The Adventures of Mark Twain (1985 film)
Encyclopedia
The Adventures of Mark Twain, released in the UK as Comet Quest, is a 1986 American stop-motion animation
film directed by Will Vinton
(best known for "The California Raisins
" animation). It received a wider theatrical release, still limited to seven major cities, in January 1986. 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. 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 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".
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
film directed by Will Vinton
Will Vinton
Will Vinton is an American director and producer of animated films. He was born in McMinnville, Oregon, near Portland. He has won an Oscar for his work, and several Emmy Awards and Clio Awards for the work of his studio.- Education :...
(best known for "The California Raisins
The California Raisins
The California Raisins were a fictional rhythm and blues musical group as well as advertising and merchandising characters composed of anthropomorphized raisins based on black caricatures. Lead vocals were sung by musician Buddy Miles...
" animation). It received a wider theatrical release, still limited to seven major cities, in January 1986. It was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in January 2006. The film features a series of vignettes extracted from several of Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
'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
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
between various adventures. 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 one day after Halley's Comet reached perihelion in 1910).
Included are sketches taken from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is an 1876 novel about a young boy growing up along the Mississippi River. The story is set in the Town of "St...
, The Mysterious Stranger
The Mysterious Stranger
The Mysterious Stranger is the final novel attempted by the American author Mark Twain. It was worked on periodically from roughly 1890 up until 1910...
, "The Diaries of Adam and Eve (Letters from the Earth)", "Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven
Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven
"Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven" is a short story written by American writer Mark Twain, published in 1909. This was the last story published by Twain.-Description and Plot Outline:...
" and a rendering of Twain's first story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" is an 1865 short story by Mark Twain, his first great success as a writer, bringing him national attention. The story has also been published as "Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog" and "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"...
". References are made to his other works, including "The Damned Human Race".
Cast
- James WhitmoreJames WhitmoreJames Allen Whitmore, Jr. was an American film and stage actor.-Early life:Born in White Plains, New York, to Florence Belle and James Allen Whitmore, Sr., a park commission official, Whitmore attended Amherst Central High School in Snyder, New York, before graduating from The Choate School in...
as Mark Twain - Michele Mariana as Becky Thatcher
- Gary Krug as Huck Finn
- Chris RitchieChris RitchieVice Admiral Christopher Angus Ritchie AO is a retired Vice Admiral of the Royal Australian Navy, and was Chief of Navy from 2002 to 2005.-Service history:Ritchie graduated from the RAN College at Jervis Bay in 1968...
as Tom Sawyer - John MorrisonJohn Morrison-In politics:* John Morrison , politician in Manitoba, Canada* John Morrison , Canadian Member of Parliament* John Morrison...
as Adam - Carol Edelman as Eve
- Dallas McKennonDallas McKennonDallas Raymond McKennon , sometimes credited as Dal McKennon, was an American actor, with extensive work as a voice actor, in a career lasting over 50 years.-Career:...
as Jim Smiley and Newspaper Boy - Herb Smith as The Stranger
- Marley Stone as Aunt Polly
- Michele Mariana & Wilbur Vincent as The Mysterious Stranger
- Wally Newman as Captain Stormfield
- Tim Conner as Three-Headed Alien
- Todd Tolces as Saint Peter
- Will Vinton as Dan'l Webster
- Billy Victor as God
- Gary Thompson as Baby Cain