The Pagemaster

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The Pagemaster

G

1994

1h 15m

Kids & Family

Fantasy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

19%

Tomatometer

21 Reviews

49%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

A storm forces frightened Richard Tyler (Macaulay Culkin) inside a nearby library for shelter. Mr. Dewey (Christopher Lloyd), the librarian, sees that Richard needs an adventure and tries to give the boy a book, but all Richard wants is a phone. Before he can call his parents (Ed Begley Jr., Mel Harris), Richard slips on the floor, hits his head and passes out. When he wakes up, he finds himself in a fantasy land populated by famous literary characters.

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Barbara Creed

The Age (Australia)

Feb 10, 2024

As the cartoon characters took over, the storyline slid predictably into place as we watched Richie battle dragons and learn a lesson about the "meaning of life."

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Christy Lemire

ChristyLemire.com

Jul 15, 2018

1/4

The Pagemaster is the kind of movie first-grade teachers would have popped into the VCR in the 1990s to kill time on a rainy afternoon.

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Brian Lowry

Variety

Dec 4, 2007

Built on a wispy premise better suited to the realm of TV, The Pagemaster plays like a slickly produced afternoon special.

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Tom Ryan

The Sunday Age

Feb 12, 2024

1/4

The perfunctory prologue and epilogue, the unimaginative use of the literary sources, the mushy songs which Disney appears to have made obligatory and the lacklustre animation left me with little to do but bemoan missed opportunities.

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Sergio Benítez

Espinof

Aug 23, 2019

Narrated with a rhythm that prevents that one can get bored, the moral of 'The Pagemaster', which invokes the power of books and reading. [Full Review in Spanish]

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Alex Orner

Common Sense Media

Jan 1, 2011

2/5

Weak Macaulay Culkin fantasy with some cartoon violence.

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Malene K

@RT43420273 3 days ago

One of the movies from my 90’s childhood, that I remember watching over and over. I have been searching for it as an adult and have now finally been able to find it on VHS. So looking forward to revisiting my childhood

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Nick G

@nickg4L Jun 19, 2026

Really enjoyed this movie. It is very unique and a fun mix of live action and animation. Always find myself coming back to it even as an adult.

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Blake G.

@mblakeg Jun 13, 2026

I watched this VHS 1 million times as a kid and loved every minute of it! It was so enjoyable that I don’t quite understand why critics were so harsh on it. Maybe they should let children critique children’s films. Idk. But it’s combination of story-telling, excellent casting, and beautiful animation still stand out and make me long for those childhood days. Huge shout out to the filmmakers that created what should’ve been such a classic!

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Emily L.

@sweetestxemily May 16, 2026

I loved this movie as a kid and I still enjoy it now as an adult with my kids.

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Tyler A.

@tbird1889 Jan 24, 2026

Me and my kids love watching this movie together.

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Moon D

@moondawgie Jan 6, 2026

The moral is so central to the film that if a viewer fails to appreciate it, there's no way the clarifying monologue by "God" himself at the end will have the impact that it has for a young child questioning why the world is such a task.

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Maurice Hunt

Director

Joe Johnston

Director

Macaulay Culkin

Richard Tyler

Christopher Lloyd

Mr. Dewey and The Pagemaster

Ed Begley Jr.

Alan Tyler

Mel Harris

Claire Tyler

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Synopsis

A storm forces frightened Richard Tyler (Macaulay Culkin) inside a nearby library for shelter. Mr. Dewey (Christopher Lloyd), the librarian, sees that Richard needs an adventure and tries to give the boy a book, but all Richard wants is a phone. Before he can call his parents (Ed Begley Jr., Mel Harris), Richard slips on the floor, hits his head and passes out. When he wakes up, he finds himself in a fantasy land populated by famous literary characters.

Director: Maurice Hunt, Joe Johnston
Producer: Paul Gertz, David Kirschner
Screenwriter: David Kirschner, David Casci, Ernie Contreras
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: 20th Century Fox, Turner Pictures
Rating: G
Genre: Kids & Family, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 23, 1994, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 6, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.0M
Runtime: 1h 15m
Sound Mix: Stereo

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