Any imagining of the future is almost always as far from idyllic as you can possibly get.

Greater technology has not improved living conditions, because with that technology comes serious ethical questions. Can we trust anyone to use these things for benefit and not for harm?

The answer frequently is no. Humanity is misguided in its pursuit of a longer, better — but not necessarily happier — life.

Such ethical questions are the center of “Renaissance,” which takes place in Paris in 2054. Director Christian Volckman creates a high-tech world where the kidnapping of Ilona Tasuiev (voice of Romola Garai) leads to a corporation’s unethical dabbling in preserving human life.

Volckman literally does create the entire world of “Renaissance.” The high-tech Paris of the future is vividly imagined and brought to life with the aid of high-contrast, black-and-white digital animation.

“Renaissance” is filled with beautifully animated environments and characters. The characters are so lifelike in their mannerisms that you would swear a decent part of the movie is live action.

Many of the characters’ actions were captured via motion sensors, and then the impressive voice cast added a distinct tone to them. “Renaissance” features the voices of Daniel Craig (a.k.a. the new James Bond), Ian Holm and Jonathan Pryce. The voice acting and the animation propel the story forward.

Something’s got to do it. As visually impressive as “Renaissance” is, its writing frequently feels like a video game. You’ll find yourself puzzled over certain characters’ relevance to the plot. They disappear for a while only to reappear later without a sound explanation.

Similarly, the relationships between characters often don’t extend beyond the blatantly obvious. Any relationships that go deeper than skin level are not established very well and will likely cause you to scratch your head.

“Renaissance” proves that digital animation is the new frontier in film. Its use has become more and more common since Richard Linklater’s 2001 film, “Waking Life.”

There are still some bugs that need to be worked out of films based entirely on digital animation, though. Right now, many of these movies are just trying to provide audiences with the cliche “visual feast.” Character development takes a backseat.

If there is any stumbling block for “Renaissance,” it is the lack of character development due to poorly written characters.

That’s not to say that “Renaissance” is bad. It’s pretty far from bad. The society that Volckman creates is similar to our own, and the technology characters use throughout “Renaissance” doesn’t seem too hard to conceive of now. The vivid environments, clever technology and beautiful animation will blow your mind.

Unfortunately, if you want to catch “Renaissance,” it may take a while. Its limited theatrical engagement of one week is up, so you’ll have to wait for the DVD. Trust me. It’ll be worth it.

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