Many of the titles featured in this Internet Movie Database represent films that for various reasons are welcomed with scorn regardless of the good intentions of their creators. One such film is David Kirschner's 'The Pagemaster,' created by him as a means to share with his two daughters, Alexis and Jessica (both of whom, by the way, have cameos in the film), the wonder of reading. The story was born out of a clandestine visit by David, Lexie and Jess Kirschner to the New York Public Library's Center for the Humanities (the Headquarters Branch). Both Kirschner girls were little back then, and Dad ran Hanna-Barbera at the time. But what those two chldren took out of that visit was a spectacular sense of wonder --- and, consequently, that's how their father developed the idea for 'The Pagemaster.'
Some 3 1/2 years later, the result of David's concept stands as a spectacularly imaginative adventure where the joy of reading is made manifest within the simple space of 75 minutes. What a lot of people grumble about, as far as this film is concerned, is the fact that this was Macaulay Culkin's penultimate appearance as a child actor. There were many in and out of Hollywood who wanted to see his career implode; and part of that, as we all know by now, was due to the bitter divorce and custdy battles between his parents. That, more than anything, was the lynchpin of the disgust most of us had for this kid.
And what of the film itself? Well, the story of Richard Tyler still enchants me, if it doesn't anyone else. Who wouldn't want to have adventures with three delightful book characters representing their namesake genres --- Adventure (Patrick Stewart), Fantasy (Whoopi Goldberg) and Horror (Frank Welker)? Not only that, encountering both Jekyll and Hyde (Leonard Nimoy), Captain Ahab (George Hearn), Long John Silver (Jim Cummings) .. and a fire-breathing dragon --- and taking them on any way you can is perfect fodder for an 11-year-old constantly fearing the world around him.
One particularly funny line in the film comes in the live-action prologue, co-starring Ed Begley, Jr. and Mel Harris as Richard's parents. Alan, the father (Begley), recalls to his wife Claire (Harris) the day he signed his son up for Little League Baseball: '..he drove everybody crazy with statistics about how you can get a blood clot just by being hit on the head with a ball. 'Did you know that shin-splints can lead to blood clots in the legs?' Claire, he brought in a medical journal! Nobody wanted to play after that! And now, I'm building him a treehouse in a tree he refuses to climb!' Looking back, it's not how Begley utters that line, but rather, it is the way he delivers it that makes me laugh.
And then, there's James Horner's delightful score, punctuated by the central theme tune --- recorded as a single by Capitol recording artist Wendy Moten. Entitled 'Whatever You Imagine,' the song, with lyrics by the indefatigable Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, was even nominated for a Grammy, which, alas, it didn't win. But the tune was eventually embraced by yours truly; and has since been adopted as Blackwolf the Dragonmaster's personal song.
These are just some of the special memories I have about 'The Pagemaster.' But of course, it is the Pagemaster himself, voiced and spoken by Christopher Lloyd, who drives home the story's central point. It is he, more than anyone else, who gives Richard Tyler the strength he needs to confront his own fears, regardless of the world around him. The result, of course, is that, by the time our tale ends, Richard becomes a stronger and better person --- all thanks to the magic of books. I sincerely believe that, given the current popularity of the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings books, the wisdom of the Pagemaster is paying off, long after the film has been forgotten. After all, without books, we couldn't take on the imagination in our own way fearlessly. And that, I think, is as much reward as a young person needs in this world. 'Nuff said.

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The Pagemaster in my opinion, was a wonderful film, and I do think the 4.8 rating is too low. I have seen much worse movies, that are rated higher than that. Sure it's not Disney, but it is a good family film that I guarantee if you give it a chance that the whole family will love. The animation is not so bad, perhaps a little dated and rushed, but I've seen worse, and the dragon was excellent. The music by James Horner was beautiful, very fitting with what was going on on screen, very reminiscent of Land Before Time and Once Upon a Forest, and Whatever You imagine was amazing. The story tells of a young boy named Richard, who is serious and fearful of everything, until an unexpected visit to the library changes his life forever. I loved the story and the clever and diverse references to the literary giants, like Treasure Island, Jekyll and Hyde and Moby Dick, and the message of the film about facing your fears that doesn't preach. Macaulay Culkin is excellent here as is Christopher Lloyd, and Patrick Stewart (rousing and witty), Whoopi Goldberg (sugar and starch) and Frank Welker (in a fine Igor impression) expertly bring the snappy screenplay to life. I loved the witty banter between Adventure and Fantasy, and the librarian's rant about the different literary genres. And I don't think it is Macaulay Culkin or Christopher Lloyd's worst film, Culkin's was Richie Rich, Lloyd's was My Favourite Martian. All in all, a terrific film, with a 10/10. Bethany Cox

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Hello. This is gavin.thelordofthefuture and this would be a review of a film that I've seen twenty years ago when I was a kid. The story about an 11 year old boy with statistics named Richard Tyler who stumbles upon a library during a thunderstorm and enters it. After meeting an old librarian, he goes to the fiction section and sees a mural with four pictures, but little did he realized that he gets transported to a world where every fiction story comes to life and sees a wise old sorcerer called the 'Pagemaster'. Then, his adventure begins and meets three fiction books named Adventure, Fantasy, and Horror and together, they must encounter haunted houses, pirates, and monsters in order to help get Richard back home.
Why am I reviewing this in the middle of a Christmas break? Well, let's just say that I've been watching this since I was a child and seeing how it has been 20 years, that's why I made that risky decision. Now, is there anything that I don't like about The Pagemaster? Well, let's just say that the only nitpick I do have is the animation. Don't get me wrong. It's beautiful and is very creative in it's making of the world of literary including Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, the pirates led by Captain Long John Silver, and the Dragon in the climax of the film, but as time went by, it became a little dated to me.
Anyway, everything else still holds up. The story is very engaging with very clever writing and the morals about facing your fears and using your imagination doesn't preach on you as it is done perfectly. Also, it has some very good characters and they still hold up to this day. Macaulay Culkin is likable as Richard Tyler, Christopher Lloyd relishes his role as the librarian Mr. Dewey and The Pagemaster, and the three talking books, Adventure, a swashbuckling pirate book with Patrick Stewart's solid pirate accent, Fantasy, a sassy, but caring fairy tale book who pulls off some nice humorous moments while being wise thanks to Whoopi Goldberg, and Horror, a fearful Hunchbook and also has some funny bits with the famous Frank Welker, known for voicing animal creatures in other animated films. The other characters are also good with cameos from Leonard Nimoy as Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, Phil Hartman as one of the pirate crew members Tom Morgan and Jim Cummings as Long John Silver.
The pacing is very brisk and doesn't come to the point where it would bore me to death, but the best part about The Pagemaster is the music score from James Horner, one of my favorite music composers. To some, it does copy music elements from his other scores from Star Trek II and others, but to me, it has a nostalgic value to it. Why, you may ask?
Well, the reason why I brought this up is because it does a solid job interpreting the theme song 'Whatever You Imagine' that plays throughout the movie and has been stuck with me since my childhood ended. That piece of music alone is what made me watch this film over and over again.
Overall, The Pagemaster became one of my childhood films and today, it still holds up. It has an engaging story, some likable characters, some clever writing, and some really beautiful music. As those aspects stayed with me in my memory, this deserves a gold trophy of recommendation as a film that is worth watching to some who hasn't seen it yet. Check it out and relive your imagination!

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It's a great movie. This kid, Richard Tyler, played by young Macaulay Culkin, is really paranoid, and always talks about injury-related statistics. During a frightening storm, he takes temporary refuge from the rain in a library, run by the eerie Mr. Dewey, played by Christopher Lloyd. Richard is instructed to find a pay phone so he can tell his parents where he is.
In the middle of the library, there's a huge ceiling painting of Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, Long John Silver and his crew from Treasure Island, Captain Aham and Moby Dick, a fierce dragon, and in the center, an old man with a long white beard and nobleman clothes holding a scroll. The ceiling starts dripping paint, and the globs are transformed into a huge dragon, which transforms everything it touches into animation. Richard, now a cartoon, meets the old man, the Pagemaster, who tells him that to get out of the library and return to normal, he must past three tests, described only as adventure, horror, and fantasy.
Soon, he also meets three hilarious talking books. The first, Adventure, played by Patrick Stewart, is probably the funniest guy in the movie. The second, Fantasy, played by Whoopi Goldberg, is also funny, but it's because of her attitude. The third, Horror, played by Frank Welker, is a brain-dead coward who looks like Frankenstein's Monster. With his three new friends, Richard has to pass the tests to get his normal form back, admittance to the exit, and most of all..the courage he never thought he had.

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Okay, in 1994 I was obsessed with Macaulay Culkin. When I saw a trailer for this film, I couldn't wait to see it. When I went to see it though, my family and I were the only ones in the theatre! The same thing happened to my aunt and my cousins. I remember loving the film. I wanted that awesome bike he had. I got the videogame, and I got my copy on video. AND JAMES HORNER'S SCORE WAS AMAZING! I thought it was a good movie that had all the genres, even cooler that it was live action/animation. It's sad about it's bomb at the box office. It's quite a forgettable film, but I love it and I still do. Don't forget that Joe Johnston who is now quite acclaimed directed the live action scenes. Great for him.

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'The Pagemaster' may have been the only really good movie that Macaulay Culkin ever did. Playing accident-obsessed youngster Richard Tyler, who goes to the library and gets transferred into a world of horror, fantasy and adventure, he makes the most of the role. Patrick Stewart (a pirate-like book named Adventure), Whoopi Goldberg (a fairy-like book named Fantasy) and Frank Welker (a maladroit book named Horror) show themselves to be as adept in these kinds of movies as they are in their normal roles, as does Christopher Lloyd (the librarian and the Pagemaster).
All in all, this movie really shows you how much there is to read. I think that my favorite scene was the whole Jekyll and Hyde sequence - although the dripping painting was also pretty impressive. A very well done movie. Also starring Ed Begley Jr., Mel Harris, and the voices of Leonard Nimoy, Dorian Harewood and Phil Hartman.

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I loved this movie as a kid, and hell, I STILL do. Some of the cgi doesn't holdup as well, but then again, this is 2010 and that was 1994, so I'll cut that some slack. Yeah, maybe from an adult's POV this movie isn't so incredible, but then again, this is a movie made for kids, and I liked it as a child. It was a lot of fun, and It's still, easily, my favorite animated (slash live-action) film of all-time. I knock it down from a 10 because of the running time (about 75 minutes) but other than that, I see nothing bad about this film. A fantastic ride from start to finish, this epic tale of a young boy who is way to afraid of everything who's path leads him to courage is one I'll never forget. A Truly underrated movie.
9/10

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With its curious mix of Time Bandits-like enchantment and plain sense of fun, The Pagemaster represents the least-annoying and most enjoyable contribution Culkin has made to the industry since Home Alone. This won't be the monster hit that movie was, but children venturing into The Pagemaster should be no less beguiled. Grownups who often feel insulted by the too-juvenile tone of most so-called 'family features' will likely find this movie long enough to catch their attention, but short enough not to lose it -- in essence, a surprisingly affable (and occasionally even sophisticated) movie-going experience. Most importantly though- This film is even more relevant today 25 years on.

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Seen this so many times since I was a kid ! My kids now love it soon

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One of my favorite movies is The Pagemaster, a classic adventure you will never forget even when you get older. It is a story of Adventure, bravery, and facing your fears. And it stars two great actors who are never forgettable.
Richard Tyler is just about afraid of everything, and he is driving his dad insane with his ridiculous fears. One day, his dad sends him on an errand and he ends up trapped in a library due to a fierce thunder storm. His life will never be the same again.
The Pagemaster brings classic literature like Treasure Island, Moby Dick, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to life. It is a story about facing your fears and conquering them against all odds. I love how Richard befriends three books, Adventure, Fantasy, and Horror each with their own unique character personalities and each voiced by Patrick Stewart (Adventure), Whoopi Goldberg (Fantasy), and Frank Welker (Horror) all give the characters true life. The animation is great and I find it fun how Tyler goes from real world to cartoon world.
The movie also sends a message to kids and adults, that reading is fun and enjoyable and that your imagination can take flight with a good story. The two main actors Macaulay Culkin and Christopher Lloyd make this movie magic. The Pagemaster will always be fun for me, and one day I hope to show it to my kids who I hope will benefit from it's messages.
A great movie about overcoming fear and gaining power from the written word.
10/10 for The Pagemaster

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When I was a little girl, I used to love this movie and I truly believe it deserves a better rating. I haven't watched it in years and yet, I still remember the huge library, the three different books (Adventure, Horror and Fantasy if I remember well), their related stories and universes. I remember understanding the cowardice of the boy (why are heroes always so confident?) and how he overcomes it. And as a French student of English literature, I believe it's a nice way for a child to approach some classics of British literature. It could even be used in schools (am I going too far? aha). Perhaps that if I watched it now, as an adult, I'd hate it. But does it really matter? It's meant for kids anyway!

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Contrary to this film's IMDb rating, it truly is a beautiful, and sweet film.
I only saw it once when I was a kid, and always remembered liking it. I found it and watched it again, and found that I loved it.
(SPOILERS) The movie is about a little boy named Richard, who fears all sorts of things.. because he only reads science documents, and not fictional stories. Caught in a storm, while running an errand, he ends up scaring him into running into an old library for shelter. He meets the library keeper, and winds up getting a library card (despite the fact that he tries to tell the man he didn't come to get books.) After he asks the man if he can use a phone to call his parents, he ends up finding himself caught in an animated world, filled with adventure, fantasy, and horror, and meets three books of those three genres. Richard and the books go on a quest to help return him home, and little Richard learns to face his fears.
Very sweet story, wonderful casting (including the talents of Leonard Nimoy, Christopher Lloyd, Frank Welker, Patrick Stewart, and Whoopi Goldberg), and adorable animation, make this film a true gem. Very good movie for the whole family. 10/10

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The beginning of this movie is excellent with tremendous sound and some nice humor, but once the film changes into animation it quickly loses its appeal.
One of the reasons that was so, at least for me, was that the colors in much of the animation are too muted, with too little contrast. It doesn't look good, at least on VHS. Once in a while it breaks out and looks great, but not often Also, the characters come and go too quickly. For example, I would have liked to have seen more of 'Moby Dick.' When the film starts to drag, however, it picks up again with the entrance of the dragon and then the film finishes strong.
Overall, just not memorable enough or able to compete with the great animated films of the last dozen years.

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Just because something is part of my childhood doesn't mean it's good, and this movie is really not a great animated film. It's got a nice message, and it looks good, but the premise of jumping from storybook to storybook gets tiring by the end.
Richard Tyler (McCaulay Culkin) is a scaredy cat who's always getting picked on. On a stormy night he gets stuck in a library, and ends up animated with several book friends. He meets Fantasy (Whoopie Goldberg), Adventure (Patrick Stewart) and Horror (Frank Welker), and he goes through many famous books. The plot is very slim, and kind of just jumps around from book to book, but it actually works very well. This also has a great musical score and it manages to make the movie sad at times. Unlike many animated films, you actually come to like the characters by the end, and that's hard to do.
'The Pagemaster' is a very underrated, good animated movie that will appeal to kids and will amuse adults.
My rating: *** out of ****. 70 mins. Rated G

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I absolutely love this movie as well, I remember having it on video when i was young and i wore it out so i had to buy another one but couldn't find it anywhere,I'm trying to get it on DVD at the moment as well.Something that i don't understand is that no one I know seems to have ever heard of it!Which is just ridiculous! I've always been a real book worm and when I was younger this film summed up everything I loved about books, and I guess it still does! It's amazing how such a brilliant film can go unnoticed, I honestly learnt some important lessons from it, as I am sure many other children did, and it's one of the most memorable movies from my childhood! If you get the chance to watch this film, please please do!Ignore everything written by the 'proper' critics and watch it for yourself before deciding what you think!

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Why such a low rating? A movie with such good intentions and well made characters deserve more love.
I was so into the idea from the start, and the message about facing your own fear was well woven into a classic fairy-tale trope of going through 3 tests.
Of course you'll get the most out of the movie if you know all the references to classic books like Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Treasure Island, Alice in Wonderland, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Moby Dick, etc., but I think that's what makes The Pagemaster a good family movie. Kids can get entertained by the lively animated characters and relate to Macauly Culkin's role while adults can enjoy the clever use of historic literature.
The different segments of literary genres could've been both deeper and wider had the movie been just fifteen or so minutes longer, because honestly, it was a little rushed at times, but that's my only complaint about it. The segments were fine as they were, but could've made more out of its source material.
The animation was pretty good at times. Also a little dated sometimes, but the horror segment and that of fantasy actually had a grand feel to it. The dragon was my favorite simply because of the massive presence it had. It really felt BIG.
The anthropomorphic books were also cute and clever in their interactions. Some may find them annoying, but Whoopi Goldberg,Patrick Stewart and Frank Welker brought them to life with exellence.
An underated family movie which deserves more attention. Entertaining, educational and heartwarming

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This was my favourite film as a kid. Being born the year it came out, I think i spent the majority of 1998 watching it as that is when my brain developed enough to remember a movie. I honestly remember sitting there in my lounge room literally wishing there would be a sequel or a longer version somewhere out there because even as a toddler there were still parts of the film frustrated the hell out of me. I wanted to see Richard at school, get better sense of his lack of friends and worried, overly cautious nature. I wanted him to have a girl he liked, or someone he wanted to impress, that he could after his adventures with the books. I wanted more Christopher Lloyd. I wanted the areas of the journey he embarked upon to go longer than about 15 minutes each, I wanted more jokes and maybe a few more characters for them to meet along the way. I also would have liked more books to pop up, maybe like action or something like that. Even just a little cameo would have been cool.
All that being said, what I was left with, I loved. More than anything. James Horner's score is easily my favourite of all time and summarises my awesome childhood. Macaulay Culkin was always my hero. I was delighted he was the star of this. It was a hell of a lot better than richie rich. Yeesh. The visuals were terrific and it really did have a sense of wonder. The very short runtime however, stopped it from being a real classic. Man oh man that was a small tragedy as a kid. It filled me with a rich sadness, because I didn't want the story to end. It did make me feel as hard as i think i ever felt as a child though, and for that, I cant fault it. Plus the bike scene made me want to jump 10 feet in the air with happiness.

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it has a beautiful idea - introduce the young people in the great books universe.than, it is nice, not extraordinary but decent, amusing option for each age. it is a common film but few moments, the different way to discover the books, crumbs from another films, dust of other characters for actors, the soft feeling of a animation movie are good ingredients for not rejected it. the mixture between actors and animation is not really inspired but it is not boring or deep unrealistic. and, more important, Culkin is himself. so, not surprises. or great expectations. a film about books can not be an error. at least, the good intentions are precious. this film is an example.

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How can anyone not like this movie. It is great in making kids aware of the joys and wonder of reading. It was short enough that most kids can sit through it without getting too impatient told a great story and doesn't get too preachy about the importance of reading.

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The Pagemaster is one of my favourite films of all time. A wonderful combination of animation, live-action and CGI brings to life this enchanting story. This film has a host of great actors and voice actors to bring alive this film. Macaulay Culkin stars as a timid troubled boy, Richard Tyler, who fears virtually everything. On an errand for his father, he stumble into a library where he is soon turned into an illustration. The Pagemaster (Christopher Lloyd) sends him on a journey into the library's fiction section to find the exit and to face his fears. Along the way, Richard is joined by a trio of animated books - swashbuckling Adventure (Patrick Stewart), sassy fairy tale book Fantasy (Whoopi Goldberg) and fearful Horror (Frank Welker). Together, the friends encounter some classic ficitonal characters as they search for the way home. An incredibly enchanting film, made by some of the world's best film animators. I give it a 10/10

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I only review the movies I really adore, some will slip that I don't adore but this one isn't one of them, it seems that over the years people have lost a lot of imagination, it seems as we go through the future we realize what cannot be true is so phony, but as I see it people will return to it one time, I am still a really liker of imagination, but people today don't wanna believe the things that no one can believe, so because of that this movie haven't got a lot of good reviews, I want to do this movie justice..
The pagemaster is made for kids and adults who still dreams, it isn't the most serious movie at all but it does have some spots that has deemed it serious, mostly it is a movie that should be taken lightly.
This movie wants us to be taught something like many others of its nature, in this movie we are taught two major things first 1. to take choices and not be afraid, to do things we normally would be a afraid of as a child, second 2. it teaches us the main thing, to believe, simply just to believe, we all know none of this is real but why do we have to disband these movies, they are imagination, fantasy something many today could need a whole lot more of.
This movie is also done very good by the actors, they chose the right actors for every voice in the movie, but my favorite is of course Christopher Loyd as the Pagemaster, the one who granted a single wish for a kid who were afraid of everything.
The music is perfect in this movie, as it is a fantasy music like this is needed, this is something people and companies have at least kept forever and haven't still forgot, now if only they would do the same for fantasy, for imagination, we all have a child in us, why grow up so fast, we get to be mature but that doesn't mean we have to let go the things that made us into what we are today, many of these movies have been forgotten but they will always stay inside us, so now it is time to say that this movie is all that it is a classic, a classic people just forgot.
As I said above I only do reviews of movies I like, not movies I don't like so of course this is one of my favorite, I grew up watching movies like this, enjoy it, and for do yourself a favor and watch it again, slowly fall inside imagination, just one more time, it is worth it..
'Shh I have a talent for guessing what people need'

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The main argument that I have against this film is that it seems to try, and subsequently fails, to be Disneyesque. As a result, it does not come across as an original or innovative idea. However, this is definitely not the only thing wrong with this disappointing feel-good extravaganza.
First of all, there are some definite cast issues: Macaulay Culkin is quite unbearably irritating as the cowardly Richard Tyler, a role that, in my opinion, would have benefited a lot from a more comic portrayal that would have made the audience relate to him more easily. Another annoying feature is Whoopi Goldberg as Tyler's animated literary companion, Fantasy. She is the wise-cracking character that you find very often in animated feature films, like the Genie from 'Aladdin' (portrayed engagingly by Robin Williams), except that Goldberg, for all her talent, does not really have the extreme pathos that Williams had, and that the role requires. Patrick Stewart, the man with one of the greatest voices to ever grace the big screen, is somewhat wasted as the obligatory coward-who-thinks-he's-so-brave, Adventure, and although Frank Welker's Horror (the hunchbook) is amiable, the character still comes across as boringly formulaic, like the film. The cast's only real saving grace is the live-action Christopher Lloyd as Mr Dewey the librarian, not to mention the latter's animated alter-ego, the Pagemaster. As he so often is, Lloyd is brilliantly over the top. Otherwise, the only other interesting vocal contribution is that of Leonard Nimoy as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, although his appearance is limited to a small cameo.
Furthermore, the animation, for a modern day viewer, is not impressive enough to distract the audience from the dull plot, and neither is the dialogue, which falls flat (especially with Culkin's unenthusiastic delivery) and the gags are mostly grindingly facetious and unfunny ('Would you like to crawl into a corner with a good book?'). There is also a song in the middle of the film, 'Whatever You Imagine', written by Barry Mann, James Horner and Cynthia Weil, and performed by Wendy Moten. The song seems to be an attempt at capturing the Disney feel of incorporating Pop songs into the story-line. However, whether you like Disney's songs or not, you have to admire their talent for incorporating them into the plot, as can be seen in 'The Lion King' (a film of which I, personally, am not tremendously fond) with Elton John and Tim Rices' Oscar-winning 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight', not to mention the other songs that they wrote for that film, all of which fit seamlessly into the plot. In 'The Pagemaster', no such cohesion between plot and music is achieved even minimally.
However, although this film is mostly disappointing, not all is lost. The story, for all its flaws, wastes no time in getting started, and there is a certain nostalgia surrounding the film for the endless stream of, mostly mediocre, but still harmless, cartoons of the 90s, when computer-generated animation was yet to be exploited. The film does make a respectable attempt at being educational on the literary world, but some of the references are too fleeting (more Sherlock Holmes would not have gone amiss) while others were given too much emphasis, especially the 'Treasure Island' segment, although Long John Silver is quite endearingly modeled on Robert Newton's classic portrayal of the character from the 1950 motion picture. Pixote Hunt, Maurice Hunt and Joe Johnston handle the direction skillfully, and, had the script and the story been polished up, this film just might have been passable. Having said that, I can't deny that, when I first saw the film, as a young boy, around ten odd years ago, I was sufficiently entertained, so it is definitely a good, innocent film to plant your children in front of if it's on television, but definitely not worth buying.

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OMG! I used to love this movie when I was little it brings back such fond memories!!! This movie was great I dnt care anyone says! Maculy Calkin (or how ever u spell his name) GREAT JOB!!!!!Of course he was really good in Home Alone and Home Alone too! did u no Maculy Calkin (or however u spell it) was in a music video for Michael Jackson??!! I jus saw it on this Michael Jackson thing that talked about his life!! well great job Pagemaster I loved the little Pirate Book he was funny!

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As a 90s baby, I grew up watching this. The Pagemaster and a whole slew of other fun kiddie movies were the bomb. Now that I am an adult with a vast knowledge of movies, I have come to the conclusion that lots of the cool things I grew up watching really weren't that good. Compared to nowadays things, the stuff I grew up with are all epic masterpieces. When not compared and when not tying into any bit of nostalgia, I can understand why movies like The Pagemaster was not very well received.
In one of Culkin's most underrated roles, he plays a total geeks who is afraid of everything. Nothing wrong with that. His parents are worried about him and will do anything to make him grow out of his shell. Nothing wrong with that. His dad (Ed Begley Jr.) sends him to a hardware store to buy nails. He wants his son to go alone to get some guts. Nothing wrong with that (I found). He takes his bike where he encounters a group of school bullies doing bike tricks on unfinished road construction with no workers around. Red light! How unrealistic is that!? He decides to take another route which lands him in the middle of a rain storm. I highly doubt a smart kid in the suburbs would not know another way. He goes into a library for shelter and meets a freaky librarian (Christopher Lloyd). This is where the problems subside. One thing leads to another and finds himself a cartoon with real life literary characters and book genres. He gets himself with Fantasy, Horror, and Adventure involved in different classic novel scenarios such as Moby Dick. Most of the movie is Culkin as a cartoon and the animation is good. The movie is supposed to make books seem like a ton of fun and it succeeds and turn a wuss into a daredevil (slight exaggeration). I was just very under-welmed with how everything was undertaken. The movie is 75 in length, but it feels like a lot longer. There were set-ups and aftermaths of each of his tasks like there should be, but they are all just weak. Wendy Moten composes a tremendous tune called 'Whatever You Imagine' that I love and that plays a few times in this, but does not do much to help.
I love everything that came out between 1990 and 2000. The fashion, music and movies are all near and dear to my heart. I don't care that The Pagemaster was not what I remembered because it takes me back anyway to a better time in my life.
I may not always like this. This is so dull and droned for a 75 minute film. The only good bits are the live-action parts.

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