"In the tradition of movies about spoiled brats who learn the ways of the sea from drunken fishermen" is the humorous way the press kit described CABIN BOY, but the film turned out to be more in the tradition of rats that abandon a sinking ship. Disney okayed the Tim Burton production, along with THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS and ED WOOD, while attempting to woo the director into a long term contract. When Burton instead signed on with Warner Brothers. Disney scuttled the film, giving it only a token release in January, while studio exec Jettrey Katzenberg even joked to the press about its sinking box office.
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