My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analyses: "Titan A.E." - The Cool, Edgy and Hip Sci-Fi-Adventure From Don Bluth That Was a Flop, But Became a Cult Classic

Hi folks! Welcome to my My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analysis blog. A blog where I'm analyzing several Disney films, Disney or Animation in general! These entries are just meant to be my analyses. Not reviews or statements. Just fun analyses! Though I'll make some personal remarks now and then, the content of these entries are meant to be depicted objectively. They're made for entertainment purpose only and the pictures/clips are copyright Disney or other companies.

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I know that the sign on my hand looks like a Manchester United sign :) But it`s really not :)

I`m (Kida) is tired that
my franchise is all
about Milo, so I
wanted to ousthine him
:)

Animation is such a vast and varied medium that is perfectly able to
cover and carry many types of stories and genres. Unfortunately, animation is also labeled for mostly being financially successful for covering only Some types of genres. And if there`s been a stigma to a one type of genre, it`s been that of Sci-Fi Adventures movies. Who`s mostly been labeled for belonging to the wrong audience of tween and teenage boys. Since that demographic is the lesser group to seek out an animated movie. This has essentially been the case when Disney tried to enter into that genre: Whenever they`ve made a Sci-Fi adventure, they have usually flopped (with the small exception of Lilo & Stitch, for despite having Sci-Fi elements, was never truly an adventure).

At least I`m not
setting Fire to the
Rain ;) Right, Adele?
:)

It happened at the beginning with this new Millenium with two of Disney`s highly anticipated features: 2001`s Atlantis The Lost Empire and with the even bigger bomb Treasure Planet in 2002. And recently it happened with 2022`s overlooked and frankly forgotten Strange World. Regardless of the unfortunate stigma of that genre, the truth is that most of them were actually good movies (despite how Atlantis was somewhat a critical dud). But in that case, it`s still a pity that the Sci-Fi adventure genre in animation is mostly stillborn (sure, The Iron Giant could`ve technically been perceived to belong to the genre, despite how it only taps at it slightly). But regarding the history of that genre, there was one movie that preceded Disney before they entered the genre. And it was from none other than Don Bluth. Which was 2000`s Titan A.E.

General Information About Titan A.E.

Released June 16th, 2000, Titan A.E. was both directed and produced by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman. Released from 20th Century Fox. And yes, it was their first film for the new Millenium. But also the third and final project by Fox Animation Studios. Having an A-list cast starring Matt Damon (his first animated voice acting job, before Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron), Drew Barrymore, Bill Pullman, John Leguizamo (also his first animated voice acting gig), Nathan Lane (The Lion King), Ron Perlman, Alex D. Linz (Tarzan) and yes, even animation veteran Jim Cummings. With a screenplay by John August (Aladdin, Charlie`s Angels, Frankenweenie, Iron Man) and Joss Whedon (Toy Story, Buffy, The Avengers, Speed, Captain America: The Winter Solider).

Glen Ballard (Alanis Morissette, Michael Jackson) was the music supervisor. Bruce Zick (Lion King, The Prince of Egypt, Finding Nemo, Wall-E) was among the conceptual artists. Mireille Soria (Spirit, Madagascar,

Home) was a creative consultant. Bobbi Page (The Little Mermaid, A Goofy Movie, Pocahontas) was among the choir. Jamiroquai performed Everybody`s Going to the Moon. Titan A.E. was also filmed in Cinemascope. The critics were divided and mixed about the movie, as some blamed the story and characters for being lackluster. And it`s final grossings were $22,753,426 Domestically and $36,754,634 Worldwide, against it`s $75,000,000 budget.

Comparisons to it`s Sci-Fi and Don Bluth Counterparts

Ignore the tagline, both of us
survived ;) Otherwise we
wouldn`t have our movies :)

Since Titan A.E. was released in the arrival of the new Millenium, at least it served as a deliberate departure from the animated norm at the time. Arriving in a time where the Disney Renaissance quietly made it`s exit and Disney were slowly morphing into a new formula (and another dark age), Titan was distinctive enough at the time to stand out. It also arrived in a time where hand drawn animation also slowly made it`s exit. But despite that Titan is comparable to it`s two aforementioned Disney followers, the truth is that comparison is of course a superficial one. After all, Atlantis takes place in 1914 and follows an alternative version of the myth. And Treasure Planet is even more alternative, taking place in a setting who`s a blend of Sci-Fi and the 1700th Century. Titan, however, takes place in an alternative, futurstic version that`s only Sci-Fi (and sure, it`s easy to see the Star Wars-influence on it). But surprisingly enough it`s also eclectic, as it has Asian and African-Americans characters (when a Chinese woman heard the Chinese spoken, she laughed, because it sounded accurate).

I know that you`re a dead
gadget, but I`m still paranoid if
you`re dangerous :)

But frankly, the comparisons between Planet and Titan are more relevant, for taking place in outer space. And just like Planet, having a blend of aliens and humans. And also like Planet, having a rebellious youth as a lead (despite how Cale is even more arrogant and reckless). And just like Planet, it has a protagonist who has daddy issues, who`s father`s left him (despite how it`s for different reasons). But also a character becomes (somewhat) a surrogate father to the lead and betrays him (despite how the fatherly bond is stronger in Planet). But it`s easy to call the Sci-Fi trend calculated, as it was a short-lived trend in animation at the time (but unfortunately very short-lived for it`s failure). But if we`re going to compare Titan to Bluth`s predecessors, it`s fair to state that it serves as a departure (despite how he made a video game set in Space in 1983, Space Ace).

Guess who`s supposed to be
the dumb one of us? :)

But at least it`s an inspired departure. Since Bluth did his own thing initially and deliberately copied the Disney Renaissance Formula afterwards with of Thumbelina and Anastasia, Titan was truly it`s own thing. And frankly also the most futurustic movie the studio made. But hey, there`s nothing wrong by departing from the formula once in a while. But for more comparisions to Bluth: Yes, Cale looks similar to Bluth`s previous leading men, like Dimitri from Anastasia and Cornelius from Thumbelina. And while Akima may not be identical to Anastasia or Thumbelina, she still displays similar features. And the bugs are similar to Bluth`s other properties.

The Other Elements of Titan A.E.

Yes, I know it`s hard to see a
woman with a spaceship. But
get used to it ;)

As for what else could be said about Titan A.E., the truth is that the story is fairly simple and traditional. At least it`s premise is fairly interesting, to show the destruction of the Earth and having humans flee to another planet. It follows a traditional "chosen one" narrative. And also a character (Korso) who knew the parent of the protagonist and gets him to a mission (and even betrays him, but gets on his side again and makes his sacrifice. But also Korso experiences his own betrayal. And Korso was going to die, without redeeming himself). But what`s also remarkable is how (as aforementioned) the lead character essentially starts out as a reckless and unlikable jerk.

Don`t get used to it, soon we`ll
start to argue :)

Despite how Cale isn`t the first or last lead character in an animated movie who starts out as one, he comes across as extremely off-putting at first. But he`s still given an understated and subtle arc of his own. And sure, he`s gives a mandatory love interest in Akima, who`s both assertive and headstrong in true animated mold, despite how she doesn`t display a definitive personality (and being Bluth`s first female of color, making the romance an interracial one). And just like DreamWorks` The Road to El Dorado, it shows our protagonist naked, both the male and the female (and yes, Cale was supposed to be completely nude in that scene, but the creative team urged to put a towel on him).

The Staple of Titan A.E.

Titanic was taken :)

As for the final staple and reputation of Titan A.E., the truth is that it is labeled to be remembered as a flop. And while it would be easy to blame it`s genre, the truth is that the studio had many financial troubles, which is why there wasn`t any budget to promote it. If would be easy to put Titan into the underrated-staple or the forgotten box. Cause frankly, it isn`t regarded for being one of the greatest animated movies ever. And it`s final ratings aren`t huge. Despite how it boasts a 6.6 on Imdb, 68% on Google and 61% on Popcornmeter on RottenTomatoes. However, it still managed to gain a Cult following throughout the years. Which at least is deserved.

Behind the Scenes Information

I know I`m not Satan, but I
wanted to scare ya :)

Titan A.E. was originally meant to be a live-action film named Planet Ice, with Art Vitello to direct in 1996. In November 1997, it had been revamped into an animated feature. After finishing the direct-to-video Anastasia spinoff Bartok the Magnificent, Bluth and Goldman had no work, so Titan A.E. came to them in the summer of 1998. They joined in August/September 1998, to speed things up. And they decided that it would be in animation. Mostly due to it being less expensive. In 1998, Vitello signed off. Originally it was going to be released in 1999. The visual effects were made by the Blue Sky/VIFX visual effects studio and Lucasfilm`s Industrial Light and Magic. And millions were spent on previsualization tests of space environments and spacecraft. The studio would shut the studio unless they took another project.

I made it myself :)

Despite their inexperience with the Sci-Fi genre, Bluth and Goldman took the script. They thought the project might change their lives. And they wanted to make a picture that's edgier, but still reaches the family and and briought the teenagers. Before their involvement, $30 million had been spent on pre-production. And every time they reached a direction that was close to previous Sci-Fi movies, the crew who were sci-fi fanatics would say that they were too close to something previous. Fox CEO Bill Mechanic thought the film would look good in CG. But there were only few animators who knew how to do it. Still, there was more CGI in that movie than in Anastasia, about 60%.

I wanted to look tough, but the
girls thought that I was cute :)

Titan was the most difficult project for Bluth, for the complexity of the scenes and camera moves. While the directors denied the influence by anime (especially Akira), they have acknowledged the comparison. The studio suffered many cutbacks during production. Which is why much of the work was outsourced to many independent studios. Which prevented the promotion and distribution. Titan was the first picture to be screened in end-to-end digital cinema. Transmitted in digital form, through the Internet, to the digital projector at the theater. Titan A.E. production schedule was through 19 months. But in test screenings, the younger crew thought it was too adult and parents thought it was too violent. But it was advertised on Nickelodeon for a tween demographic. Most of the actors were involved before the directors came along. But their voices were re-recorded after script changes.

The Iron Giant made the
shields for my knees :)

The scene where the Earth blew up was in the work of a year. To have a current rock soundtrack and not dating the film was a challenge. Damon was chosen for his sullen quality of his voice. Tibetan Munks were used for the sound of the Drej`s. Gune was the favorite character of the audience. Gun`s line "Gun`s your daddy" got the biggest laughs in test audiences. The directors were apprehensive by the last line in the movie (where Cale calls the planet Bob), but the audiences liked it. The complex comibination of both mediums was a reason why the movie took a year longer to complete. Oliver Scholl from Independence Day designed the interiors of the Valkyrie ship. Steve Burg (Terminator 2, X-Men) designed the Drej ships. Wayne Barlowe (Babylon 5) worked on the alien designs.

Epilogue

I`m gonna show this compass
to both Pocahontas and John
Smith :)

At the end, Titan A.E.

is essentially an unsung and overlooked gem in animation. And it`s a pity that it flopped and was overlooked when it was first released. But it`s still nice that it`s received it`s status as a cult classic. But it`s a pity that it`s genre (the Sci-Fi movies in animation) is essentially synonymous with Box Office failure and will most likely never be successful at the Box Office. As for my own personal experience with Titan, the truth is that despite how I was really into animation when the film was released (and even non-Disney animation), the truth is that I unfortunately never saw it when it was released (when I was in the middle of my teens).

Yes, a woman can drive a
spaceship :)

However, when I finally saw it many years later, I liked it a lot. It`s a very good and entertaining movie, who`s fresh and breezy, have a tight script, good voice acting, beautifully drawn and have great music, both it`s songs and score. And frankly was more adult in tone. My only gripes with it is how the comic reliefs were annoying and simply didn`t work (despite how they didn`t completely sully the picture) and how some of the CGI simply didn`t blend with the rest of the animation. But since this entry was meant to synergize with it`s 25th Anniversary (yes, it`s hard to believe that it`s been that long), there`s nothing left to wish Titan A.E. Happy 25th Anniversary and may you continue to have many more.