Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context YMMV / ThePagemaster

Go To

1* AllAnimationIsDisney: An unfortunate victim of this trope given the surprisingly engaging animation. Doesn't help at all that Creator/{{Disney}} would buy out [[Creator/TwentiethCenturyStudios 20th Century Fox]] 25 years after the movie was released, making them part owner of the film (with Turner Pictures' successor, Creator/WarnerBros, owning international and TV rights).
2* AlternateAesopInterpretation: Critics were confused what message the movie wanted to convey. If the message was "read more" or "visit your local library", then a movie would be antithetical to that. If it was to convey how great certain literary characters are, the film gives such a Cliff Notes summary of who they are and their story that there's no chance for depth. Also, since Richard's problem is that he's a nervous worry-wart, is the message "be braver" or "reading is good"? Or given that their parents are part of the history, is it "just take your child to the child therapist, you morons"?
3* SugarWiki/AwesomeArt: The animation is considered the best part of the movie.
4* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: "Whenever You Imagine," played as they enter the Fantasy section. And of course, the score itself is another knockout from Music/JamesHorner.
5* CriticalBacklash: Critics were pretty ruthless with the movie, but few of its viewers remember it without at least a bit of fondness, and today it is considered one of the most underrated films in its genre.
6* CultClassic: A favorite among certain ''Franchise/StarTrek'' groups thanks to its [[AllStarCast all-Trek cast]], as well as library lovers and bookworms, and last but not least, fans of 90's animated films.
7* DoNotDoThisCoolThing: The other kids mock Richard for being too cowardly as they perform bike stunts over construction roadworks. At the end of his adventure, Richard has to courage to bike jump across the ramp. Though no one else sees, he's proud of his accomplishment. It's supposed to show his triumph over fear is real and not a dream, but there are ''better places'' to do stunts, like the local park, than on [[ConstructionZoneCalamity construction sites]].
8* DontShootTheMessage: The movie contains both a DareToBeBadass and a ReadingIsCoolAesop, which would be fine and dandy if not because it mixes them both up in the process, with the result being a rather puzzling Aesop that "reading (somehow) makes you braver". While this oddity is not without precedent in pop culture (it is actually kind of a trope of Creator/JRRTolkien's works, where unambitious bookworms like Bilbo and Frodo turn out to be the best hero material), it can still be jarring to see it applied to a more realistic setting like this film's live action sequences.
9* GeniusBonus: You might assume the dragon in the film is a generic fantasy monster, but there are some references to indicate it is actually the self-same dragon from the first book of ''Literature/TheFaerieQueene'' series. The biggest clue? The dragon appears in tale of Red Cross Knight. When Richard takes the shield and sword of a dead knight to fight the dragon with, guess what is painted on the shield.
10* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: The movie fared much better in Japan, if the amount of merchandise coming from the country back in those days are any indication.
11* HilariousInHindsight:
12** Adventure calling Captain Ahab "my kind of guy" becomes quite funny once you realize that Creator/PatrickStewart, his voice actor, later ''played'' Ahab in a TV movie version of ''Literature/MobyDick'' three years later.
13** Likewise, Fantasy calling out to Mother Goose when the latter flies by also becomes humorous once you remember Creator/WhoopiGoldberg later voiced Mother Goose herself in the nursery rhyme-themed episode of ''WesternAnimation/HappilyEverAfterFairyTalesForEveryChild.''
14* HoYay: When Adventure says the perfect ending would be to have a kiss, Horror has no problem kissing him.
15* ItsShortSoItSucks: A universal complaint, both in good and bad reviews, is how strangely short the film is. Its running time is just a bit over one hour despite the plot is nothing [[{{Pun}} short]] of interesting ideas.
16* MagnificentBastard: [[TricksterMentor The Pagemaster]] himself is "[[BadassBookworm the keeper of the books and guardian of the written word]]," a wily wizard who seeks to teach young Richard Tyler a lesson in creativity. Taking note of Richard's lack of imagination and fearful personality, the Pagemaster drags the boy into the fictional world of books and subjects him to a variety of literature's most dangerous obstacles, subtly pointing Richard in the right directions to survival throughout. Once Richard defeats all the challenges in his way, the Pagemaster reveals he did it all to [[SecretTestOfCharacter help Richard discover who he really is and overcome his fear]], before sending him on his way back home with a new love for books in the boy's heart.
17* MemeticMolester: Mr. Dewey has become one due to his uncomfortably overenthusiastic interactions with a visibly terrified Richard during the first scene in the library.
18* MemeticMutation:
19** My name is... MR. HYYYYYYDE!!!
20** I grin at thee, THOU GRINNING WHAAALE!!!
21* NightmareRetardant: The ''original'' Hound of the Baskervilles was a glowing, eerie sight that could terrorize a man into running himself to death [[spoiler:due to luminous paint]], but it's just a normal dog (albeit big and snappy) in this film.
22* OneSceneWonder: Both Mr. Hyde and Captain Ahab's scenes were rather frightening ones.
23* RetroactiveRecognition: In the European Spanish dub, Richard's child voice actor was not other than a very young David Jenner, who would become a big name of the Spanish dub scene.
24* SignatureScene: The fight with the dragon stands worthy of mention, but the transformation of Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde is undoubtedly the scene most children remember the most.
25* SoOkayItsAverage: A common complaint. The plot has potential and the animation is gorgeous, but the story never reaches its full potential, among other things due to the film being so short.
26* SpecialEffectsFailure: The movie used CGI to have the library's ceiling paint melt down, and it has definitely not aged well. By today's standards, it would look like the kind of graphics you'd see in a Platform/PlayStation game.
27* {{Squick}}: The PC game has Hyde as Zeus in the Fantasy section, complete with a toga.
28* UglyCute: Horror. He is a tattered book with a deformed face, but his small size and lack of confidence makes him endearing.
29* UnintentionallySympathetic: Richard's insecurities are played for both laughs and drama, but all things considered, one cannot help but believe that his parents are at fault for trying to fix it by forcing Richard to do "brave" things he doesn't feel capable of (and in his father's case, then feeling guilty because, surprise surprise, it doesn't work). In real life, where sadly there aren't wizards capable to knock bravery into you through magical adventures, someone should realize Richard obviously has a psychological condition and could use some good therapy to gain self-confidence and cope with his phobias.
30* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Mr. Dewey looks heartbroken that the nerdy-looking kid hasn't come to the library to initiate himself in the art of reading, apparently not realizing he has just put on an extravagant show (unsettlingly focused in horror fiction, despite Richard's young age and already scared looks) that would make ''anybody'', not to mention an uninterested, impressionable child, think twice about staying in the same building as him. There's a reason why he has become a MemeticMolester as said above.
31* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: This was Creator/GeneSiskel's opinion of this movie; while he wanted to appreciate its premise and aesop, he couldn't look past the lack of story and [[ItsShortSoItSucks length]].
32* TheWoobie: Horror doesn't suffer much more than Adventure during the film, but his constant fearful expression suggests he has seen some awful things.
33-->"Horror always has a ''sad'' ending."

Top