For as much as I love Dick Van Dyke, I can’t say that I remember if I knew about this movie before or after I started this project. Either way, I know about it now and I didn’t realize how much I’d missed seeing his physical comedy bits. For this project, I’m focusing on the story itself, including dialogue, character development, any subplots, how a story presents itself, the speed at which it moves, if it slows down unnecessarily, etc.
A Brief Summary
(Taken from D23)
This modern-day Robinson Crusoe is a pilot for the U.S. Navy who is forced to ditch his plane in the Pacific. Rescued from a tropical island a year later, he writes to his fiancée, explaining why he never showed up for their wedding. His story is a humorous one, involving Floyd, a chimpanzee who is an astrochimp; Wednesday, a beautiful native girl; some lovely maidens; some menacing warriors; and a harrowing escape from the island by helicopter.
What works
- I think it’s set in the 60s (because of Floyd being an astro-chimp), so it’s nice seeing a modern(ish) version of this story.
- I really like that it starts at the end after Rob is rescued from the island. It’s not a starting point that has been used much in the Disney movies thus far, and so I enjoyed it all the more. It made for a nice change of pace in the storytelling.
- And to help emphasize that, there are periodical voiceovers from Rob as he is writing his fiancee Jane after rescue.
- Narrator while Rob reads (interactions) survival guides reminds me of the Goofy How-to shorts of the 40s and the Tarts and Flowers cartoon (1950s, not a Disney cartoon but I grew up watching it and absolutely alone it. You can watch it on YouTube here)
- The plot is a very simple adaptation of the classic novel. It allows for plenty of comedic moments because DVD is king. And actually, the story isn’t really anything special. It’s a survival story, like Swiss Family Robinson or Cast Away, and while it does have good character/pot moments like Floyd and the ‘harem’, what makes this fun is the performance especially by DVD. He really shines up the story because he is top-notch with comedy (physical comedy) and this story was almost the perfect vehicle to highlight his comedic talents.
- It’s fun watching Dick Van Dyke in the lifeboat. As far as the plot goes, it doesn’t have much purpose other than establishing that he was lost at sea before reaching the island. For the plot, it could have been trimmed down, but extra time made it fun.
- The inclusion of Floyd as a character was fun and cute. He was definitely much more enjoyable to watch than the monkey from Moon Pilot and had a much more prominent role in the story.
- I love that the celebration is all for Floyd at the end. How appropriate for this type of comedy film.
What may or may not work
- If the only reason to have the ‘flirtationship’ between Crusoe and Wednesday is to be a setup for the mad chase at the end, then they could have done it better. On the one hand, I knew he wasn’t going to be leaving his fiancée for Wednesday, as the entire film is him recounting what happened in a letter to his fiancée. Yet, they could have eased up on his side a bit. It wasn’t terrible, just felt a bit much for what the story seemed to need.
Honorable Mentions
- ‘based on a story by Retlaw Yensid’ – Retlaw Yensid (Walt Disney spelled backward) helped work on the script for this movie. My Disney nerd side was stoked to see that little credit line. It’s little moments like this that help make this project worthwhile.
- ‘Hold it, hold it. I don’t see any air pump” – Rob
- Concerning air pump, see asterisk at bottom of page. Asterisk. Air pump, discontinuation of. Due to inefficient performance of air pump in survival kit, they are no longer in use. use your lungs.” – the survival guide narrator
- Okay, but the size of his raft (a VERY tiny single-person raft) and the presence of the shark is a situation that is literally right out of my nightmares.
- Did I mention that it was the tiniest lifeboat I’ve ever seen? Because it was.
- Kabuna’s smile (post-firework explosive fiasco) is hecka creepy. The best I can describe it is a creepy stone clown smile. I’ve done my best to block it from my mind.
Side Questions
- Cobwebs everywhere, so how did Floyd survive in the abandoned sub? How did he get food?
- The cobwebs were just too pristine, and there was no evidence that I could see throughout the camera sweep of the sub of a living creature until Floyd entered the scene.
Would I watch this movie again?
- Yeah, why not. It wasn’t spectacular by any means, but I love Dick Van Dyke and his physical comedy was spot on in this. Would I prefer to watch with friends/family than by myself? Yes, yes I would.
If you’ve seen Lt. Robin Crusoe U.S.N, what are some of your thoughts? Share in the comments below!
Rewind to the beginning of the Disney Film Project
Skip back to the previous film with The Ugly Dachshund
Fast Forward to the next film with The Fighting Prince of Donegal
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