Voiceover stars from the movie, which is an updated version of the Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Treasure Island, turned out for the gala screening in the French capital.

David Hallyday, son of veteran rock 'n' roll star Johnny Hallyday, and actress Michelle Laroque take the voices of the cartoon characters in the French version.

The cast of the English-speaking version include Joseph Gordon-Levitt of Third Rock from the Sun fame, Emma Thompson and Frasier's David Hyde Pierce.

The twist in the Disney adaptation of Stevenson's tale is that it is set in the future as skateboarding Jim Hawkins acts as cabin boy on a space galleon travelling across the universe.

While on board he hooks up with a cyborg cook by the name of John Silver, who has dastardly secret plans of mutiny.

Unlike many Disney full-length cartoons, the characters in Treasure Planet do not break into song.

Well received

The film premièred in Paris three weeks before it opens to American audiences, where it will open in time for the lucrative festive period.

Disney has suffered several box office disappointments of late with The Emperor's New Groove and Atlantis: The Lost Empire failing to ignite the imagination of cinema-goers.

But it did score a hit with the 2002 movie Lilo and Stitch.

Tuesday's showing of Treasure Planet received rapturous applause from the invited VIPs, boding well for its box office future.

The idea for updating Treasure Island into a science fiction picture came from director Ron Clements, who suggested it 17 years ago.

The animation is half hand drawn and half computer generated, with technological advances used to give it a 3-D feel.