quest for camelot reviewed by jamie peck<hr>rating : * 1/2 ( out of * * * * ) warner bros . / 1 : 23 / 1998 / g ( nothing offensive , other than lack of creativity ) cast : jessalyn gilsig ; andrea corr ; cary elwes ; bryan white ; gary oldman ; eric idle ; don rickles ; jane seymour ; celine dion ; pierce brosnan ; steve perry ; bronson pinchot ; jaleel white ; gabriel byrne ; sir john gielgud ; frank welker director : frederick du chau screenplay : kirk de micco ; jacqueline feather ; william schifrin ; david seidler <hr> " quest for camelot " is warner bros . ' first feature-length , fully-animated attempt to steal clout from disney's cartoon empire , but the mouse has no reason to be worried . the only other recent challenger to their throne was last fall's promising , if flawed , 20th century fox production " anastasia , " but disney's " hercules , " with its lively cast and colorful palate , had her beat hands-down when it came time to crown 1997's best piece of animation . this year , it's no contest , as " quest for camelot " is pretty much dead on arrival . even the magic kingdom at its most mediocre -- that'd be " pocahontas " for those of you keeping score -- isn't nearly as dull as this . the story revolves around the adventures of free-spirited kayley ( voiced by jessalyn gilsig ) , the early-teen daughter of a belated knight from king arthur's round table . kayley's only dream is to follow in her father's footsteps , and she gets her chance when evil warlord ruber ( gary oldman ) , an ex-round table member-gone-bad , steals arthur's magical sword excalibur and accidentally loses it in a dangerous , booby-trapped forest . with the help of hunky , blind timberland-dweller garrett ( carey elwes ) and a two-headed dragon ( eric idle and don rickles ) that's always arguing with itself , kayley just might be able to break the medieval sexist mold and prove her worth as a fighter on arthur's side . " quest for camelot " is missing pure showmanship , an essential element if it's ever expected to climb to the high ranks of disney . there's nothing here that differentiates " quest " from something you'd see on any given saturday morning cartoon -- subpar animation , instantly forgettable songs , poorly-integrated computerized footage . ( compare kayley and garrett's run-in with the angry ogre to herc's battle with the hydra . i rest my case . ) even the characters stink -- none of them are remotely interesting , so much that the film becomes a race to see which one can out-bland the others . in the end , it's a tie -- they all win . that dragon's comedy shtick is awfully cloying , but at least it shows signs of a pulse . at least fans of the early-'90s tgif television line-up will be thrilled to find jaleel " urkel " white and bronson " balki " pinchot sharing the same footage . a few scenes are nicely realized ( though i'm at a loss to recall enough to be specific ) , and the actors providing the voice talent are enthusiastic ( though most are paired up with singers who don't sound a thing like them for their big musical moments -- jane seymour and celine dion ? ? ? ) . but one must strain through too much of this mess to find the good . aside from the fact that children will probably be as bored watching this as adults , " quest for camelot " 's most grievous error is its complete lack of personality . and personality , we learn from this mess , goes a very long way . <hr>© 1998 jamie peck e-mail : <a href= " mailto : jpeck1@gl . umbc . edu " >jpeck1@gl . umbc . edu</a> visit the reel deal online : <a href= " http : //www . gl . umbc . edu/~jpeck1/ " >http : //www . gl . umbc . edu/~jpeck1/</a> " suggestions , please , for the fourth movie in the series . how about 'look who's talking back , ' in which the audience gets its turn ? " -- roger ebert on " look who's talking now " 
