatever the vast depths of your dreams may unveil are still nicely conveyed as they should. So, I find both songs terrific.
However, let’s pay attention now to some aspects of the movie that don’t live up to the premise that comes with the movie.
One is that the characters generally feel standard. Richard Tyler felt like an everyday young boy obsessed with getting out of trouble and knowing which accidents to watch out for. That was usually his way of thinking before his adventures in the library opened his eyes, made him think otherwise, and encouraged him to stand up for himself when confronted with something he was uncomfortable facing.
With the animated books Adventure, Fantasy, and Horror, they felt like highly expressive characters who happened to match a popular fiction genre and tag along with Richard on his quest to reach the exit. They tagged along with Richard because they had been desperate to be checked out by any customer for a long time, and they relied on Richard Tyler to do just that for them. Now, I can see these characters working as decent comic relief, especially for the kids, but for the most part, I feel like they just tagged along with Richard to provoke and offer some side-banter with the movie when it’s not focusing too much on Richard Tyler. Sometimes, though, there have been some decent elements of camaraderie between them.
For example, Adventure and Horror feel like a decent odd couple. Horror tended to be fearful about things, whereas Adventure was generally the fearless type, the type who was ready to confront any foe that got in his way. So it can be fun to see whenever they spoke about the proper thing to do or how one must be like the other. However, the scenes with Adventure and Fantasy provide some good laughs because they often argued and bickered like they’ve known each other for so long. Though it is ironic for me to say that they feel like they have known each other so long because in the last third, suddenly, there’s a slight possibility of a romance developing between them, like Adventure wanted to express to Fantasy how he felt about her underneath his cocky, hardcover shell. Something about that part of their relationship felt like it came out of nowhere. As pleasant as it felt to watch, perhaps a little foreshadowing would’ve been nice.
However, this line by Adventure to Fantasy at that moment is just hilarious.
How’d you like to curl up with a good book?
And with regards to the Pagemaster himself, I couldn’t have made out how much of a mystical force he could’ve been if all he did was to introduce himself as the ‘keeper of the books and guardian of the written word’ and suddenly send Richard off on his quest to reach the library exit through means of going through various worlds and characters to make it there. More likely than not, the idea of the Pagemaster came about after Tyler saw a portrait of him in the painted ceiling up above. But whether he was imaginary or not, this character could’ve ended up being someone far more mystical, considerate, and omniscient than he ended up being.
Plus, although they had their moments of modesty in the movie, Richard’s parents felt bland. I feel like there could have been more to them outside of them trying to encourage Richard to be more proactive and not so fearful of what or who he might have encountered. They feel like your everyday parents looking out for the best in their children without knowing exactly how to pull it off properly.
But let’s get to what is arguably one of the biggest problems many people had with The Pagemaster: its literary representations.
The characters who appeared in the movie from the books this film represented carried the general likenesses of how they appeared in the books. Regardless, the way they came forth came across as more generalized. As I pointed out, they were just mere introductory aspects of their characters rather than the characters themselves. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde just felt like someone who’s had a habit of being a scientist while also turning into a crazy monster, even though the original book laid out that this was a case of him having dissociative personality disorder.
With Captain Ahab, he did very little in this movie outside of hunting down Moby Dick. In the novel, Moby Dick bit his leg off, and it sent Ahab on a pursuit of vengeance against him, and because what he sought was so all-consuming, it cost himself and his comrades everything. What I’ve seen of Captain Ahab and his men in this movie felt more like it was just scratching the surface.
With Long John Silver and the pirates, they felt like your everyday pirates who sailed across the seas, were troublemakers, and were desperate in their search for treasure. I remember reading Treasure Island once, and I can already tell that Long John Silver and his pirates all expressed personalities distinct from Captain Hook and the pirates from Peter Pan, among others. This section of the film didn’t even address characters like Jim Hawkins or Ben Gunn, and it especially didn’t showcase Long John Silver’s moral ambiguity and complexity as a character like in the original novel and yes, even Treasure Planet.
And once the characters reached the Fantasy section, there’s almost no specific literary work to recognize in this section outside of name-dropping one literary classic after the next. That is, until they encountered a fire-breathing dragon guarding the exit from the library. At first glance, it would seem like your everyday generic dragon from any Fantasy tale such as Beowulf or The Hobbit. Of course, as many people pointed out, the dead knight, whose shield, helmet, and sword Richard took, would’ve demonstrated that the book the Fantasy section represented is The Faerie Queene, written by Edmund Spenser. And from what little I’ve read about that book, it’s a twelve-part epic poem, so there’s a lot more to the book than what we’ve seen of the characters here in the Pagemaster.
So, why is this such a big deal? The Pagemaster is focused on encouraging kids to read, yet it struggles to do that while upholding a story about a young boy thrust into a quest to confront his fears.
Interestingly, like I said, the live-action portions of this movie were directed by Joe Johnston, who you may remember as having done Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, The Rocketeer, and later the first Captain America movie. He also did Jumanji, which also dealt with its hero being forced into fantastical situations stemming from his worst fears. If The Pagemaster wanted to demonstrate the productive activities that come with reading, what it could have done is touch upon a lot more of the classical works of literature instead of just highlighting only a select few.
And it could have done more than reference them. It could also have demonstrated what was so special about the books in the first place and why they inspired such a long-lasting legacy. For example, what was so special about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? What was so special about Moby Dick? About Treasure Island? The Faerie Queene? The movie could have gone the extra mile to establish why these books are so important, why they’re such classics, and how they become such household names.
Part of that may be because of the painted ceiling that Richard Tyler saw when he wandered through the library searching for a phone. That could be the case, spontaneous and narrow-minded as that may be. But once I experienced Richard Tyler’s adventure throughout the film, it made me wonder, outside of these four novels appearing throughout his journey home, could they be there because they were his favorite stories growing up?
For that matter, if the whole purpose of Richard’s quest was for him to confront his darkest fears, could any of the literary characters, such as Mr. Hyde or the Treasure Island pirates, have reminded Richard of the statistics he fretted about? Or the bullies who picked on him at the beginning of the film?
Also, why focus on just these four novels? Look at all the other classical books that deserve as much attention for the classics they’ve become, and not just those four. For example, what’s so special about A Christmas Carol? David Copperfield? Around the World in Eighty Days? 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea? Instead of referencing such literary classics on the fly, it could have taken a little extra time to focus on these and demonstrate why those books are so important.
But again, the movie’s premise has a lot of merit and could have been more incredible if the filmmakers and actors had taken more time to show it.
If you want to know exactly how The Pagemaster could have been, I’ll tell you what I believe would’ve helped it go a long way outside of name-dropping a few literary classics.
Let me start with this one big question. What if Richard Tyler was a former bookworm?
Sure, Richard could still have had a fear of heights and been reluctant to partake in anything risky in the movie. But did something happen earlier that made him develop those fears, and what was he like before he went through what he did in this film? Was he also into books before something terrible had happened? Maybe it could stem from his fear of heights and how one of his books prompted him to try something risky and bold, but instead, it made him go through that accident and made him reluctant to partake in anything that looked hazardous. Since then, not only would that have added a little more character to Richard Tyler, if not a lot, but I think with the knowledge of his former bookworm experience before he underwent this journey, maybe then it would be the right hook necessary to lure you into his dilemmas and see if he had what it took to brave his way through all the crazy scenarios and characters lunging out after him.
In other words, when we know that he’s a former bookworm obsessed with accidents and how to avoid them, how would he have reacted to being in a library? How would he have responded to all the fantastical characters coming out at him when he likely may have been acquainted with them before?
It introduces another critical question: which books would you see Richard Tyler enjoying before undertaking this magical journey, and I mean, outside of statistics?
There are many books to choose from that could tie into Richard’s character. If I went through Adventure, Horror, and Fantasy, I would wager going through the worlds of, for instance, either The Hunchback of Notre Dame or A Christmas Carol for Horror, Life of Pi for Adventure, and either Lord of the Rings or Dune for Fantasy.
Everyone has a list of some of their favorite books somehow. So what would constitute Richard’s favorite books even before he went through whatever experiences he went through that left him with such a reluctance to partake in any physical activities, especially his fear of heights?
The more I thought about The Pagemaster and what it represents – or, at least, it tried to – there’s a part of me that feels like The Pagemaster might be one big, subtle homage to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. And it’s not just because the Yellow Brick Road made a cameo in the Fantasy section.
Think about it. A young hero with problems back home got caught up in a storm. After waking up, he found himself on a journey to get back home through fantastical means with the guidance of an all-knowing figure and three companions who tagged along with him on his journey to claim what they and the hero wanted. Does that sound and feel familiar?
Heck, even Richard himself said,
Do I have to click my heels or something?
So that tells me that maybe he’s familiar with The Wizard of Oz at some point, too. I also wonder if, perhaps, maybe this would’ve been one of his favorite books once upon a time. It would’ve made sense for one of the final destinations in his journey to be the Fantasy section because what I’ve pointed out could tie into Richard’s personality and that he would probably have had such an imaginative mind if his mind was willing to go there.
Come to think of it, let’s look at the stages in which Richard Tyler went out on his journey. He started in the Horror section first since this may have been more up his alley regarding where he stood at his current level in life. Then, it was off to the Adventure section, where Richard started getting in touch with his fearless side. After that, it was off to the Fantasy section, where he started getting in touch more with his imaginary side. It would have made a most engaging and immaculate peek into Richard Tyler’s personality. But, as I said, it wasn’t fully fleshed out enough to support Richard Tyler’s journey in this movie.
I guess Richard could have considered using what he remembered from some of his favorite books to his advantage and used them to help him in his travels throughout The Pagemaster, both in his quest and maybe in real life. It may not amount to much, but it would guarantee that whatever imagination he can whip up because of his reading, he can use to help him with anything, including getting closer to the exit and thinking up clever solutions on how to deal with those who got in his way.
Not only that, but outside of Adventure, Fantasy, and Horror acting as good supporting characters, could they have represented anybody in Richard’s life before he stumbled into this adventure? Or rather, can you imagine the three books making up a part of Richard Tyler’s psyche? A part of Richard that was a bookworm and liked to read fiction before going into all the statistics about accidents and things like that?
It’s possible, but that would tell you that because Richard was unconscious, he imagined figments of what he remembered from his real-life adventures and implemented them into his imaginary scenarios. That constituted a slight dip into Richard’s personality regarding what Richard thought processed as he went on this journey and would have made a much more compelling character study for Richard Tyler.
In short, for all this film’s half-baked instincts, I feel like there’s a more robust family movie lurking around somewhere inside. Had this movie toned down Macaulay Culkin’s awkwardness and Christopher Lloyd’s pushiness, given the live-action portions more substance, and had either the literary worlds or the three book companions correlate to Richard’s psyche more, it would not only have accomplished what it set out to do, but, personally, we’d be looking at another NeverEnding Story. That kind of movie is in here somewhere. I can feel it!
As is, however, The Pagemaster amounts to an imaginary trip into the realm of literature that was brought to life by both its crisp and stunning animation and its cohesive voice performances but also guilty of leaving its acting, storyline, and characterizations without the much-needed elbow grease. It feels less like a pro-literature film and more like a ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’ film, the message of which the film could have benefitted from nicely if only it didn’t prioritize that over its other objective. I have no regrets watching this movie as a little kid back in the day. But considering how I was not very much into literature and was more drawn into the movie’s animation and action scenes than I was into its message about the powers of literature and the importance of reading, that would give away how much it fell short of being the movie it tried to be. The fact that it intended to introduce families to the wonders of literature without going in-depth enough instead feels equivalent to judging a book by its cover. In fact, that’s what The Pagemaster is almost like to me. It’s getting a general idea of its story from the cover, not the details from within. I admire its efforts and what it attempted to do, but it didn’t go in a direction that felt suitable for it or would’ve helped it out in the long run.
All I can say is that it is worth turning a page back to this film. Just see what you can make out of its unblank spaces.
My Rating
A low B-
Additional Thoughts
When Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert watched this movie together, they complained about it for different reasons. Gene Siskel liked the idea of its story but felt like it fell short of living up to its potential. Roger Ebert also felt like it missed its mark on representing the wonders of literature, but only because he was not on board with the idea of designated books being used as levels or choices of weaponry for Richard to use on his adventures, like in a video game. They’re both right, and I can understand Roger’s complaints about how it misrepresented the classical works of literature. But as you can tell from my review, I’m more inclined to side with Gene Siskel on this movie; I’m just more bummed out by how it did not live up to the potential it had.