The Adventures of Mark Twain (1985)

Tom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher and Huck Finn join Mark Twain on his airship to meet Halley's Comet.

Director:

Will Vinton

Writers:

Susan Shadburne, Mark Twain (segment)

Stars:

James Whitmore, Michele Mariana, Gary Krug

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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)

Storyline

Based on elements from the stories of Mark Twain, this feature-length Claymation fantasy follows the adventures of Tom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher and Huck Finn as they stowaway aboard the interplanetary balloon of Mark Twain. Twain, disgusted with the human race, is intent upon finding Halley's Comet and crashing into it, achieving his "destiny." It's up to Tom, Becky, and Huck to convince him that his judgment is wrong and that he still has much to offer humanity that might make a difference. Their efforts aren't just charitable; if they fail, they will share Twain's fate. Along the way, they use a magical time portal to get a detailed overview of the Twain philosophy, observing the "historical" events that inspired his works.

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Plot Keywords:

claymation | knife murder | character name as title | mark twain character | huckleberry finn character | 

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Taglines:

Where dreams become reality.

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 July 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Adventures of Mark Twain by Huck Finn

Filming Locations:

Portland, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$226,525, 19 January 1986

Gross USA:

$849,915

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$849,915

Company Credits

Production Co:

Atlantic, Harbour Towns, Will Vinton Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some of the sets had to be split up into smaller sections and reinforced with extra plywood to hold the quarter-ton of clay that was being built up on the table-tops.

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Goofs

As the airship nears the comet, wires holding the asteroids that attack the airship are visible.

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Quotes

Mark Twain: You look about as disappointed as Presbyterians in Hell!

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Connections

Featured in Hagan Reviews: The Adventures of Mark Twain (2016)

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Soundtracks

Heroes
Written by Billy Scream and Paul Jamison
Performed by Craig Carothers and the Billy Scream Band
Lyrics by Susan Shadburne

User Reviews

These people are not exaggerating

Amazingly for those who haven't seen it (and usually neither heard of it), this unknown animated masterpiece regularly makes it into the shortest short-list of best films of those who have - and i don't mean list of animated movies, but movies in general. Uncomparable to anything else - much like Twain himself - it's every aspect is just amazing. It will feast your eyes (as much as any claymation can), fill your heart (with a both joy, sorrow, warmth and eeriness), boggle your brain, and make your jaw hurt. And you'll still have to find time to enjoy acting (yes, _acting_ of the clay figures here is just amazing) and clever solutions. For example, Mysterious Stranger is the best visualization of Devil(?) i ever saw in film.

Some have pointed out that it is "not necessarily a kids movie"; Not AT ALL a kids movie, i'd rather say.

Nobody forgets seeing it, and as soon as one remembers it later, one starts to look for it. Alas, it is extremely hard to find - at least i never succeeded. I saw it only twice, on TV, no less than 10 and 14 years ago, and my filmometer jumps high every time i think about it.

Find it. See it. Enjoy the ride. Copy it. Copy it again, for your grandchildren, and save the copy somewhere safe till they grow up.