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

Whoopi Goldberg and Sir Patrick Stewart recorded their dialogue together.

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Goofs

Richard never regains his jacket in the library.

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Quotes

Fantasy: What do you mean grabbing a person by the pantyhose like that? Now I've got to straighten out my Little Mermaid underwear.

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Connections

Featured in Hewy's Animated Movie Reviews: The Pagemaster (2013)

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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

I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO LOVES THIS MOVIE

Okay, in 1994 I was obsessed with Macaulay Culkin. When I saw a trailer for this film, I couldn't wait to see it. When I went to see it though, my family and I were the only ones in the theatre! The same thing happened to my aunt and my cousins. I remember loving the film. I wanted that awesome bike he had. I got the videogame, and I got my copy on video. AND JAMES HORNER'S SCORE WAS AMAZING! I thought it was a good movie that had all the genres, even cooler that it was live action/animation. It's sad about it's bomb at the box office. It's quite a forgettable film, but I love it and I still do. Don't forget that Joe Johnston who is now quite acclaimed directed the live action scenes. Great for him.