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

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Patrick Stewart and Leonard Nimoy did Star Trek The Next Generation in the Episode Unification in 1991.

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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: Dr. Jekyll? Dr. J?
Mr. Hyde: My name... is MR HYDE!

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Connections

Referenced in Winnow (2017)

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Soundtracks

Dream Away
(1994)
Written by Diane Warren
Produced by David Foster
Performed by Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds (as Babyface) and Lisa Stansfield
Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds (as 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

More relevant than ever before

With its curious mix of Time Bandits-like enchantment and plain sense of fun, The Pagemaster represents the least-annoying and most enjoyable contribution Culkin has made to the industry since Home Alone. This won't be the monster hit that movie was, but children venturing into The Pagemaster should be no less beguiled. Grownups who often feel insulted by the too-juvenile tone of most so-called "family features" will likely find this movie long enough to catch their attention, but short enough not to lose it -- in essence, a surprisingly affable (and occasionally even sophisticated) movie-going experience. Most importantly though- This film is even more relevant today 25 years on.

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