The Pagemaster (1994)
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A timid boy must navigate a magical library where literary classics come to life to find his way home.
The story
Pessimistic 10-year-old Richard Tyler lives life based on statistics and fears everything. One day, while on an errand for his father, he gets caught in a harsh thunderstorm and takes shelter in a library. There, he meets an eccentric librarian named Mr. Dewey, who gives him a library card and tells him he needs a special book. After slipping and knocking himself out, Richard awakens to find the library's art melting and turning the environment into illustrations. He finds himself trapped in a world of living literature and must navigate through various sections to find the exit.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Richard Tyler, a fearful boy, enters a magical library and is transported into a world of living books. He meets the Pagemaster, the Keeper of Books, who sends him through the fiction section to find a neon exit sign. Along the way, Richard befriends three anthropomorphic books: Adventure, Fantasy, and Horror. The group encounters various literary figures, including Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and faces off against pirates from Treasure Island. After being shipwrecked and later escaping a dragon's belly using a beanstalk from 'Jack and the Beanstalk', Richard reaches the Pagemaster. The Pagemaster reveals the journey was designed to help Richard face his fears. Richard returns to the real world, finding the books lying next to him as real objects. He returns home a braver boy, sleeping in a new treehouse with his books.
- First release year
- 1994
- Runtime (minutes)
- 75
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Joe Johnston; Maurice Hunt; Pixote Hunt; Glenn Chaika
- Writers
- David Casci · screenplay; David Kirschner · screenplay; Ernie Contreras · screenplay; David Kirschner · story; David Casci · story
- Cast and characters
- Macaulay Culkin · Richard Tyler; Christopher Lloyd · Mr. Dewey; Whoopi Goldberg · Fantasy; Patrick Stewart · Adventure; Leonard Nimoy · Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; Frank Welker · Horror; Ed Begley Jr. · Alan Tyler; Mel Harris · Claire Tyler
- Genres
- live-action animated fantasy adventure; science fantasy; children's; fantasy adventure
- Themes
- overcoming fear; imagination; literary appreciation
- Tone and mood
- fantasy; adventure
- Premise and plot tags
- fantasy; adventure; children's; animation; live-action; dragons; pirates; librarians
- Source material / true-story basis
- A six-page pitch by writer Charles Pogue entitled "Library Days"
- Reception
- The film received generally negative reviews from critics and grossed $13.7 million from a budget of $34 million.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 19% · review count: 21
- Awards and nominations
- Razzie Award · Worst Actor · Nomination
- Production trivia
- It was one of the first films to feature live-action, traditional animation, and CGI animation all together.; All of the fictional works featured in the film were created and first published before January 1, 1923.; The film was 20th Century Fox's last animated feature film to use the traditional hand-painted cel method of animation.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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