The Adventures of Huck Finn

"The Adventures of Huck Finn," which has been made into several movies of varying quality over the years, this time gets the Disney treatment.

Mark Twain's novel, which is considered by many a masterpiece of American literature, was, of course, a social satire pointing out the fallacy of slavery as an institution - and was decidedly not a children's book.

But every movie version has been aimed at kids, probably because the central character is a youth. So, it's hard to be critical of this version for doing the same. And judged as a picture for young audiences it certainly stacks up as one of the better examples among recent efforts.

Elijah Wood, a very appealing young actor ("Forever Young," "Paradise"), plays Huck, and though one could quibble about his being too young and too modern for the role - especially when he sounds off with improper grammar that feels less natural than it should - he definitely grows on you. But Courtney B. Vance as Jim, the runaway slave with whom Huck travels downriver, is superb, investing the character with a sense of dignity and humor that gives him some real depth.

Also well cast are Ron Perlman as Huck's nasty father and, as the conniving King and the Duke, Jason Robards and Robbie Coltrane.

Though necessarily episodic, the film maintains a nice sense of narrative and boasts some gorgeous cinematography and a rousing score (by Bill Conti).

Be warned, however, that the PG rating may be a bit mild for the amount of violence here, though most is off camera.