Does anyone else think that this movie could be remade better nowadays? I mean think about it. The Richard Tyler character could be a nervous geek always looking to the internet for statistics and not having much in the realm of an imagination. Then when he enters the literary world of The Pagemaster, he meets these literary icons with fleshed out personalities to get kids interested in actually reading about them. With how tech savvy everyone is today and not many of them reading books, I feel like a remake of this movie, if done right, could be very much needed.
***** Mine actually has a limit of 6 books per household. But it's a very small town library so I can see why they wouldn't want a couple heavy readers to run off with half their library at once. (They did up the limit for my dad and I to 6 books each since we were in every 2 days with the normal limit. Now we're in every 3 days instead!)
Jem Fukuyama 101 Hornet Drive, Fulton, Callaway County, Missouri, United States of America, North American Continent, Northern and Western Hemispheres, Planet Earth, Sol Solar System, Milky Way Galaxy.
Probably one of the easiest jobs he ever had. Went into a sound studio in his PJs, spoke about half a dozen lines into a mic and then went back home. Maybe stopped at an IHOP for brunch on the way back. His check is in the mail.
I never understood the structure of this movie. By normal logic, shouldn't Horror be the LAST challenge the kid faces, instead of the first? Seeing as how horror stories are designed to scare the shit out of people and therefore have the highest level of threat and tension?
It was just their way of setting up the final fight. And you have to think, they found the other books *in* the library, but Horror was found in his own domain, so they had to do the horror aspect then.
***** No I think that was the best way to do it. The boy was completely ruled by his fears, how could he have stood against pirates, or battled a dragon if he had not faced fear itself first?
Personally, I think this movie would have worked out better as an animated series. That way, they can cover each book more thoroughly, instead of just glossing over each one.
Yes, Kevin indeed read books. That contained statistics and facts, not a story of any genre. He was so tied up with facts and terms he never began to think about reading a story and realizing what emotions and feeling a story could convey. No one bash on me, I'm trying to make a good argument here.
How did this movie get the cast that it did? I mean, Christopher Lloyd, Whoopi Goldberg, and (most suprisingly) Sir Patrick Stewart and in one movie? They must have had one helluva budget to get all three of them in one movie.
Lloyd maybe went there for the pay check, but Goldberg and Stewart were at the apex of their careers, so... I think that they thought this would translate in a career boost. I mean, a Ted Turner-produced animated movie was the shit back then...
They may liked the idea of a movie about teaching kids to read, open their mind to imagination and such. Everyone loves money but these people seems to be genuine and likes to spread positivity. Also Macaulay culkin played well in my opinion, sadly even as a kid he got an award for the worst acting.
The knight is the other kid that wondered into that library, and the "Page Master" sent him off on the same journey, but ended up dying trying to conquer his fears. He became traped, and aged, and just when he got to the end he dies by the dragon.
I think the movie is more about The main character rather then just getting kids to read. After the movie he seems more confident to face his problems head on rather then hide from them. I like this movie, regardless of what anyone says i think its good.
Me too! When we were kids my mom would check it out at the library for my little brother and I and we'd all watch it together. When the book scenes would show up I would tell them about the books they came from and who the characters were (I was a major bookworm from a very young age). We adored it and watched it over and over.
Personally, I think this is one of the greatest kids movies ever made. It makes you think, the acting is excellent, the animation is superb, and the music is gorgeous. I don't really listen to any negative criticisms about this movie. It holds a special place in my heart. I don't know how anyone CAN legitimately criticize it anyway. It's a fantasy film intended for the very young.
You know, I think the reason why the movie never explained the characters they came across was just to show the main characters main story points that everyone remembers whose read their books to capture their attention. Those who haven't read the books get curious about who these characters are and go look up which books they came from, therefore, getting the kids to read. At least, that's what happened to me when I watched this movie as a kid. Did anyone else?....ok just me? that's fine.
I actually did watch it when I was very young and I liked it. Before then I had never heard of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and I found it really cool as a child. So yeah, I agree with you.
Dull and boring??? I've always loved this movie! Yeah it's not really "good" lol but I remember the trailers for this on other movies and I've always liked it. I love books and I loved the adventures. It was awesome.
***** Yeah! Call me whatever ye like, but as a kid I really loved this cartoon, first of all for the great voice performances. AND there is an explanation how Horror and Fantasy survived - having fallen into the water, Horror suddenly learned how to swim, or rather didn't drown, because, as he said, knocking himself on the cover - "It's hollo-ow!". That's how they got to the Treasure Island.
Scar Talon i saw it in school and i liked it. It held my attention. It nade me start reading, which made me start writing, which turned me to comics. And then i saw this video and thought back. Then i looked at the comment section. Then it was now and i dont know what happened after that.
***** I remember loving this movie, but it definitely wasn't something that I watched over and over again. Mainly I'd watch it just to listen to the soundtrack and see the mysterious librarian. And the fight scene with the dragon at the end. That part was amazing. I didn't really grow fond of the actual book characters...they were way too weird. XD
Yeah same here. I was just entering my own teens when this came out and actually was a keen reader even then, for good or ill, so maybe it made a connection with me (and other friends and relatives of mine of various ages incidentally, at the time anyway) that it didn't seem to with other audiences, particularly in the U.S. it seems. I do remember a tie-in video game also came out that really WAS pretty crap and had little to do with the movie, like most movie tie-ins
Always had fond childhood memories of this movie. Looking at it now, it is a little flawed, but I personally don't think it's terrible, though I do understand why others do. Now if you're curious as to which live-action/animated movie truly is terrible, the answer is..."EVIL TOONS (1992)."
JC Malone Oh, DUDE! That is so NOT the kind of movie you watch when you're TWELVE! LOL! Nice story, though. I know, the "cartoon-on-woman" rape scene is...*CRINGE!*
Why didn't his father just cultivate this character's not-so-subtly shown knack for science and mathematics? If I was his father I'd be gloating about having my own little Einstein and use all that money wasted on sports/tree-houses for instead saving up his college costs.
Elround4 Also not all parents like what they see in their kids. I grew up in a family of doctors and medics. When I wanted to study graphic design instead of medical school they flipped shit.
I actually liked this movie. I mean, yeah, it has annoying characters, but going from book to book settings on adventures is fun, and I liked some of the actors and voice-actors in it. Also I found the sets really nice.
Yeah. Visually it was good and personally I love puns so some of those jokes did get me. I mean personally I liked it a bit more with these different characters from famous novels, mostly cause I had either read or was somewhat familiar with them already. It has it's moments but it still has a lot of flaws and is more of a guilty pleasure for me than really anything.
Thumbs up if you started watching this and saw "Moonwalker" in the tagged movies then suddenly realized he was talking about Moonwalker while you were watching Pagemaster.
Oddly enough, this movie did make me want to read a lot because I wanted to know more about Jekyll, captain Ahab, Treasure Island, and all those stories. So, I basically wanted to know what the movie didn't explain. Does that mean the movie did what it set out to do?
Nicholas Cannaday He's admitted in one of his three lists of f ups that he often misses or ignore points where a movie explains something. If he misses something, it's a mistake. If he ignores it, it was to create comedic opportunities. Also, if it was boringly explained or glanced over when he feels more time should have been devoted to it, he counts that as not explaining.
Matthew Johnston Ok thats all well and good but how on earth are we supposed to tell if it is him fucking up or just him trying to make comedy when the mistake is mid rant?
+Nero Crimson I had already read Treasure Island and The lord of the rings and Hobbit, so I found the movie boring, because I did read. I also watched Land Before Time before this movie... so animation like this looks somewhat subpar after this.
ademetal well, I was honestly a friendless kid, so maybe I just liked the idea that books could talk to you and be friends. And even if not, I was a kid! Who knows why I liked half the things I liked.
The Internet went public in 1989. It wasn't until many years later that it became widely known or used. Back in the early nineties the Internet was a completely different place. Text only web browsers eventually gave way to graphical ones which supported images, etc... more and more sites started popping up... eventually e commerce took hold... and probably by 2000 the Internet truly went 'mainstream.' (got this info from Ann sers on yahoo, he made his first website in1992)
Old Man: Adventure your a boy who loves Adventure!!!! Little Boy: I need an Adult!!!! SuperKamiGuru: Were both Aduuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuults!!!!!!!
Oh, man. I have awesome memories of this movie. I remember having a beach towel with the characters on it, too! I also watched "The Pagemaster" almost every week after school. This movie is what encouraged me to read the "Goosebumps" series when I was younger, since I was afraid of them before. Plus, the Chester A. Bum skit at the end cracks me up every time.
This movie scared the crap out of me when my school library decided to play it for the kiddies. I am scarred to this day, I even remember crying a little especially when ever the horror book popped up.
Um... to be honest, this film inspired me to read the books it referenced. It did just the thing that the NC mocked... so I am not sure if I should enjoy his satire or tell him that he's an asshole...
It could have inspired me to read the books had i been at an age where i could comprehend and remember. Besides, leaving little for the literary characters leaves it open to the audience to discover the books and find out for themselves what the characters are like
That is so true. I read most of the books that were referenced in the movie. I won't deny that I was taken aback about how *cough cough* mature some of the works were. However, I'm glad I read the classics nonetheless
This movie has been huddled away in the smallest, darkest recesses of my mind, occaisionally flashing scenes I remember watching but having no freaking idea what movie they ever belonged to. For ages I kept wondering, what was that from? Why can't I remember it? This movie review has finally answered that question for me. Now I will no longer be in such mild torment at never knowing, for now, I know. Thank you Nostalgia Critic. Thank you.
Luiz Antonio "But maybe I can help you...." >:) "I....need an adult" :( "I am an adult!" >:) *Knees him in the stomach* "I only did that because I have pent up rage against your father....... bye"
Honestly, this was entertaining when I was younger. It came out when I was in my late teens, I remember babysitting my nephew and watching this, I thought it was alright.
I don't know what about u, but as a little kid whose entire world was books, it was pretty damn cool watching a movie about a kid who shares the same passion towards books. Books are cool people!
1:06 And that's where I argue, since my experience was the exact opposite. Back when I watched this, I greatly enjoyed it, I still remember a number of moments, and (in my case at least) it fulfilled its purpose of making me enjoy books more. I'll admit that I was really young when I saw this, and I couldn't point out the flaws, but it still stuck with me pretty well.
Wait. They explain how Fantasy and Horror survived. Horror was able to float because his head is hollow and Fantasy was able to use him as a flotation device.
