And now, Blackwolf the Dragonmaster salutes......
David Kirschner's "the Pagemaster"
"Reach deep within yourself, Richard, and seize the courage!"
--- the Pagemaster
o one feature film,
not even a 75-minute feature, can truly
introduce a child to the wondrous, sometimes unpredictable realm of
reading. At best, such a feature can serve only as an introduction,
rather than merely 'the gospel.' Yet David Kirschner's film production
"the Pagemaster" sets out to encourage a child to explore that very
realm without exhibiting any degree of so-called 'preachiness,' as the
film's many detractors might have you believe. The result is perhaps
one of the most uniquely envisioned, remarkably executed animated
features this old Mage has ever seen --- and, believe me, in all me
4000-plus years, I've seen Magic conjured in many a form or two....
but obviously, never quite like this!
"the Pagemaster," in a sense, owes much of its existence
on film to the New York Public Library --- specifically, to its
Headquarters Branch on 5th Avenue, now known as the Center for
the Humanities. It was here, several years ago, that David Kirschner ---
at the time, in the midst of his run as President and CEO
of Hanna-Barbera --- took his two daughters, Jessica and Alexis,
then aged 7 and 9, respectively.
"As we walked in," recalls David, "three sets of Reeboks echoing
across that classic marble floor, I began to get very carried away as I
explained in a whispered voice everything about the Library. Then
suddenly, I realized that there was now only one set of footsteps.
When I turned around, both my daughters were standing perfectly still,
holding hands. They were clearly in awe; they said to me that they'd
never seen so many books before.
"And then I started remembering what it was like being a child ---
and walking into a library for the very first time. It was
almost as if you'd set foot into a haunted house or something.....
exciting, and yet at the same time, kind of scary. And those aisles ---
they just seemed to go on forever!
"And that's when I thought: 'What a great place
to set up a story!'"
Thus did it occur that David Kirschner found himself and his
daughters heading back to L.A. on the next flight out of New York;
and, once they were back home, David pumped up his imagination..... and
conceived the story of a resourceful yet cautious 10 1/2-year-old
named Richard Tyler, whose world is nothing less than a
constant struggle against the forces of danger.
And, as Master Tyler would tell you himself, that danger can be found
in even the most comfortable of places --- his very own backyard!
Why, even his bedroom, to say nothing of the treehouse his father, Alan,
is building for him, are accidents waiting to happen. And as for the
streets where his friends like to play --- oh, don't get Richard started!
His trusty bicycle has more safety features on it than your average 747;
plus, he can quote you the exact percentage of accidents known to occur
in a typical American home, as well!
But Richard Tyler's life is about to be changed, and in a most
extraordinary fashion. It all begins late one afternoon when Alan sends
his son off to the local hardware store to pick up a box of nails.
However, when a severe storm manifests itself, the boy is forced to take
temporary refuge in a huge library.
Here, he encounters the Senior Librarian, one Mr. Dewey.
And Mr. Dewey turns out to be quite an eccentric sort of fellow.
Indeed, he tells Richard that he, Richard Tyler, needs a little bit of
adventure in his young life --- along with a few elements of fantasy
and horror to be thrown into the mix. But Richard simply wants to
use the public phone booth!
His journey there eventually leads him to the library's huge, circular
rotunda --- the centerpiece of which is a magnificent domed mural which
celebrates the wonders of Adventure, Fantasy and Horror in all their
forms.
Treasure Island, Moby Dick, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the Fantasy genre in general, as symbolized by the figure of a massive
fire-breathing dragon, are all depicted in each of the mural's 'four
corners;' and, at the very center of the mural, the portrait of a wise,
Mage-like being, his long hair and beard literally resembling the very
pages of a book.
Which should be no surprise to you Mortals, because, as we will soon
discover, that wise, Mage-like being will prove to be none other than ---
the Pagemaster, Keeper of the Books and Guardian of the Written
Word!
And before the Pagemaster is done with young Richard Tyler, he'll take
the lad on a journey of discovery that he's not likely to forget any time
soon.
All Richard has to do in order to find his way back home is to reach
the library's EXIT sign. And to do that, he must undergo
three tests: the Test of Horror; the Test of Adventure; and the Test of
Fantasy. Helping our young friend along on this deceptively simple quest
will be three remarkable book-beings, each one named after their specific
genres: Adventure, the ferocious buccaneer book; Horror,
the somewhat misshapen but gentle-hearted hunchbook; and Fantasy,
the tender but tough-talkin' faerie godmama.
And by the time their quest is ended, one young boy will have been
transformed into a hero!
Clearly, when David Kirschner conceived the saga of the Pagemaster,
he was drawing from his own childhood experiences.
"I was terrible at sports when I was little," he remembers. "My world was
one where I'd just climb on top of my bunkbed and escape into the worlds of
H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Robert Louis Stevenson, Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley.....
Their books were my world, along with the illustrations that
often accompanied them."
Considering such remarks, 'tis obvious that young David Kirschner's
imagination was spellbound by the power of books. But since Richard Tyler's
constant phobias were taking an extreme form, it seemed quite logical
that the boy should be thrust from his safe, flesh-and-blood universe
into a realm that was equally as extreme: the vibrant, boundless
realm of animation!
It all began with director Maurice Hunt, who, over a year's time,
sketched out thousands of inspirational drawings. Then, Hunt assembled a
team of storyboard artists, led by production designers
Gay Lawrence and Valerio Ventura, to put together another collection of
literally thousands of drawings. These were then carefully reviewed
by Hunt and Kirschner to guarantee proper establishment of the
correct mood of each specific scene.
Step two involved the Layout Department, controlled by art
director Pixote and layout artistic supervisor Don Morgan. Their crew
choreographed every character's slightest movement, along with
camera placement at every given film frame.
For step three, three video cameras recorded the film's 15-member
voice cast, headlined by, among others, Macaulay Culkin, Christopher
Lloyd, Whoopi Goldberg, Patrick Stewart, Leonard Nimoy, Frank Welker,
George Hearn, Phil Hartman, Jim Cummings, B.J. Ward, Ed Gilbert,
Dorian Harewood and Robert Picardo, as they recorded their roles
in a studio. These performances were the result of hours' worth of
script readings, discussions with the producer and director ---
and several hilarious adlibs! In some cases, some of the 15 actors had to
redo their recordings months, or even a year, later!
In Macaulay Culkin's case, this was especially daunting, as Mac's
voice had changed in the intervening period between his recording of
Richard Tyler's lines for the animators and portraying Richard himself in
the live-action sequences, under the direction of former
Industrial Light and Magic alumnus Joe Johnston.
When Johnston began live-action filming, his team scouted every
California library within a 50-mile radius of the actual location. Since
nothing came even close to what the filmmakers wanted,
they decided to construct their own library! Teaming with
live-action production designer Roy Forge Smith, Johnston
commissioned artist Chris Hopkins to create the massive mural
that was to serve as the centerpiece of the library's huge
rotunda.
By the time that the Pagemaster was released in
November 1994, the project had been some 3 1/2 years in the making.
While the film itself opened to mixed reviews and limited domestic
box-office grosses, it was, if you ask this ol'
Dragonmaster, 3 1/2 years that were well worth the effort. Indeed, many
film critics figured that this kind of film was not really worth enjoying.
Nonetheless, there were several teachers and educators across the
country who were more than anxious to make the Pagemaster's saga
a major part of their curriculum.
Sadly, nothing came of their good intentions.
Because of this, I figured it might be a good idea to enshrine the
Pagemaster's memory here in my Dark Chambers, so that other Mages (and the
several teachers among you Mortals, too!) might wish to take a cue from his
words of wisdom, those words being:
"When in doubt, look to the books!"
And know ye this: since the Keeper of those Books is
numbered amongst us Masters of Good Magic, let it be known that he
shall be welcomed here in the pages of the Chronicles of the High Istari;
and, before Time itself doth cease to pass, he shall be ranked
among the honored Mages of our Greater Multiverse.
Such is the word of Blackwolf the Dragonmaster!
20TH CENTURY-FOX Presents in Association with TURNER PICTURES, INC.
MACAULAY CULKIN
CHRISTOPHER LLOYD
in DAVID KIRSCHNER'S
"the Pagemaster"
Featuring the Voice Talents of
WHOOPI GOLDBERG
PATRICK STEWART
LEONARD NIMOY
FRANK WELKER
GEORGE HEARN
JIM CUMMINGS
ED GILBERT
PHIL HARTMAN
And Also Starring
ED BEGLEY, Jr.
MEL HARRIS
Music Score by
JAMES HORNER
Animation Co-Producers
DAVID J. STEINBERG and BARRY WEISS
Story by
DAVID KIRSCHNER & DAVID CASCI
Screenplay by
DAVID KIRSCHNER & DAVID CASCI and ERNIE CONTRERAS
Live-Action Unit Produced by
MICHAEL R. JOYCE
Produced by
DAVID KIRSCHNER and PAUL GERTZ
Live-Action Unit Directed by
JOE JOHNSTON
Animation Unit Directed by
MAURICE HUNT
If the Pagemaster's world is to your liking, then check out Blackwolf's Library Links,
featuring links to some of my favorite libraries in the Multiverse!
And click ye
here for the complete Pagemaster end credits!
Also, for a tribute to another movie that, IMHO, deserves to find its
audience, check out the
Q for Camelot Site,
celebrating Warner Bros. Feature Animation's Quest for Camelot! And thou canst explore further Kingdoms from the Celluloid Realm in my Links segment!
A magician's wand is all you lack; Click yon mouse and haste ye back!
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