Review of Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) by Paylim V — 12 May 2009

I think Atlantis: The Lost Empire gets a bad rap, mostly because it's officially included in the prestigious Disney theatrical animated features canon, yet is so different from the 40 films before it. It is an animated sci-fi movie, which obviously isn't very Disney or even remotely attractive to many traditional viewers. While not executing on all fronts, Atlantis manages to become a relatively exciting adventure that exceeded my expectations and provided a change of pace after the Disney Renaissance had concluded. The basic plot is rather simple: a colorful (if very underdeveloped) cast of characters, led by a generic hero voiced by Michael J. Fox, embark on a quest to find the lost city of Atlantis. Once they arrive in Atlantis, things pick up considerably, as instead of ruins, there is a functioning society still living there. What saves much of this movie for me is a twist in the second half of the film (including a sensational climax) that makes the plot much more exhilarating and interesting. I have to say Commander Rourke is up there with the most sadistic animated villians, even with the limited screen time as the antagonist.

The action featured in the movie is very well-done from beginning-to-end, with a couple of notable standout scenes. The score sounds great and there are some genuinely funny lines featured in the dialogue. The animation, however, appears to be rather hit-or-miss - sometimes extremely impressive, other times looking like a Saturday morning cartoon. I'd say the film was satisfactory, but there was something missing to take it to the next level - Milo's "gee whiz" demeanor annoyed the shit out of me, the beginning wasn't satisfying enough, and the story could have been enhanced with a few changes. Overall, I found this to be a worth a watch and would place it somewhere in the lower middle of Disney films.