Titan A. E

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While most animated movies try to maintain a constant look for the length of the film, Don Bluth mixes up the styles on Titan A.E, often within the same frame. A single scene might have bits and pieces that look like Disney, and computer graphics, and rotoscoping, and Johnny Quest. This makes each scene a visual novelty.

That's good because the story, which rips off elements from just about every Sci-Fi Film ever made, is just dumb. I won't bother with a synopses; suffice it to say it's not even good cartoon storytelling. The characters are predictable and cardboard, offering very few surprises along the way. They spend most of their time running from this or that, with occasional breaks for a fight. The fights are OK, but the real entertainment comes from the chase scenes, which provide a chance for some very stunning visuals.

The opening scene is outstanding, featuring the Earth blowing up with such force that pieces of it destroy the Moon. A romp through the gas clouds is an impressive example of the animators showing off (it has nothing to do with the story), and a cat and mouse chase in a field of ice crystals provides a sensational mix of sight and sound.

Forget any pretense of plot or suspense or adventure, this is pure eye candy. Most of the sound track is a cleche John Willimans ripoff, but when it breaks away from that the bouncy pop tunes (most notably "Over My Head") add to the fun. Rent it when you want to be impressed by visuals, without having to think, at all, about anything.