Titan AE (2000) Review
January 26th 2011 18:50
I'm a huge fan of animated movies, and one of the often neglected masters of animation is Don Bluth. With “All dogs go to heaven”, “An American Tale” and “The secret of Nihm” The number of animated classics on his resume is impressive to say the least. Sadly, we live in a day and
age when animated films are generally vehicles to sell stuffed toys and amusement park tickets. While I got no problem with Disney, Don Bluth's work has always seemed a little more . . .genuine and endearing to me when compared to the biggest Disney blockbusters. He seems a man who's there to created something beautiful, edgy, and thought provoking while Disney's work often seems uninspired and formulaic.
In 2000 Don Bluth got his hot hands on a script for a science fiction film that had been tossed around to several directors and studios for years, one for a more “Adult” animated film that featured a science fiction premise that rivaled Star Wars or Dune in terms of depth and imagination. Long being a proponent that animation isn't just for kids, Don Bluth took the reins and gave us “Titan AE” one of my personal favorite animated films.
Titan AE begins on . . .shall we say, a low note. In the first five minutes of the film, the planet Earth is blown to pieces by an alien race known as “the Dredge” beings a pure energy that for one reason or another feel greatly threatened by mankind's continued existence. A young Cale is rescued by his father, sent on a ship escaping the planet but left with a mark on his left hand that will one day direct him to his father's life work, a mysterious and powerful ship that was the reason the Dredge got all up in our grill in the first place. Years later Cale is rescued by pirate captain Keslo, who promises him a way to find his lost birthright, the Titan, and with it a way to save what's left of the human race.
Universal Animation managed to recruit some fairly big names to lend their voiced to the project, including Bill Pullman, Mat Damon, Drew Barrymore, Janine Gorrafalo, John Liguizamo, Nathan Lane, and Ron Perlman. Nothing is lost in translation here, all the actors and actresses add to the lovable cast of characters given to us by Bluth's endearing animation. Don't think for a moment that this movie is for kids, while there isn't any profanity (Harkening to Bluth's strict personal rule that “cartoons don't cuss”) there is violence and real terror. The science fiction is very solid, Titan AE works within a very complex but believable universe. Bluth's animation style works surprisingly well within the realm of science fiction, the way he animates alien characters range form cuddly to scary but even characters that are merely there to fill the background are alive with expression and emotion.
For all it's good points, there are a number of things weighing Titan AE down. The main reason most critics didn't give it a good review is it's over-reliance on computer animation. Undoubtedly the CGI in the movie would have been fine were the animators not rushed through production, working with a budget that kept getting smaller and smaller as producers lost interest in the project. Don Bluth himself laments in the DVD commentary about all the corners that had to be cut, like having to work around CGI backgrounds that are visibly unfinished in the final cut of the film. I can almost see the heartless studio executive standing over the animators shoulder going “All right, that's good enough,”. Critics lambasted the poor CGI, one saying the movie was like “Watching someone else play video games”.
Still, like all of Bluth's work, his hardcore fans are forgiving of the shortcomings, and embrace Titan AE as what it is: a damn good movie with a few rough spots. Sure it could have been better, but it's still pretty good. I for one say, give it a chance and if your like me you'll find yourself geeking out like a Star Trek fan watching “Wrath of Khan” for the first time. The story, the characters, the music, it all works together well to give you a sci-fi masterpiece that you'll really get into.
How many movies Blow up the Earth in the first five minutes?
Titan AE begins on . . .shall we say, a low note. In the first five minutes of the film, the planet Earth is blown to pieces by an alien race known as “the Dredge” beings a pure energy that for one reason or another feel greatly threatened by mankind's continued existence. A young Cale is rescued by his father, sent on a ship escaping the planet but left with a mark on his left hand that will one day direct him to his father's life work, a mysterious and powerful ship that was the reason the Dredge got all up in our grill in the first place. Years later Cale is rescued by pirate captain Keslo, who promises him a way to find his lost birthright, the Titan, and with it a way to save what's left of the human race.
For all it's good points, there are a number of things weighing Titan AE down. The main reason most critics didn't give it a good review is it's over-reliance on computer animation. Undoubtedly the CGI in the movie would have been fine were the animators not rushed through production, working with a budget that kept getting smaller and smaller as producers lost interest in the project. Don Bluth himself laments in the DVD commentary about all the corners that had to be cut, like having to work around CGI backgrounds that are visibly unfinished in the final cut of the film. I can almost see the heartless studio executive standing over the animators shoulder going “All right, that's good enough,”. Critics lambasted the poor CGI, one saying the movie was like “Watching someone else play video games”.
Still, like all of Bluth's work, his hardcore fans are forgiving of the shortcomings, and embrace Titan AE as what it is: a damn good movie with a few rough spots. Sure it could have been better, but it's still pretty good. I for one say, give it a chance and if your like me you'll find yourself geeking out like a Star Trek fan watching “Wrath of Khan” for the first time. The story, the characters, the music, it all works together well to give you a sci-fi masterpiece that you'll really get into.
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