The Pagemaster (film)

The Pagemaster is a 1994 American live-action/animated fantasy adventure film starring Macaulay Culkin, Christopher Lloyd, Whoopi Goldberg, Patrick Stewart, Leonard Nimoy, and Frank Welker. The film was produced by Turner Pictures and released by 20th Century Fox on November 23, 1994.

The film was written for the screen by David Casci, based on a six-page pitch by writer Charles Pogue entitled "Library Days," presented to Casci by producer David Kirschner. The film was directed by Joe Johnston (live action) and Pixote Hunt and Glenn Chaika (animation), and produced by David Kirschner and Paul Gertz.

Plot
Pessimistic Richard Tyler (Macaulay Culkin) lives life based on statistics and fears everything. His exasperated parents (Ed Begley, Jr. and Mel Harris) have tried multiple ways to build up the courage of their son, but to little success. Richard is sent to buy a bag of nails for building a treehouse. However, Richard gets caught in a harsh thunderstorm and takes shelter in a library. He meets Mr. Dewey (Christopher Lloyd), an eccentric librarian who gives him a library card, despite Richard's protests that he doesn't want a book, since he's only there to escape the storm. Searching for a phone, Richard finds a large rotunda painted with famous literary characters. He slips on some water dripping from his coat and falls down, knocking himself out. Richard awakens to find the rotunda art melting, which washes over him and the library, turning them into illustrations.

He is met by the Pagemaster (Christopher Lloyd), who sends him through the fiction section to find the library's exit. Along the way, Richard befriends three anthropomorphic books: Adventure (Patrick Stewart), a swashbuckling gold pirate-like book; Fantasy (Whoopi Goldberg), a sassy but caring lavender fairy tale book; and Horror (Frank Welker), a fearful turquoise "Hunchbook" with a misshapen spine. The three agree to help Richard if he checks them out. Together, the quartet encounters classic-fictional characters. They meet Dr. Jekyll (Leonard Nimoy) who turns into Mr. Hyde, driving them to the open waters of the Land of Adventure. However, the group is separated after Moby-Dick attacks, following the whale's battle with Captain Ahab (George Hearn). Richard and Adventure are picked up by the Hispaniola, captained by Long John Silver (Jim Cummings). The pirates go to Treasure Island, but find no treasure but one gold coin, nearly causing a mutiny. Fantasy and Horror return and defeat the pirates. Silver attempts taking Richard with him, but surrenders when Richard threatens him with a sword. As Adventure insulted Horror, it caused the hunchbook to get captured by Lilliputians from Gulliver's Travels. Adventure saves him and they make up.

In the fantasy section, Richard sees the exit sign on the top of a mountain. However, Adventure's bumbling awakens a dormant dragon. Richard tries to fight the dragon with a sword and shield, but the dragon wraps its tail around him and shakes his armor and weapons off, throws him into the air and swallows him. Richard finds books in the dragon's stomach and uses a beanstalk from the Jack and the Beanstalk to escape. He and the books use it to reach the exit. They enter a large dark room where the Pagemaster awaits them. Richard berates the Pagemaster for the horrors that he suffered, but the Pagemaster reveals the journey was intended to make Richard face his fears. Dr. Jekyll, Captain Ahab, Long John Silver and the dragon reappear in a magical twister congratulating him. The Pagemaster then swoops Richard and the books into the twister, sending them back to the real world.

Richard awakens, finding Adventure, Fantasy, and Horror next to him as real books. Mr. Dewey finds him, and, even though the library policy only allows a person to check out two books at time, lets him check out all three books "just this once." When Richard leaves, Mr. Dewey gives a smile, hinting that Richard's entire adventure was not a dream and that he is the Pagemaster; adding onto this possibility is that Richard was missing his jacket when he awoke.

Richard returns home a braver kid, sleeping in his new treehouse. Adventure, Fantasy, and Horror appear as silhouettes on a wall, and Fantasy creates a "night light." Adventure says a kiss would make the ending good, yelling in anger when Horror does so instead of Fantasy.

Live-action

 * Macaulay Culkin as Richard Tyler: A young 10-year-old boy who seems to have a fear of everything and runs his life based on safety statistics. Culkin is the only actor in the film to portray his character in both live-action and animation.
 * Christopher Lloyd as Mr. Dewey: The eccentric librarian and caretaker of a seemingly abandoned library.
 * Ed Begley, Jr. and Mel Harris as Alan and Claire Tyler: Richard's supportive parents. Alan considers himself a bad father due to his continuous failed attempts to help Richard get over his fears.

Voice cast
The Pirates of the Hispaniola are voiced by Richard Erdman, Fernando Escandon, Dorian Harewood, and Robert Picardo.
 * Christopher Lloyd as the Pagemaster: the Keeper of the Books and Guardian of the Written Word. He is implied to be Mr. Dewey's alternate form.
 * Patrick Stewart as Adventure: A swashbuckling gold adventure fiction book resembling a stereotypical pirate.
 * Whoopi Goldberg as Fantasy: A fairy-styled lavender fairy tale book. She can be aggressive and hotheaded.
 * Frank Welker as Horror: A turquoise horror fiction book. Despite his name, he is quite the opposite of horrific.
 * Frank Welker also provides the sound effects of the dragon and the other creatures.
 * Leonard Nimoy as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: The fictional scientist who turned into the horrific monster.
 * George Hearn as Captain Ahab: An almost psychotic whale hunter who is out to kill the white whale Moby-Dick.
 * Jim Cummings as Long John Silver: The ruthless usurper Captain of the Hispaniola.
 * Phil Hartman as Tom Morgan: A slender and violent pirate on the Hispaniola.
 * Ed Gilbert as George Merry: An obese and ugly pirate on the Hispaniola.
 * B.J. Ward as The Queen of Hearts: The tyrannical ruler of Wonderland who appears in the Alice in Wonderland book in the dragon's stomach.