While we can usually assume a box office flop that killed an animation studio would be a total letdown, one hidden earned a reputation as a cult classic. Telling the story of humanity trying to survive the destruction of Earth in the vast recesses of space, this star-studded sci-fi mixed hand-drawn and computer-generated imagery to tell a thrilling story that never quite got its due from mainstream viewers. Originally envisioned as a live-action sci-fi for adults, the unusual production history of this 20th Century Fox meant it failed to reach an appropriate audience.

Featuring the voices of major stars like Matt Damon, Bill Pullman, and Drew Barrymore, Titan A.E. has not endured in the public consciousness in the same way other box office flop that killed its own studio, now is the time to look back on this cult classic and recognize its appeal.

Titan A.E. Was A Critical & Commercial Disappointment In 2000

Despite Incredible Visuals, Titan A.E. Flopped At The Box Office

Titan A.E. was an incredible animated sci-fi from directors Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, the same duo behind the beloved musical fantasy Anastasia from 1997. As a critical and commercial disappointment, viewers simply did not turn out for this action-adventure story about displaced humans attempting to secure humanity's survival while facing off against aliens in the harsh conditions of outer space. Made on a budget of around $90 million (LA Times), Titan A.E. was a financial flop that grossed just $36.8 million at the box office.

While Titan A.E. received a tepid response from critics at the time, this was a richly imagined sci-fi story with stunning visuals that was clearly a labor of love on the part of everyone involved. As a cast of refugee humans attempts to track down the Titan spaceship needed to secure a new home planet and avoid humanity's extinction, Titan A.E. brought to mind the rebellious space-set adventure of Treasure Planet and the fugitive struggles seen in Joss Whedon’s Firefly years later.

There was a sense of maturity and stakes to Titan A.E. that set it apart from other animated releases from the same era. While audiences were likely expecting something more along the family-friendly lines of Disney movies, such as The Emperor's New Groove and Atlantis: The Lost Empire, what they got was a boundary-pushing blend of post-apocalyptic sci-fi with the epic space opera aesthetic of Star Wars. On the surface, Titan A.E. looked like it was made for little kids, yet the actual film was a challenging and dark story of survival in the harshest of circumstances.

Titan A.E. Was The Final Movie Produced By Fox Animation Studios

All Releases From The Studio Were Halted After Titan A.E.’s Failure

The failure of Titan A.E. was the end of an era for the brief run of Fox Animation Studios. As a subsidiary of Fox that was founded by the animators Bluth and Goldman, the pair released just three movies under the subsidiary over six years and were forced to call it quits just ten days after the release of Titan A.E. While the studio’s first movie, Anastasia, was a hit at the box office that received widespread praise and acclaim, the failure of the direct-to-video Anastasia spin-off Bartok the Magnificent and Titan A.E. signaled the studio’s demise.

While directors Don Bluth and Gary Goldman never made another theatrically released film after the failure of Titan A.E., the pair did start a Kickstarter campaign in 2015, hoping to resurrect hand-drawn animation with a film version of the Dragon’s Lair video game. Sadly, this did not receive enough funds to proceed.

Poor financial returns meant Fox Animation Studios couldn't continue, and after Titan A.E. flopped, its plans to adapt Wayne Barlowe's illustrated novel Barlowe's Inferno were halted (via USA Today.) This was set to become 20th Century Fox's first fully computer-animated film, and if released as planned, it would have pre-dated Ice Age’s accomplishment of this feat.

Another planned film from Fox Animation Studios was The Little Beauty King, an adult animated release directed by Steve Oedekerk that sought to satirize the Disney Renaissance. As a film that was reportedly vetoed (via Oedeville) six months before the release of DreamWorks' Shrek, The Little Beauty King could have hilariously parodied fairytale tropes well before audiences first encountered the titular ogre. With plenty of interesting projects in the works for Fox Animation Studios, the failure of Titan A.E. had the unfortunate domino effect of closing the door on several fascinating films.

Titan A.E. Has Found Its Audience Over The Past 25 Years

It Took Some Time, But Titan A.E. Has Been Reappraised By Sci-Fi Lovers

While Titan A.E. didn’t initially receive much acclaim, over the past quarter of a century, viewers slowly realized its outstanding appeal. With incredible visuals, Titan A.E. paired hand-drawn animation with mostly CGI backgrounds and hinted at a potential future where entirely computer-generated movies didn’t dominate the animation industry. As a prime example of how filmmakers could take the best of each style to create something better than the sum of its parts, had Titan A.E. been a hit and Fox Animation Studios hadn’t shut down, perhaps the animation landscape could look different today.

There’s a dated charm to the use of contemporary rock bands like Fun Lovin' Criminals and Jamiroquai that just screams the early 2000s in the best possible way. In an era where sci-fi cinema has become so dominated by franchise films and familiar IPs, the fact that Titan A.E. tried to be something new feels like a breath of fresh air, and as a standalone movie, it feels like a hidden gem just waiting to be discovered by modern audiences.

The care taken to build the world of Titan A.E. in a way that recalled sci-fi classics without outright ripping them off also made it feel like the type of sprawling universe that could have endlessly been expanded. With two prequel novels and a three-issue comic book series released back in 2000, there’s just enough extended media and expanded lore to ensure committed viewers have kept the legacy of Titan A.E. alive all these years later. For those looking for an underrated animated movie that delivers on all fronts, Titan A.E. ticks all the boxes.

Sources: LA Times, Kickstarter, USA Today, Oedeville