The Adventures of Mark Twain (1986)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Will Vinton

Writers:

Susan Shadburne (writer)
Mark Twain (segments)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Family

Tagline:

Where dreams become reality.

Plot:

Based on elements from the stories of Mark Twain, this feature-length Claymation fantasy follows the adventures of Tom Sawyer...

Plot Keywords:

Mark Twain | Comet | Halleys Comet | Stowaway | Portal

Cast

James Whitmore	...	Mark Twain (voice)
Michele Mariana	...	Becky Thatcher / The Mysterious Stranger / Girl In Crowd (voice)
Gary Krug	...	Huck Finn (voice)
Chris Ritchie	...	Tom Sawyer (voice)
John Morrison	...	Adam (voice)
Carol Edelman	...	Eve (voice)
Dal McKennon	...	Jim Smiley (voice) (as Dallas McKennon)
Herb Smith	...	The Stranger (voice)
Marley Stone	...	Aunt Polly (voice)
Wilbur Vincent	...	The Mysterious Stranger (voice)
Wally Newman	...	Captain Stormfield (voice)
Tim Conner	...	Three-Headed Alien (voice)
Todd Tolces	...	Saint Peter (voice)
Billy Scream	...	The Indexivator / Animals (voice)
Bob Griggs	...	First Heckler (voice)

Also Known As:

Comet Quest (UK) (video title)
Mark Twain

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G | UK:U | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Portland, Oregon, USA

Company:

Harbour Towns

Trivia:

When they are ejecting ballast from the airship to catch the comet, one of the items thrown overboard is a Paige typesetter, of which Mark Twain comments, "Worst damn investment I ever made." In reality, Mark Twain did invest - and lost - a lot of money on an automatic typesetter.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Dirt and seams visible on the rear projection screen during the scenes in the deck of the airship after they enter the comet.

Quotes:

Becky Thatcher: How come you want to catch that comet so bad, Mr. Twain?
Mark Twain: Oh-ho-ho, the comet and I are part of the plan, angelfish. No doubt the Almighty said here, "There go those two unaccountable freaks. They came into this world together, they must go out together."

Movie Connections:

References Neighbours (1952)

Soundtrack:

Heroes

best unknown movie ever

I know this is going to sound like hyperbole, but this makes my list of the ten best movies EVER. What a shame it's so obscure. Highly recommended, for older kids and adults. A bit dark and scary for younger kids.

The script draws in some of the more obscure Twain works such as The Mysterious Stranger and Tom And Huck Abroad, and does so seamlessly. The claymation is excellent. It really gives you sense of both the humor, darkness, and humanity of Mark Twain. Just a great, great movie, and an excellent overview of Twain and his work.

BTW, I believe that there is a later live-action movie with the same title (The Adventures Of Mark Twain), so don't get the wrong one.