THE FILM

The background information for "Delgo" lists a production schedule of an astounding five years. After watching this offering of CG-animated fantasy fluff, I'm curious as to why it took so long to assemble what comes off as a routine family film experience; a film of almost dogged mediocrity. "Delgo" finally hits DVD after such an extensive delay, but there still lacks a single compelling moment in the film to recommend an immediate viewing.

The land of Jhamora has been divided into two communities, with the winged Nohrin living in hostility with the mystical Lockni. When the villainess Sedessa (voiced by Anne Bancroft, who passed away in 2005) attempts to maneuver her way into power with help from a corrupt warmonger (Malcolm McDowell), it sends the land into chaos. Delgo (Freddie Prinze Jr.) is a young, hotheaded Lockni who demands war with his sworn enemy, until he meets Princess Kyla (Jennifer Love Hewitt), a dewy Nohrin who finds attraction to Delgo, despite their backgrounds. When Sedessa executes a plan to kidnap Kyla, it forces Delgo and simpleton pal Filo (Chris Kattan) into action, teaming up with a disgraced Nohrin general (Val Kilmer) for help.

"Delgo" is a film of pinches. It contains a pinch of "Lord of the Rings," a pinch of "The Dark Crystal," and a pinch of "Star Wars." At least "Delgo" is cribbing from the best in fantasy/sci-fi entertainment, but it adds up to very little in the end. Directors Mark F. Adler and Jason Maurer are approaching a CG creation from a different, non-Hollywood perspective (their Fathom Studios is based out of Atlanta), but the finished film speaks more to storytelling apathy than true indie invention.

Laboring to whip up a complex world of monsters and magic to greet the Tolkien trained, "Delgo" doesn't contain nearly enough mythmaking imagination to complement its ambition. The world of the Lockni and Nohrin is actually quite crisply animated and pleasingly detailed (the characters resemble the Newcomers from "Alien Nation"), yet the storyline is a convoluted mush of the familiar, using sweeping arcs of treachery and mysticism to form a plot that should bore adults and perhaps confused children not paying the fullest of attention. The directors try to compensate with plenty of battle footage as the two sides square off for control of Jhamora, ushering in some mindless violence to keep audiences awake.

Then there's the issue of the voice casting. The years haven't been kind to "Delgo," which brings together an ensemble that doesn't inspire the greatest confidence in the drama. Most of the actors are presentable, and Bancroft makes for a silky villain, but Kattan? Lordy, now there's a special kind of pain observing the comedian fight to be hilarious here, backed by obnoxiously overemphasized animation that turns Filo's scenes of mischief into a torture chamber.

THE DVD

Visual:

Presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1 aspect ratio), the quality of the "Delgo" DVD ranges from scene to scene. Some sequences feature pin-sharp detail and extraordinary color representation, while others come across hazy, almost out of focus. Shadow detail remains intact, and the overall cartoon ornamentation of the film is easily readable.

Audio:

The 5.1 Dolby Digital sound mix on the DVD contains plenty of low-end combat sequences that wake up the mix. Directionality comes to play during war scenes, with weapons and creatures helping to bring some vigor to the experience. Dialogue is cleanly reproduced and separated well from the animated shenanigans.

Subtitles:

English, French, and Spanish subtitles are included.

Extras:

The feature-length audio commentary with directors Marc F. Adler and Jason Maurer, and animation director Warren Grubb is an outstanding effort, though rendered somewhat depressing by the film's horrific box officer performance. The filmmakers are extremely excited about their motion picture and offer the listener a thorough deconstruction of the production process, sharing insight and anecdotes with unexpected enthusiasm. It seems every corner of this animated feature was up for artistic debate. While it's heartwarming to hear passionate filmmakers discussing their craft, it's difficult not to cringe when considering all this effort went into a dreadful film.

"Behind the Scenes" (3:50) is a short featurette on the making of "Delgo." Interviews with cast and crew offer programmed platitudes looking to sell the underdog feature. A few glimpses of recording studio antics are the only saving grace.

"Sounds of 'Delgo'" (5:35) showcases the audio experience, chatting with the sound (Tom Ozanich) and music (Geoff Zanelli) departments to better understand the artistic inspiration.

"Meet the Characters" and "See the Creatures" are animated galleries featuring the main faces of the "Delgo" universe.

"Deleted Scenes" (12:54) offer more Chris Kattan. God help us all. The rest are basic character development puzzle pieces, wisely cut for time and pace.

"Chroma Chameleon" (4:48) is a musically inclined cartoon short from Fathom Studios.

A Theatrical Trailer has not been included.

FINAL THOUGHTS

So much of "Delgo" is grueling to watch, calling into question all those years of painstaking production. The homegrown nature of the feature is appealing, but little else shares the same scrappy joy.