Treasure Island

Release date: June 22, 1950

Up to this point, Walt had never made a movie that was completely live action. Song of the South and So Dear to my Heart were mostly live action, but they had animated sequences in the movie as well. That all changed with Treasure Island, Walt Disney's first fully live action film! This story was a great choice to break into the genre!

In some ways, you could say Walt was forced into making this movie. His funds from the UK were frozen during World War II, so Walt filmed this entire movie in the UK to make good use of the funds. Thank goodness that he did! Not only was this movie an amazing success, but Walt realized the benefit of making live actions movies in addition to animated ones. He could make live action movies on a much faster timeline than animated movies, providing additional income to his studio. 

The casting for this movie was absolutely perfect. Robert Newton's portrayal of Long John Silver is brilliant! He perfectly captures the greed of the wicked pirate captain contrasted with the almost fatherly care he has for young Jim Hawkins. Newton's performance was so incredible that he went on to portray the same character in other productions. His "pirate talk" has influenced the way pirates are portrayed in cinema to this very day!

Jim Hawkins is played by Bobby Driscoll, who happens to be the only American actor in the film. By this time, Driscoll has had a few film credits to his name, and it is fun to see him in such a different role compared to the previous Disney films he starred in. He and Robert Newton have great chemistry and the two of them sell the entire movie.

I have loved the story of Treasure Island as long as I can remember, and I have loved this movie since the first time I ever saw it. It captures the adventurous spirit of the original story and has me on the edge of my seat, even though I know the outcome of the story. Again, I have to praise Robert Newton's performance as Long John. He does such a great job that you almost want to cheer for his character. He is certainly no hero, but he is not as villainous as the other pirates either. I think Dr. Livesey sums it up best with his final quote as Long John Silver sails away: "Blast him! I could almost find it in my heart to hope he makes it!"