Tom Sawyer (2000 film)
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| Tom Sawyer | |
|---|---|
 VHS cover |
|
| Directed by | Phil Mendez Paul Sabella |
| Produced by | Patricia Jones Paul Sabella Jonathan Dern |
| Written by | Mark Twain Screenplay Patricia Jones Donald Reiker Jymn Magon |
| Starring | Rhett Akins Mark Wills Lee Ann Womack Hynden Walch Alecia Elliott Clea Lewis Betty White Dean Haglund Richard Kind |
| Music by | Mark Watters |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date(s) | August 29, 2000 |
| Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Tom Sawyer is a 2000 direct-to-video animated film from MGM. It is an adaptation of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, with a cast of anthropomorphic animals instead of humans much like Disney's Robin Hood. The characters' voices are generally performed by country music singers.[1]
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[edit] Critical reception
Harlene Ellin of The Chicago Tribune gave a negative review, saying that it "stray[ed] too far from Twain."[2] An uncredited review in the Wichita Eagle was also unfavorable, calling it a "shallow" interpretation of Twain's work.[3]
[edit] Plot
Tom Sawyer and his half-brother Sid are on their way to school when they see Huckleberry Finn fishing. Tom skips school to join Huck, but changes his mind after he sees Becky Thatcher. He tries to sneak into class, but Sid snitches on him. Tom's teacher makes him sit with the girls, which he actually likes since he's able to sit next to Becky. Tom's pet frog Rebel then manages to disrupt the class.
On the way home from school, Tom tries to steal a kiss from Becky, but is thwarted by her father, Judge Thatcher. The next day, as Tom is about to go fishing with his friends, Aunt Polly makes him paint the house as punishment for what happened at school. Tom, however, gets his friends to paint the house for him instead.
That night, Tom and Huck go treasure hunting but find Injurin' Joe and his friend Mutt Potter uncovering a chest of gold. Deputy Bean, who is visiting his wife's grave, discovers Joe and Mutt. Joe kills Bean, frames Mutt and captures Rebel. Tom and Huck, who are the only other witnesses, make a pact never to tell anyone what they have seen.
The next day, Tom takes the blame for something Becky did at school, for which he receives a spanking. After school, Tom becomes "engaged" to Becky by kissing her. He then admits he did the same with another girl, Amy Lawrence, causing Becky to call off the engagement. Tom and Huck visit Mutt, who is on death row for murder. They try to get him to remember Injurin' Joe murdering Bean, but Mutt doesn't remember. Joe tracks down Tom and Huck through Rebel, but they escape on a raft.
When Tom and Huck return to town, they learn that the townspeople have assumed they drowned and are mourning their deaths. They disrupt the service, showing up at their own funeral, and are welcomed back. Judge Thatcher sentences Mutt to be hanged, but Huck and Tom testify against Injurin' Joe at the last minute. Joe goes after Tom and Huck but fails, while the boys are hailed as heroes.
During the celebration, Becky talks Tom into exploring a cave, where they find treasure -- and Joe. Meanwhile, the townspeople notice Tom and Becky missing and go to look for them in the cave. With Huck's help, Tom subdues Joe and is reunited with the townspeople, while Amy becomes Huck's girlfriend. The next day, Sid tries to snitch on Tom, but this time Aunt Polly makes Sid paint the house. The movie ends with Tom, Becky, Huck and Amy having a picnic, during which Tom shows the others a gold coin and gets them interested in a treasure hunt.
[edit] Character comparisons to original
| Character in the original story | Character in the movie | Species |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Sawyer | Same | Cat |
| Huckleberry Finn | Same | Fox |
| Rebecca "Becky" Thatcher | Same | Cat |
| Judge Thatcher | Same | Cat |
| Amy Lawrence | Same | Cat |
| Sid | Same | Cat |
| Mr. Dobbins | Same | Turkey |
| Injun Joe | Injurin' Joe | Black Bear |
| Muff Potter | Mutt Potter | Dog |
| Aunt Polly | Same | Cat |
| Dr. Robinson | Deputy Bean | Dog |
[edit] Cast
- Rhett Akins as Tom Sawyer- the protagonist
- Mark Wills as Huckleberry Finn- the deuteragonist
- Hynden Walch as Becky Thatcher (speaking)- the tritagonist
- Lee Ann Womack as Becky Thatcher (singing)
- Clea Lewis as Amy Lawrence (speaking)
- Alecia Elliott as Amy Lawrence (singing)
- Betty White as Aunt Polly
- Dean Haglund as Sid- the secondary antagonist
- Richard Kind as Mr. Dobbins
- Hank Williams Jr. and Kevin Michael Richardson as Injurin' Joe- the main antagonist
- Don Knotts as Mutt Potter
- Waylon Jennings as Judge Thatcher
- Dee Bradley Baker as Rebel the Frog
- Pat Corley as Sheriff McGee
- Marty Stuart as Reverend
- Thom Adcox as Deputy Bean
- Sheryl Bernstein
- Jennifer Hale
- David Kaufman
[edit] Soundtrack
- "Leave Your Love Light On"
- "Can't Keep a Country Boy Down"
- "Hook, Line, and Sinker"
- "Houseboat Painting Song"
- "One Dream"
- "Friends for Life"
- "Light at the End of the Tunnel"
- "Never, Ever, and Forever" Lee Ann Womack
[edit] References
- ^ "MGM animates Mark Twain.". Video Business. 2000-01-24. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-27477071_ITM. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
- ^ Ellin, Harlene (2000-04-06). "THIS `SAWYER' STRAYS TOO FAR FROM TWAIN". The Chicago Tribune. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/52311766.html?dids=52311766:52311766&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Apr+06%2C+2000&author=Harlene+Ellin+Special+to+the+Tribune&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=THIS+%60SAWYER%27+STRAYS+TOO+FAR+FROM+TWAIN&pqatl=google. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
- ^ "NEW ANIMATED 'TOM SAWYER' ONLY SHALLOW VERSION OF CLASSIC, -- TOM'S A CAT AND HUCK'S A FOX, BUT MGM'S FULL-LENGTH CARTOON HAS LITTLE SPARK, NO MAGIC.". Wichita Eagle. 2005-03-25. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=WE&s_site=kansas&p_multi=WE&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0FB370B6120F3946&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
[edit] External links
- Tom Sawyer at the Internet Movie Database
- Tom Sawyer at AllRovi
