Animated ‘Titan’ thrills audiences

A newcomer to the cinemas is a breathtaking thrill ride. From 20th Century Fox, “Titan A.E.” represents a wedding of traditional animation techniques with computer graphic imaging, and the result is startlingly realistic.

As in any good space opera, “Titan A.E.” centers around an epic battle between good, in the form of what remains of the human race, and evil, in the person of the Drej, a vicious alien race that destroyed the Earth itself. The two sides are racing to find the Titan, a vast worldship that is mankind’s last, best hope.

The character caught in the middle is Cale (voiced by Matt Damon). Cale’s father invented the Titan, and Cale hasn’t seen his father since the Drej attacked a decade before, when he put his son on one of the last ships out.

A resentful Cale is now a drifter-construction worker, in a universe where humans are looked down upon. Captain Korso (voiced by Bill Pullman), an old friend of Cale’s father, tracks him down and gives his life purpose. It seems that Cale unknowingly holds the key to finding the Titan.

So Cale casts in his lot with Korso and his multi-species crew: beautiful human pilot Akima (voice of Drew Barrymore), sarcastic first mate Preed (voice of Nathan Lane), weapons specialist Stith (voice of Jeanane Garofalo) and eccentric navigator Gune (voice of John Leguizamo). And the search is on.

The screenplay was written by the all-star team of Ben Edlund (“The Tick”), John August (“Go”) and Joss Whedon (“Toy Story,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”). Unfortunately, having that lineup of quirky, interesting writers makes the pedestrian script all the more disappointing.

But that’s not something the moviegoer notices when strapped into this full-size video game. Instead the animation, spearheaded by the legendary Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, grabs the viewer and doesn’t let go.

The animation combines two- and three-dimensional images in a seamless way that almost makes the moviegoer think he’s watching a live-action film. A chase through the Ice Rings of Tigrin has the feel of submarine chases in such films as “Run Silent, Run Deep” and “The Hunt for Red October.” The chase sequence on the plant Sesharrim brings to mind the best of George Lucas’ action scenes in the “Star Wars” trilogy.

My junior critic, now almost 5, stayed glued to the screen for the entire 90 minutes of the film, barely finding time for popcorn and drink. She found the film to be a little too noisy, with all the explosive action, and the faceless Drej villains were “a little scary.” But overall, she liked the film, especially the characters, the ships and the endless spacescapes.

So, despite a soft script, “Titan A.E.” is a strong film for both children and adults who like their action piled on fast and furious. And, like the best thrill rides, it leaves the excited riders wanting another turn.

Dale McGarrigle is a Style writer who writes about contemporary music, television and pop culture. His 4-year-old daughter Samantha is too big a fan of badly-dubbed Japanese cartoons and has all the attitude of a rebellious teen girl.