The Pagemaster (1994)

A cowardly boy, who buries himself in accident statistics, enters a library to escape a storm, only to be transformed into an animated illustration by the Pagemaster. He has to work through obstacles from classic books to return to real-life.

Directors:

Pixote Hunt (as Maurice Hunt), Joe Johnston

Writers:

David Kirschner (story), David Casci (story)

Stars:

Macaulay Culkin, Christopher Lloyd, Kanin Howell

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Macaulay Culkin	...	Richard Tyler
Kanin Howell	...	Neighborhood Kid (as Canan J. Howell)
Alexis Kirschner	...	Neighborhood Kid
Jessica Kirschner	...	Neighborhood Kid
Guy Mansker	...	Neighborhood Kid
Brandon S. McKay	...	Neighborhood Kid (as Brandon McKay)
Stephen Sheehan	...	Neighborhood Kid
Ed Begley Jr.	...	Alan Tyler
Mel Harris	...	Claire Tyler
Christopher Lloyd	...	Mr. Dewey / The Pagemaster
Patrick Stewart	...	Adventure (voice)
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Fantasy (voice)
Frank Welker	...	Horror (voice)
Leonard Nimoy	...	Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde (voice)
George Hearn	...	Captain Ahab (voice)

Storyline

This is the story of a young boy named Richard Tyler, who spouts statistics about the possibility of accidents. So much so, he is scared to do anything that might endanger him, like riding his bike, or climbing into his treehouse. While riding his bike home, Richard finds shelter from a storm inside a nearby library. Richard slips and is knocked unconscious while exploring a rotunda in the library. Upon awakening, he is led on a journey through conflicts and events that resemble fictional stories, keeping him from finding the exit from the library.

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Plot Keywords:

rain | thunder | lightning | bicycle | bike | 

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Taglines:

All the adventure your imagination can hold.

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 November 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Pagemaster

Filming Locations:

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$27,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,188,399, 27 November 1994

Gross USA:

$13,670,688

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$13,670,688

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Turner Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie featured four regular cast members from various Star Trek television series: Sir Patrick Stewart, Leonard Nimoy, Whoopi Goldberg and Robert Picardo. As well as this movie featuring four Star Trek regulars, it also featured two cast members who have Star Trek connections: Christopher Lloyd, who played Klingon Commander Kruge in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), and Ed Begley Jr., who played Henry Starling in two episodes of Star Trek: Voyager (1995), namely "Future's End: Parts 1 and 2".

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Goofs

One of the books Richard looks at while inside the dragon is "Alice in Wonderland". The exact name of Lewis Carroll's book is "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland".

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Quotes

Fantasy: What is this?
Richard Tyler: It's a library card.
Fantasy: I'm a book, honey, I can read.

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Connections

Referenced in Estrenos Críticos: Especial Series Americanas (2011)

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Soundtracks

Dream Away
Written by Diane Warren
Produced by David Foster
Performed by Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds (as Babyface) and Lisa Stansfield
Babyface courtesy of Epic Records
Lisa Stansfield courtesy of Arista Records, Inc. and BMG Eurodisc Ltd.
David Foster courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corporation

User Reviews

I honestly don't understand the 4.8 rating, for I thought this movie was terrific!

The Pagemaster in my opinion, was a wonderful film, and I do think the 4.8 rating is too low. I have seen much worse movies, that are rated higher than that. Sure it's not Disney, but it is a good family film that I guarantee if you give it a chance that the whole family will love. The animation is not so bad, perhaps a little dated and rushed, but I've seen worse, and the dragon was excellent. The music by James Horner was beautiful, very fitting with what was going on on screen, very reminiscent of Land Before Time and Once Upon a Forest, and Whatever You imagine was amazing. The story tells of a young boy named Richard, who is serious and fearful of everything, until an unexpected visit to the library changes his life forever. I loved the story and the clever and diverse references to the literary giants, like Treasure Island, Jekyll and Hyde and Moby Dick, and the message of the film about facing your fears that doesn't preach. Macaulay Culkin is excellent here as is Christopher Lloyd, and Patrick Stewart (rousing and witty), Whoopi Goldberg (sugar and starch) and Frank Welker (in a fine Igor impression) expertly bring the snappy screenplay to life. I loved the witty banter between Adventure and Fantasy, and the librarian's rant about the different literary genres. And I don't think it is Macaulay Culkin or Christopher Lloyd's worst film, Culkin's was Richie Rich, Lloyd's was My Favourite Martian. All in all, a terrific film, with a 10/10. Bethany Cox