Arts and Culture

‘The Pagemaster’ is filled with adventure, wonder

I've been waiting patiently through a decent chunk of December to write this review. I figured I'd stick to my Christmas movie tradition.

However, that time has passed, so it's time for "The Pagemaster" to shine!

If you haven't heard of this movie, I'll be extremely disappointed. This was one of a few movies my siblings and I all adored as children. Especially my sister, who was excited to find a copy of this movie on DVD in early December.

"The Pagemaster" was released in 1994 and starred then "it" kid Macaulay Culkin as Richard Tyler, a pessimistic 10-year-old boy.

Although his parents try, they just can't seem to help Richard look past his fears and be courageous. One stormy night will change this.

Richard takes shelter in a local library during the bad weather and meets Mr. Dewey ("Back to the Future's" Christopher Loyd). The librarian insists that Richard need a special book, even getting him a library card and ignoring the boy's protests.

While in search of a phone, Richard slips and falls in the library and knocks himself out. When he wakes up he meets the Pagemaster (Loyd), the Mythical Keeper of Books and Guardian of the Written Word (pretty neato title I'll admit).

Richard demands to know where the exit is, and the Pagemaster easily points him toward a glowing "Exit" sign. But, he can't simply make his way there. The Pagemaster tells him he must past three tests first.

This is where we shift from live action, to animation. On Richard's journey, he meets three walking, talking books -- Adventure (Patrick Stewart), Fantasy (Whoopi Goldberg) and Horror (Frank Welker) -- who help him face his fears and learn how to be brave.

"The Pagemaster" is one of those movies from my childhood that once made me uneasy. Scenes such as the one with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or the unsettling pirates used to scare me a little as kid.

But that couldn't stop me from really enjoying Richard's adventures as he practically jumped into other worlds, worlds that I can only read about in books.

I used to be a much more rabid reader as a kid, so I imagine that may have been my biggest draw.

Even as an adult I still loved watching Richard travel through various lands, meeting new and dangerous people and befriending his literary friends. As a kid, I was jealous of him. And maybe I'm a little jealous as an adult too. I will note, I'm no longer as scared of some of scenes as I once was too.

"The Pagemaster" is an absolute masterpiece of a film to me. Culkin proved once again why he was one of the most popular child stars of 90s with his work in this movie. Whether it was real life acting, or just voice acting, he brought timid little Richard to life easily.

And, of course, Stewart, Goldberg and Welker provided the perfect back ups. The trio's characters were well balanced and a lot of fun to watch.

The animation also held up really well. "The Pagemaster" wasn't exactly a blockbuster release, drawing in only $13.7 million in American theaters compared to its $34 million budget.

Although this movie can be a bit dreary at times, what children's movie from the 90s wasn't? Might I remind you all of Mufasa versus the caribou in "The Lion King?" Because the only difference between these two films in my opinion is that one has a lot of catchy tunes to mask the darker parts of the film.

"The Pagemaster" wasn't afraid to lean into the scarier aspects, and really brought to life the scope of a child's imagination and how their fears can have an affect on them.

But it also showcased that you can face those fears if you believe in yourself and are surrounded by a great support system.

Not to mention, it puts a spotlight on the wonders of reading books. Something that I want to try and do more of these days.

"The Pagemaster" is rated G and can be rented from Google Play, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV and Amazon Prime. Or, if you're lucky like my sister, you just might snag a copy at your local thrift store.

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Laura Jameson is a staff reporter for The Express.