Titan A.E.

For many years, Disney has had a lock on the feature length animation department. However in recent years, companies ranging from Dreamworks, to 20th Century Fox have opened up animation departments to give Disney some competition.
Much was made years ago of the brain drain at Disney, as rival studious hired away top talent, and began to create films to rival the best Disney features.
Already we have seen films such as “Anastasia”, and “Prince of Egypt” arrive, and do well at the box office.
This summer, 20th Century Fox unveils their latest animated work from master animator Don Bluth, “Titan AE”.
“Titan AE” tells the story of Earth in the 31st century, or rather how Earth was destroyed by a race of energy beings known as the “Drej” It seems that the Drej fear what humanity may become to them, and wipes them out before they can reach a threat status to them.
The Earth is destroyed at the start of the film and we are told by a narration that the Drej may have feared the Titan project, and before you know it, ships are fleeing the Earth before it is destroyed.
The film then moves fifteen years in the future, where we learn that humans are nothing more than drifters in space, who either live in refugee colonies made from their escape ships, or they are scattered about the galaxy and looked down upon by the other races.
The hero of the story, Cale, (Voiced by Matt Damon) is working at a deep space scrap yard, when a sleek ship piloted by the lovely Akima (Drew Barrymore) arrives. The captain of the ship, Korso, (Bill Pullman) informs Cale that his father, who was the creator of the Titan project, was never found, and that he has spent the last fifteen years searching for his son. It seems that Cale, and Cale alone is the only person who can find his fathers Titan ship, as it was lost escaping the destruction of the Earth. It seems that the map to locate the ship is keyed to the family genes, and that Cale is the only one left who can find the ship and save humanity.
Naturally the Drej get wind of this, and will stop at nothing to ensure the destruction of the Titan once and for all.
What follows is a standard adventure tale that is accompanies by the latest heavy metal music. It seems that in some ways the filmmakers where trying to make a modern “Heavy Metal” but since a sequel to that film is nearing completion, and the fact that Titan lacks the adult content of the film, the music is a strange fit at times.
The animation is first rate, and was a delight to see. On several instances I found myself wondering if the sets were real, and portions of the ship animated around them.
While the story of the film does have some enormous plot holes, the film was entertaining. The film will probably delight those 15 and under the most as older audiences are likely to pick up on the lack of substance, and a “haven’t I seen this before” mentality,
That being said, “Titan AE” can be an entertaining summer distraction, if one does not set their expectations to high.
2.5 stars out of 5.