This is the news for June 18 from Nan Dibble and Helpers' Network Hotline
for fans of Beauty and the Beast. To contact me by e-mail, post to
ndibble@fuse.net. To stop (or to begin) receiving updates as e-mail, notify
me at the above e-mail address. To reach me by phone (evenings/weekends),
call (513) 961-4813.The website is at http://home.fuse.net/helpnet.
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Just a few items this week. Albert Ortega posted to say he had pictures of
Ron Perlman attending the opening of Titan A.E. Albert says he'll send the
pictures on when they're ready, so we have that to look forward to.
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As to Titan A.E. itself, it's opened to generally favorable reviews, though
little mention of Ron, whose character apparently appears only at the
beginning and end of the movie. In regard to which, Helper Judy Adams sent
a "spoiler" (which she defines as a review that gives too much of the
plotline away) that may interest at least some of you. If you don't want to
know anything about the movie, skip this item.
________________
Sunday June 11 7:35 PM ET

''Titan A.E.'' terrific
Titan A.E. (Animated sci-fi, color, PG, 1:35)

By Robert Koehler

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Suggesting a fresh direction for science fiction
moviemaking while adhering to commercially tried-and-true formulas, ``Titan
A.E.'' carefully -- sometimes too carefully -- balances a style keyed to
older kids and teens with a notably serious fidelity to classical sci-fi
storytelling.

Even with considerable unevenness in tone and attitude, this massive
animation project co-helmed by longtime collaborators Don Bluth and Gary
Goldman marks a huge improvement over pair's last work, the miscalculated
"Anastasia,'' while establishing Fox Animation Studios as a significant
source of state-of-the-art animation for the big screen. With no genre
competition in the nearby theatrical solar system, the picture has hungry
audiences all to itself, and they'll come back for repeated visits to feast
on the rich displays of imagined worlds.

While recent sci-fi efforts have been seriously marred by, among other
factors, an insultingly cartoonish approach to live-action characters and
situations, ``Titan A.E. `` neutralizes this problem by animating its space
opera.

Much of the artwork is unusually detailed and accomplished, to frequently
powerful effect. Level of craft is in tandem with an unexpectedly strong
story, drawing on traditions from sci-fi lit masters Frank Herbert, Robert
Heinlein and Roger Zelazny, while liberally borrowing bits younger
audiences will know, from the ''Alien'' series to the ``Star Wars'' saga.

Result is a canny attraction for genre purists, hard-core ani-heads and the
mass audience for galactic adventure.

At the time of its release (1997), ``Anastasia'' seemed to be Bluth and
Goldman's announcement that they were putting aside the silly 'toons of
their youth (''All Dogs Go to Heaven,'' ``An American Tail''), but
ill-conceived alterations of Russian history and rusty dialogue proved to
be quicksand for the picture.

New project retains "Anastasia's'' serious aspirations -- as well, alas, as
dialogue that is no less rusty -- while signifying a return to Bluth and
Goldman's original interest in sci-fi.

Meaning of ``A.E.'' in the title soon becomes apparent in opening reel, as
Earth in the year 3028 is being engulfed in an ominous sandstorm in advance
of the invading race, the Drej. Young Cale (voiced by Alex D. Linz) is
shepherded by his father (Ron Perlman) to an escape ship, forever
separating father and son -- but not before Dad gives him a ring that
obviously will be the key to the future.

The boy flees from Earth while Dad commandeers Titan, an enormous, bulbous
ship that has been his lifelong project, into deep space, just before the
Drej detonate Earth (in the first of several spectacular effects sequences).

Fifteen years later, After Earth, Cale at 20 (now voiced by Matt Damon) is
a jaded blue-collar worker on a salvage station. Uneasily between teen
awkwardness and adulthood, he's forever getting himself into trouble.

Tough, intimidating Korso (Bill Pullman) rescues Cale from a fracas with
nasty creatures, and involves him on ``a dangerous mission to save the
human race,'' which is seemingly headed toward extinction.

Korso proves his authenticity by showing Cale how his ring works --
illuminating a genetically encoded map in Cale's hand that indicates the
location of the well-hidden Titan ship. A wildly narrow escape from
invading Drej warriors, whose blue coating encases what Korso explains is
"pure energy,'' puts Cale on Korso's ship, the Valkerie.

Story has thus far insisted on tossing in irritating comic relief in the
form of the salvage station's motor-mouth cook (Jim Breuer), and the
strategy continues on the new vessel with turtle-like Gune (John Leguizamo)
as navigator; wily, worm-like second-in-command Preed (Nathan Lane) and
super-cynical weapons freak Stith (Janeane Garofalo).

Early comic stunts, though, are markedly toned down as the serious and
complex plot takes over, and as Cale develops a testy relationship with
pretty, gutsy Akima (Drew Barrymore). Disaster nearly wipes out the team on
the new planet, Sesharrim -- a wonderfully surreal creation whose surface
is liquid and is covered with egg-like hydrogen ``trees'' -- where
friendly, bat-type allies and the Valkerie crew are pounced on by a Drej
force, leading to the kind of chase that's possible only in animation.

The capture of Cale and Akima, who is eventually released on a distant
slave ship in a subplot out of John Huston, leads to a Drej attack on Titan
itself. Some narrative turns become dubious at this point: Cale's escape
from the Drej mother ship (looking suspiciously like Darth Vader's mask) is
much too facile, and a pause in the action for Cale to take over the
controls of the Valkerie to the sounds of sub-par rock 'n' roll (one of
several mediocre tunes inserted) is pure pandering to the teen demo.

Pic's supreme animation achievement is the Ice Rings of Tigrin, where Titan
is protected by a dizzying web of enormous ice crystals, and where
animation dramatically heightens the action with use of space and reflection.

Climax on board Titan -- which houses the genetic material of all Earth
flora and fauna, and thus, the building blocks of a new planet -- is
relatively anticlimactic but effective. Seven minutes of closing credits
reveal the complexity of the project. While the preceding action is
remarkably plot heavy, the abundant plot turns whiz by in pic's relentless,
audience-grabbing pace. Despite occasional awkwardness in character motion,
viewers will be swept away by the luxuriant creation of alternate universes.

But there's some faltering voice work from Damon (who's hardly a vet at
this sort of thing) and Barrymore, whose persistent Valley Girl voice has
long been her weakest asset.

Pullman, however, is in full command as pic's most complex character, while
Leguizamo's sometimes grating, high-pitched voice is almost unrecognizable.
Lane has a ball playing a Machiavellian alien, and Garofalo does only a
slight variation on her cynical persona.

In an unusual and worthy manner for an animated feature, widescreen format
is employed and fully exploited throughout. Tech work is exemplary, and
sometimes astonishing.

Voices:

Cale ................ Matt Damon
Akima ............... Drew Barrymore
Korso ............... Bill Pullman
Gune ................ John Leguizamo
Preed ............... Nathan Lane
Stith ............... Janeane Garofalo
Prof. Sam Tucker .... Ron Perlman
Young Cale .......... Alex D. Linz
Tek ................. Tone-Loc
The Cook ............ Jim Breuer

A 20th Century Fox release of a 20th Century Fox Animation presentation of
a Gary Goldman production in association with David Kirschner Prods.
Produced by Kirschner, Don Bluth, Goldman. Executive producer, Paul Gertz.

Directed by Don Bluth, Gary Goldman. Screenplay, Ben Edlund, John August,
Joss Whedon; story, Hans Bauer, Randall McCormick. Animation director, Len
Simon. (Technicolor, Technicolor and Deluxe prints, CinemaScope
widescreen); digital technology director, Mark Weathers; editors, Fiona
Trayler, Bob Bender; music, Graeme Revell; music supervisor, Glen Ballard;
production designer, Philip A. Cruden; supervising art director, Kenneth
Valentine Slevin; pre-production designer, John Lakey; character designers,
Wayne Barlowe, Louise Zingarelli; costume designer, Kym Barrett; sound
(Dolby), Mark Server; sound designer, Christopher Boyes; supervising sound
editor, Matthew Wood; animation supervisor, Paul J. Kelly; 3-D animation
supervisors, Thomas M. Miller, David Paul Dozoretz, Jan Carlee, Rhonda
Sanders Olson; special effects animation supervisor, Peter Matheson;
associate producer, Hans Bauer; assistant director, Jason Ayon; casting,
Marion Levine. Reviewed at 20th Century Fox Studios, L.A., June 1, 2000.

Reuters/Variety
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Judy is also beating the drum to revive Magnificent 7. Judy says:

Want Mag7 back? Then post your views at:

http://www.magnificent7.com/neweps.html

The campaign hasn't ended yet!

John Watson sent a letter to the Mag7 fans asking for our thoughts. They
are still hoping Mag7 will ride again!

Many of us feel that we can accept this great series with new actors, as
long as new actors don't play the parts of the seven we love. (I personally
can accept new actors, but I'd never be able to accept a new actor as
Josiah or as any of the seven, and the same goes for Mary, Casey, Inez,
etc.) New actors as new characters would be okay with me. But, of course,
I'd rather have the originals where possible!

Anyway, check out the above site to post your thoughts and/or to read what
others have written. One person is collecting the comments to forward to John.

Judy Adams,
Josiahville Town Clerk (among other things) ;->
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Helper/Correspondent Stephanie Wiltse has FOUND the mysterious Roy Dotrice
website. Says Steff:

Found out that the site about Roy Dotrice, well, it's, are you ready? The
address is: http://www.roydotrice.com.

Is my face red!

Steff
webmaster@cinemind.com
Cinema of the Mind
http://www.cinemind.com
Starving Artists Workshop
Albany, NY

Well, who knew? Thanks, Steff!
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No Sightings have yet arrived from Helper/Correspondent Maxine Mayer. I'll
do them myself and send them along presently.
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If it's news and has to do with Beauty and the Beast, please think of the
Hotline and relay. We're all in this together, keeping the dream of Beauty
and the Beast alive however we can. Beast wishes, be well, and goodbye.

ndibble@fuse.net
http://home.fuse.net/helpnet