I’ve always been a huge fan of animated films. They’re an under-appreciated art form,a way of telling a story while being more imaginative than a room full of Industrial Light & Magic employees that I have currently locked up an – I’m drifting.

But there aren’t too many films in that category that can appeal to both kids and adults. Titan AE, was the exception to that rule.

A young man learns that he has to find a hidden Earth ship before an enemy alien species does in order to secure the survival of humanity.

A wham bam thank you ma’am of traditional 2D animation and then still unexplored computer technology, Titan AE wasn’t your run of the mill space opera.

Heck, the film starts out on a genocidal note, with the planet being wiped and humanity relegated to space-hobo status, thanks to some particularly nasty aliens.

But considering that it came from the Don Bluth stable of films, this shouldn’t have been too surprising. Not everyone gets a happy ending in those movies, a theme which found itself repeated in Titan AE. It was a massive flop at the box office when it was released, earning only half it’s $75 million budget back, effectively killing Fox Animation.

That’s something that could be blamed on the poor marketing surrounding the film. A strong action film with sci-fi elements and heart, this was a movie that was just begging for more adult audiences to come take a gander at the spectacle that was unfolding.

The animation was crisp, smooth and fluid, while the CGI effects painted a potential picture that really showed what the medium was capable of. I dare anyone to take a look at the chase scene amidst the more frozen parts of the gallery, and not be impressed.

And of course, you had a magnificent cast that really gave the characters life, from Matt Damon in the title role, through to support from such veteran actors such as Drew Barrymore, John Leguizamo, Nathan Lane, Bill Pullman, Ron Perlman and Janeane Garofalo.

But what I really loved, was how the film had those little touches woven into it. Little nods and jokes, that stretched from miniscule, through to planetary (“I’m going to call it Bob”).

If you have yet to see Titan AE, do yourself a favour, rent it, get some popcorn, and enjoy a film that was ahead of its time.

*Editors Note: We apologise if this post brings back any memories of Creeds’ “Higher” song