The Legend of the Titanic
An animated fantasy film that rewrites the Titanic disaster with no deaths.
In 1999, the animated fantasy film *The Legend of the Titanic* was released as an international co-production. Directed by Orlando Corradi and Kim J. Ok, it reimagines the sinking of the RMS Titanic with anthropomorphic animals and magical spells. The writers deliberately altered history so that no character—captain, crew, or passengers—dies, a choice that drew controversy. A sequel, *Tentacolino*, followed in 2004, and a 2011 television series titled *Fantasy Island* (unrelated to the 1977–1984 drama) was also produced.
The story is framed by an old mouse named Connors in New York City, who tells his grandchildren the "true" tale of the Titanic after scolding one for playing with a shark whistle that might attract Mr. Ice. In April 1912, Connors was a young sailor mouse on the ship’s maiden voyage. He befriends a Brazilian mouse named Ronny, who loves soccer, and falls for Ronny’s sister Stella. Meanwhile, a wealthy aristocrat named Elizabeth boards with her family and a young Romani-Spanish man, Don Juan. Elizabeth’s family pressures her to marry a whaling mogul, Everard Maltravers, but she refuses. At the ship’s bow, dolphins communicate with her via magic moonbeams that catch her tears, revealing Maltravers only wants her father’s permission for global whaling. Connors and Ronny offer help, and Elizabeth convinces her father to reject the marriage. Don Juan’s collie, Smiley, meets the mice, who arrange a dance where Elizabeth and Juan fall in love.
Frustrated, Elizabeth’s stepmother and Maltravers hold her father at gunpoint to force a whaling concession, then tie him up. Mr. Ice, an escaped tiger shark, is enlisted to destroy the ship. His shark gang tricks a giant octopus named Tentacles into surfacing an iceberg. The Titanic hits it, and Maltravers flees in a lifeboat. Mice chew telegraph wires to stop a message, but a French mouse, Camembert, fixes them by tying them to his moustache, seemingly electrocuting himself. Elizabeth and Juan rescue her father and put him in a lifeboat. Whales and dolphins aid the rescue, while Tentacles holds the ship together. Everyone jumps into the sea and is saved by a whale. The Titanic sinks, crushing Tentacles. The passengers board the RMS Carpathia, arrive in New York, and Elizabeth marries Juan, while Connors marries Stella. At the Brooklyn Bridge, Tentacles and Camembert appear unharmed. Back in the present, Co
- Release Year
- 1999
- Directors
- Orlando Corradi, Kim J. Ok
- Country of Production
- International co-production (North Korea, Spain, Italy, United States)
- Genre
- Animated fantasy
- Based On
- Sinking of the RMS Titanic
- Sequel
- Tentacolino (2004)
- Follow-up TV Series
- Fantasy Island (2011)
Lore & Background
Maltravers and Elizabeth's stepmother plot to force her father to sign a whaling concession. They enlist Mr. Ice, a tiger shark, to sink the ship. Mr. Ice and his gang trick a giant octopus named Tentacles into heaving an iceberg to the surface. The Titanic crashes, and Maltravers flees. Mice chew telegraph wires to stop a message, then a French mouse named Camembert fixes them, seemingly electrocuted. Whales and dolphins help rescue everyone, and Tentacles holds the ship together until all are saved. The Titanic sinks, crushing Tentacles, but he and Camembert later appear unharmed. Elizabeth and Juan marry, as do Connors and Stella.
Reader's Guide
The Legend of the Titanic is significant as a highly controversial animated film that deliberately sanitizes a historical tragedy. By removing all deaths, the filmmakers aimed to create a lighthearted story, but this decision was met with widespread criticism for trivializing the real loss of life. The film is also notable for its unusual international production, involving North Korea's SEK, Spanish ITB, and American Hollywood Gang, with an Italian writing team and composer. Its reception has been largely negative; critic Tim Brayton of Alternate Ending gave it a 0.5/5, calling it a 'so-bad-it's-the-most-essential-movie-I've-ever-seen disaster of tasteless incompetence.' The film spawned a 2004 sequel, Tentacolino, and a 2011 television series, Fantasy Island. It remains a curiosity in film history for its bizarre approach to a well-known disaster and its place in the small subgenre of animated Titanic films.
Did You Know?
- The film changes the historical account so that no character dies, including the captain, crew, and passengers.
- The film features anthropomorphic animals, including mice, dolphins, a tiger shark, and a giant octopus named Tentacles.
- The film was an international co-production between North Korea's SEK, Spanish ITB, and American Hollywood Gang.
- A sequel titled Tentacolino was released in 2004, and a television series called Fantasy Island followed in 2011.
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