The Big Picture
- Disney had plans for a sequel to Treasure Planet and even began pre-production before the franchise was canceled.
- Treasure Planet 2 would have followed Jim Hawkins as he entered the Royal Interstellar Academy and reunited with B.E.N. and Long John Silver for another adventure.
- The failure of Treasure Planet at the box office, along with other Disney sci-fi failures, led to the cancelation of the sequel, despite crew enthusiasm for the project.
In the early 2000s, Disney took to adapting Robert Louise Stevenson's swashbuckling classic Treasure Island as an animated feature for the big screen. But instead of taking place at sea, this adventure took to the stars. Treasure Planet has since become a cult favorite of many who grew up during this era of Disney, which also produced the likes of Atlantis: The Lost Empire and The Emperor's New Groove, though it sadly never got a sequel. But did you know there easily could have been a Treasure Planet 2? Believe it or not, Jim Hawkins (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Long John Silver (Brian Murray) were supposed to reunite sometime down the line. Here's what would've happened.
Yes, a ‘Treasure Planet’ Sequel Was in the Works at Disney
Both the third Disney adaptation of Treasure Island and the third interpretation of the tale to use an intergalactic setting (strangely, there was another Treasure Planet in 1982), Treasure Planet was a groundbreaking feature that retold a classic story for a modern era. "There are so many elements in science fiction - things like the metal space ships and the coldness," explained co-writer Rob Edwards in 2003. "We did away with a lot of those fairly early on." Instead, Treasure Planet felt a lot more youthful and bright, with a fascinating world that blended the time period of the original Treasure Island seamlessly with the sci-fi space opera, complete with 18th-century ships powered by solar energy instead of wind.
From the get-go, Disney was hoping that Treasure Planet would spawn a greater franchise to continue beyond a single production. "We've got a story and some storyboards and concepts up and a script for what a sequel to this could be," revealed then-president of Walt Disney Feature Animation Thomas Schumacher ahead of the film's premiere. "There's also a notion of what a series could be. I have all the pieces in place and should we [decide] to push the button, we push the button and go with it." Beyond a potential sequel and television series, Disney also had plans to turn the Submarine Voyage attraction at Disneyland's Tomorrowland into a Treasure Planet-themed ride. Eventually, it re-opened with a Finding Nemo theme instead.
But what was supposed to happen in Treasure Planet 2? After all, Robert Louise Stevenson's original novel never got a sequel of its own, so what could Disney have done to continue the story of Jim Hawkins as he entered adulthood? Turns out, it would've been a really good time. Set to be directed by Jun Falkenstein (director of The Tigger Movie and Scooby-Doo In Arabian Knights) and penned by screenwriter Evan Spiliotopoulos (who wrote several direct-to-video Disney sequels at the time), pre-production on the film had already begun before the franchise burned to the ground.
What Would Have Happened in 'Treasure Planet 2'?
According to Animated Views, who dropped the exclusive look at the concept art and plot synopsis in 2014, Treasure Planet 2 would have followed Jim Hawkins as he entered the Royal Interstellar Academy, where he'd eventually be reunited with B.E.N. (Martin Short), now a pilot, and Long John Silver, who has unsurprisingly reverted to his criminal ways. Despite his previous adventure, Jim would've struggled to submit to the Academy's authority and instead used his natural abilities to climb to the top of his class. Along the way, Jim would also meet Kate, the daughter of Navy Commander Admiral Blake and his classmate at the Academy, who just so happens to be as good as he is.
Emma Thompson would've also returned as Captain Amelia, who is now the dean of the Academy and in charge of a brand-new ship crafted by Doctor Doppler (David Hyde Pierce) called the Centurion, which is the fastest in the galaxy. This is when a new antagonist named Ironbeard (think a cyborg version of Blackbeard who has become a shell of his former fleshy self) arrives to take the Centurion. Jim and Kate escape the ship just in time, though B.E.N. is held hostage aboard the stolen vessel. Thinking that the only way to defeat a pirate is by using one himself, Jim tracks down Long John Silver, who has been running a smuggling ring of his own, and convinces him to help retrieve the Centurion and defeat Ironbeard.
After overcoming some personal conflicts and learning about Silver's pre-cyborg past, Jim and Kate attempt to prevent Ironbeard and his dreaded crew from pillaging innocents across the galaxy. With Silver again saving the day in the end, they are eventually victorious and blow up the Centurion with the pirates all on board. The movie would've ended with a flash-forward to Jim and Kate's graduation from the Academy, with Silver looking on proudly from afar. Sounds like Treasure Planet 2 would've been just as good as the original. Unfortunately, it just wasn't meant to be, even if Treasure Planet was a Disney story that deserved to continue.
‘Treasure Planet’s Failure at the Box Office Sealed the Sequel’s Fate
It's tragic that Treasure Planet failed at the box office. The 2002 feature is a delightful film that captures the youthful vigor of the original novel with some fun and exciting twists. The relationship between Jim and Silver is of particular note, as it emphasized a bond that, while Stevenson included in the original story, hadn't been fully realized on screen before. With a budget of $140 million, the epic swashbuckling sci-fi adventure only raked in $109 million during its theatrical run, going up against movies like Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the James Bond film Die Another Day, and Disney's own The Santa Clause 2 at the time. Sadly, Jimbo didn't have much of a chance against those odds.
Treasure Planet wasn't Disney's only science-fiction failure around this time though. Only a year prior, Atlantis: The Lost Empiremade a meager $180 million at the box office, prompting Disney to cancel the planned sequel and companion animated series, instead releasing the three completed episodes as a single direct-to-video feature, Atlantis: Milo's Return. Since Treasure Planet did even worse at the box office, likely because of poor marketing and better competition, Disney (as they had done many times before) canceled the sequel before it really had the chance to find itself. "This was a huge bummer, because we thought the project was rocketing along really smoothly," director Jun Falkenstein noted. "All the crew were really enthusiastic about the film."
To this day, Treasure Planet hasn't received any sort of sequel in the form of a film, television, or short. The closest thing to it remains Treasure Planet: Battle at Procyon, a real-time strategy game that Disney put out just in time for the film's release. Ironically, the game picks up five years after the original with Jim graduating from the Academy and reuniting with Silver to face down a fleet of metal ships called the Ironclads. More recently, Jim and Silver have appeared alongside one another in the game Disney Heroes: Battle Mode, though it's not quite the reunion many of us were hoping for. But hey, maybe they'll decide to remake it in live-action instead?
Treasure Planet is available to watch on Disney+ in the U.S.
ncG1vNJzZmibn6G5qrDEq2Wcp51kwbOxwKysq51dpbmiusStZGtn