The Adventures of Mark Twain (1985 film)
| The Adventures of Mark Twain | |
|---|---|
Theatrical poster
|
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| Directed by | Will Vinton |
| Produced by | Will Vinton |
| Written by | Susan Shadburne |
| Based on | The works of Mark Twain |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Gary Krug |
| Music by | Billy Scream |
| Edited by |
Kelley Baker Michael Gall Ed Geis Skeets McGrew Will Vinton |
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Production
company |
Will Vinton Productions
Harbour Town Films |
| Distributed by | Clubhouse Pictures |
|
Release date
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March 1, 1985 |
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Running time
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86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | 1.5 million |
The Adventures of Mark Twain, released in the UK as Comet Quest, is a 1985 American stop motion animated fantasy film directed by Will Vinton. It received a theatrical release, limited to seven major cities, in May 1985. It was released on DVD in January 2006.
The film features a series of vignettes extracted from several of Mark Twain's works, built around a plot that features Twain's attempts to keep his "appointment" with Halley's Comet. Twain and three children, Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, and Becky Thatcher, travel on an airship between various adventures.
After having a bout of one-upmanship, Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, and Becky Thatcher sneak aboard an airship piloted by Mark Twain in an attempt to become famous aeronauts. Upon discovery, they find that Mark Twain intends to pilot the airship to meet Halley's Comet. Worried that this goal will end in their deaths, the trio learn to fly the ship while conspiring to sabotage the voyage.
After discovering the truth behind Twain's journey, the trio recognize their folly, and the group navigates storms and treacherous skies with the help of a mysterious dark figure who turns out to be Mark Twain's dark side. The two Twains merge and fly off to meet the comet, leaving the airship in the hands of the youngsters.
The concept was inspired by a famous quote by the author:
"I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year (1910), and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: 'Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.'"
Twain died on April 21, 1910, one day after Halley's Comet reached perihelion in 1910.
Included are sketches taken from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Mysterious Stranger, "The Diaries of Adam and Eve (Letters from the Earth)", "Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven" and a rendering of Twain's first story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County". References are made to his other works, including "The Damned Human Race". This animated film was shot in Portland, Oregon.
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