Product Description

A reluctant young hero holds the key to the future of mankind in the palm of his hand in this eye-popping, sci-fi adventure. In the year 3028 the Drej, a vicious alien race, has destroyed earth. Fifteen years later a young man named Cale learns he possesses a genetically encoded map to the Titan, a spaceship that holds the secret to the salvation of the human race. With the Drej in hot pursuit, Cale blasts off with the crew of the Valkyrie in an attempt to find the Titan before the Drej destroy it - and with it, mankind's last chance for a home of their own. Featuring an all-star voice cast that includes Matt Damon and Drew Barrymore and an edgy, out of this world soundtrack, Titan A.E. is an intergalactic thrill ride for a new generation.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8569 in DVD
• Brand: Titan
• Released on: 2000-11-07
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: Spanish, English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 94 minutes

Amazon.com
A visual knockout, Titan A.E. is an ambitious animated feature that combines traditional animations, computer-generated imagery, and special effects in the service of a science fiction adventure plotted with narrative conventions familiar from Star Wars and Star Trek. Credit directors Don Bluth (An American Tail, The Secret of NIMH, Anastasia) and Gary Goldman with crafting a vivid, convincing look to this deep space saga, which conjures some stunning images. A tense opening sequence climaxing in the destruction of Earth, a watery planet where delicate but deadly hydrogen trees float, joyriding in a starship while pursued by playful "space angels," and a nerve-wracking journey through a lethal maze of massive ice crystals each qualify as mesmerizing sequences in any film context.

What's visually stunning proves intermittently stunted on the narrative front, however. Orphaned when the evil Drej atomize Earth, protagonist Cale (voiced by Matt Damon) must journey across space to unlock the mystery of his late father's final project, the Titan spacecraft, in a test of faith and filial identity that echoes Star Wars. The Titan itself ultimately poses a cosmic potential familiar to admirers of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Comical sidekicks (Nathan Lane, Janeane Garofalo, John Leguizamo), a sultry love interest (Drew Barrymore), and a roguish mentor (Bill Pullman) all verge on the generic, narrowly redeemed by dialogue from a writing team including Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon.

It's likely that Titan's target audience of young males prompted the filmmakers to walk a tightrope between softer family features and more violent, hard-edged anime. Titan's brief bloodshed and coy nudity stop short of PG-13 terrain, though younger viewers might be unsettled by the violence. Young teens will find the proceedings tamer than the video games and anime fantasies that have influenced it. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews

"Who's your Daddy! "
I went to see "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" the second day it came out,(and boy was I dissapointed) during the previews I saw a small teaser trailer for this film with Cale speaking while the Titan escapes the Earth's destruction. I expected that Titan A.E. would be an all-CG film ala "Antz" or "Toy Story" so I was curious. Later on I discovered that it would be a hand drawn animated film combined with CG animation and effects. I grew even more curious, but I was a serious anime fan, and after seeing great stuff like "Akira," "Bubblegum Crisis" and "Ghost in the Shell" I was convinced that I would never see anything the least bit close of quality come out of the U.S., I was in for a huge surprise.

Titan A.E.(in which I went to see the first day of it's release) turned out to be an awesome experience that was just as exciting as any anime I've seen. First of all the animation was simply incredible, the characters were the normal, well-drawn Don Bluth character designs which were good, but the real star was the CG effects and animation that blended with the hand-drawn animation even BETTER than the anime,"Blue Submarine No. 6" did. Plus, it was nothing like anything I've seen out of an American animated movie. No comic sidekicks(which is symbolized in one early scene in a comically violent scene) intense kick-ass music that perfectly complements the tense action and DOESN'T degenerate into a dumb musical. And it contains a number of awesome, visually spectacular action scenes. From the fast- paced chase scene involving spherical hydrogen trees to the final chase at the Ice Rings of Tegrin(Cale's chase with the Wake Angels was an awe-inspiring moment), Titan A.E. is a far cry from anything that Disney has put out. But cynical and angry critics and moviegoers buried Titan A.E. and just saw it as a "cartoon." Which is a real tragedy, cause Titan A.E. deserves a lot more recognition than it's getting.

Overall, I really think people should appreciate this film for what it's trying to be, a mature animated film that is really targeting teenagers and tries to avoid the "Disney" syndrome. Titan A.E. isn't really a movie for children, it can be violent and has content that reaches the PG-13 rating.(which I find even more refreshing) But overall, I can't wait for this wonderful movie to come out on DVD, and I hope that Fox puts plenty of effort into it and provides it with lots of extras. If you just leave your cynicism at the door you will discover an awesome film. Titan A.E. is one of the best (and underated) films of the year, that's even better than Disney's "Dinosaur". American Animation would take a turn for the better if there were more films such as this( and "The Iron Giant" which suffered the same fate.) But unfortunately after the results of the last two movies, that doesn't seem very likely...

Titan After Earth: TAKE THAT DISNEY!
Ok, so the film bombed, and killed ANY chance to see another spectacular film like this from Fox Studios ever again. I hope it will get much more attention on DVD then it did in theatres. Hopefully it will also have alot of fun and cool features for the fans.

This movie shows that Disney isn't the only ones with animation talent. But unlike Disney Fox isn't afraid to market to an older audience. The characters are all very cool, with an original plot to boot! Some neat plot twists along the way, and VERY VERY VERY cool animation mixed BEAUTIFULLY with the best special effects you'll ever see in an animated film. This movie wasn't predictable, and kept me guessin HOW it was gonna all end. The ending is a stretch of the imagination. I did notice someone mutter how "impossible" it was. But this is science fiction! who cares! My only problem is that it ended too quickly, I would've enjoyed it even more had it been 2 hrs. The voice talents are great, but at times unrecognizable (I didn't know John Leguizamo was in it till I saw the credits.) I also wanna mention the AWESOME music! Its all rock and you'll be moshing in your seat as it keeps the movie rolling along smoothly.

My favorite scene is when Matt Damons character is flying the ship along with the wake angels. That was pure eye candy, and I can't wait to see this movie again on video! I'll be first in line to get it on DVD! Way to go FOX! Too bad this movie will be the last of it's kind.

Brilliantly written and executed
Once again, I find myself defending the substance of a movie that everyone claims has none.

First off, let me say that this movie has a unique and complex plot. I really don't see how anyone can dislike Titan's storyline. The Titan is NOT like the Genesis device from the Wrath of Kahn (Titan builds a new planet, while Genesis provides instant terraforming of an existing world) and Cale has NOTHING in common with Luke Skywalker except blonde hair. I've seen movies that ended with the end of the world (End of Evangelion, for example), but this is the only one that begins with the end of the world and tells of what happens afterward. Simply put, this is a movie about finding hope after everything you know has been lost. Don Bluth tells this type of story well, and though Titan is certainly no Land Before Time, it does a damn fine job of pulling its characters' heartstrings. The first few minutes after the opening credits are VERY finely crafted, and they thoroughly convince us that humanity has become much like pre-WW2 Jews - i.e., having lost their homeland, everyone else steps all over them because they know they can get away with it. From there, the story becomes a sort of scavenger hunt, driven by Cale's desire to find his father, Korso's desire to get rich, Preed's desire to evade execution by the Drej, and Akima's desire to have a home where two inches of steel aren't the only thing separating you from space. The character interactions are as detailed and three-dimensional as the CGI, thanks in no small part to the infinite brilliance of Joss Whedon. There is a constant feeling of atmosphere; a perpetual, indescribable intensity that applies to everything from the crystal blue Drej ship interiors to the dusty and broken ruins of the Gau civilization. The ever-cool Bill Pullman does a great job as the redeemable almost-villain Captain Korso, Drew Barrymore adds both sugar and spice to the role of Akima, Nathan Lane is PERFECT as Preed, and I've never met a Janine Garofalo role that I didn't like. My compliments to the casting director.

Even the jaw-dropping eye candy is nearly always only shown when the plot is moving ahead, such as the chase through the hydrogen trees that eventually just gets Cale and Akima caught by the Drej. With a steady subtle undercurrent of sexual tension and liberal amounts of comedy to fill the gaps, there is almsot never a dull moment, although there is that one useless scene with the Wake Angels. The two or three plot twists are genuinely surprising, the blend of animation and CGI is seamless, and Don Bluth once again proves that he is the GOD of all animation.

There are no plot holes. There's a reasonable explanation for everything, you just have to pay attention and sometimes use a little logic. It's not unreasonable to assume, for example, that Cale learned the Drej language. Strict adherence to science isn't always there, but in Sci-Fi, that's impossible to avoid. The only complaint that I have with Titan is the soundtrack; it's mostly full of annoyingly anti-melodic hard rock/metal, though the lyrics (if you listen to them) set the mood quite accurately. The only song that I've come to like is "Over my Head" by Lit.

Ignore the critics; like all of Don Bluth's work, this is easily better than most Disney or Anime movies, and stands as an example of what American animation can and should be.