It tells the story of a volcanologist and his nephew who embark on a mission to go look for his missing brother with help from an Icelandic guide as they come across the center of the Earth.
Trevor, Sean, and Hannah investigate further into the mine until they fall into a deep hole, taking them to the "Center of the Earth".
Trevor continues to read Max's journal until he realizes from his notes that they must quickly leave, as the temperature is steadily rising.
In September 2001, Walden Media announced that Eric Brevig was hired and set to direct Journey to the Center of the Earth based on the book of the same name by Jules Verne.
In 2003, Brendan Fraser, Anita Briem, Josh Hutcherson, Seth Meyers, Jean-Michel Paré, Jane Wheeler, Giancarlo Caltabiano and Garth Gilker joined the film.
The film transposes the novel into the present day and is mostly live action, with only the landscape and creatures supplied by computer-generated graphics.
[5] The computer graphics in the film were produced by the Canadian company Meteor Studios, which declared bankruptcy immediately after having finished work on Journey to the Center of the Earth, leaving its employees and freelancers unpaid after having postponed their paychecks for three months;[6] after a lawsuit and the direct intervention of Brendan Fraser,[7] the former Meteor personnel settled for 70% of what was owed.
[6] The first trailer was shown before screenings of Meet the Robinsons, the re-release of The Nightmare Before Christmas and the release of Beowulf, with the Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, and during the 2008 Kids' Choice Awards.
[8] However, the studio had to slightly tweak the campaign (including dropping "3D" from the title) when it became clear that the film would be shown in 3-D in far fewer theaters than anticipated.
[11] It also featured the new 4D Cinema at the Weston Super-Mare Grand Pier in the U.K. and was shown in Movieworld on the Gold Coast.
Journey to the Center of the Earth was released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 28, 2008, in standard 2D format as well as a magenta / green anaglyph.
The website's critical consensus reads: "Modern visuals and an old fashioned storyline make this family adventure/comedy a fast-paced, kitschy ride".
"[17] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave it two and a half out of four, but warned "Remove a star from the rating if you take this Journey without wearing 3-D glasses.
"[18] Owen Glieberman of Entertainment Weekly gave it a B− and said "Journey is just the new version of a 1950s comin'-at-ya roller coaster, with a tape measure, trilobite antennae, and giant snapping piranha thrust at the audience.
[8] In March 2009, Universal and Walden Media announced a sequel film, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, starring Hutcherson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Caine, Luis Guzman, and Vanessa Hudgens.
It retells the condensed story of the film with the help of 3D projection and sensory effects, including moving seats, wind, mist and scents.
Locations included Warner Bros. Movie World (2010–2012),[21] Dollywood (2009–2012),[22] Enchanted Kingdom (2009–),[23] Stone Mountain, and Rainbow's End.