Treasure Island

Treasure Island (1950) starring Bobby Driscoll, Robert Newton, Basil Sydney, Walter Fitzgerald. Disney takes a shot at the Robert Louis Stevenson classic, turning it into a pretty good family entertainment -- probably enjoyed most by young boys. In 1765, young Jim Hawkins (Driscoll) is recruited to be cabin boy on a voyage in search of buried treasure. The cook on the voyage is Long John Silver (Newton), who turns out to be capable of both loyalty and treachery. Many dramatic events take place on the voyage, most of them faithful to the book. Only the ending is changed drastically, but not badly enough to ruin the movie. This is one Disney movie that has aged well. (The English subtitles supplied on the disc are quite good, and closed captions are also available.) Grade: B