The Forgotten Epic From Don Bluth And Joss Whedon Is Sexy, Sci-Fi Perfection
By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Growing up, I always admired Don Bluth, whose animated films felt strange, different from the clean, shiny Walt Disney movies. Some of them were moving and encouraging, like American tail. Some were almost scary in their own way, like NIMH Secrets again All Dogs Go to Heaven. In a weird way, that was part of the charm: when you know what to expect from a Disney movie, you. never know what you will get from Don Bluth. That's especially true of his long-forgotten, turn-of-the-millennium sci-fi: Titan AE.
To put it mildly, Titan AE a movie that shouldn't work. The plot is filled with warm sci-fi elements, 2D and 3D animation clash, and the voice cast is more than eclectic. However, all of these strange ingredients add up to a strangely delicious drink. Film has grown tremendously, especially since Star Trek and Star Wars have started to circle the trenches. If you want a truly new look at the future, you have to take a trip to the past. Fortunately, it's just a click away: Titan AE currently streaming for free on Tubi.
In Your Space
The layout of Titan AE that after Earth is invaded by evil aliens, humans must roam the galaxy, each trying to piece together a life. One of these people is Cale, whose father worked in a prestigious job that attracted the attention of the aliens. As a young man, he joins a ragtag group that needs his help (and the holographic map in his ring) to track down his father's old ship. According to dear old dad, that ship may hold the key to saving what's left of humanity. But unless our hero can defeat the alien army and find friends he can truly trust, the human race may be completely destroyed.
The most important thing Titan AE its animation style. The film came out after a few years toy Story standard CGI animation. As such, this movie has a mix of styles: most of it is animated with brilliantly beautiful 2D animation, but some of the action (actually, anything involving aliens or spaceships) is animated with CGI. This effectively ends up being a double-edged sword Titan AE. On the other hand, the animation styles clash, and some of the computer-generated graphics have aged badly. On the other hand, this mix of styles offers Titan AE a a lot a unique style, suitable only for the film, to this day, like no other cartoon you have seen.
You're Smart And Words
While Titan AE will appeal to a wide audience (including animation fiends and sci-fi nerds), it will especially contact fans of shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer again Firefly. That's because Joss Whedon is one of the film's writers, and he does a great job bringing these quirky characters to life. And, while I'm saying this it's getting me arrested by crazy fans, writing on Titan AE arguably represents Whedon at his peak: the dialogue is funny and memorable without feeling like it's trying too hard. Personally, I'll take dialogue like this any day over Whedon's attempts at comedy The Avengersa movie where a quarter of Tony Stark's lines are dumb puns and outdated references.
Of course, the dialogue on Titan AE that's mostly memorable because of the film's oddly stacked cast. The King is the King intern Nathan Lane provides good comic relief as the alien, while Bill Pullman is an absurdly charismatic figure as the space captain. Janeane Garofalo lends her comedic talents to a sort of cruel alien mother, and Drew Barrymore is all charming confidence as the pilot's love interest. At the heart of it all is Matt Damon, whose rich performance helps the main character Cale stand out as one of the freshest and funniest main characters in sci-fi history.
In Space, Everyone Can Hear You Move
Besides the unique animation, beautiful writing, and immersive voice cast, Titan AE has one secret weapon in its arsenal: a killer alt-rock soundtrack. We get fun needle drops from millennial-friendly bands like Lit, Jamiroquai, and Powerman 5000, making this complete movie for everyone who went to high school in the '90s. Heck, this is a movie that prominently featured “Creed” in its trailer, cementing this movie as an artifact of a simpler time. Will the soundtrack make aging adults want to get up and shake their groove thing? Yes. Will you need a little pain medicine after the procedure? And yes.
All of this adds up to a film that is greater than the sum of its parts. The story is a mishmash of various sci-fi cliches, but mixes them well enough that the resulting film feels surprisingly fresh. The animation styles clash at times, but the combination of 2D and 3D looks better than any modern animation. Furthermore, while the needle drops from the film's serious past, that's not necessarily a bad thing; rather, they serve as a bass-shaking reminder that Titan AE from the waning trade of the golden age of animation.
Do you want to relive those golden years? Don't worry: you won't have to form a ragtag band to find answers on the far side of the galaxy. All you need to do is check Titan AEcurrently streaming for free on Tubi. This movie meets Star Wars Fireflyand it will appeal to anyone who has ever scornfully quoted the works of Joss Whedon. Throw in a rousing soundtrack and a star-studded celebrity cast, and you've got a forgotten epic worth sharing with all. the galaxy.
