User reviews

I am absolutely astounded at the negative reviews for this film, both from IMDb and from the critics.

I grew up watching this film as a child, and I remember loving just about every second of it. Seeing it again at an older age, it holds up just as well if not better than I remember it. Some Disney films I feel are given too harsh of treatment from critics and I feel should be held in higher regard (The Lion King II: Simba's Pride for example), but if I had to pick the absolute most underrated film (animated or not) to ever come from them, I would have to choose Atlantis: The Lost Empire as one of my top picks.

To begin with, the animation is some of the best I've ever seen from Disney to date. The visuals feel so incredibly huge, they look realistic, they move fluently, the textures are amazingly detailed: One could be completely blown away by this just from the visuals alone. The scenes in the Crystal Chamber, the submarine, the fight/action sequences, they're incredible. The designs are something I can commend too. The look and feel of the city of Atlantis is very creative and awesome to look at, and I always got the sense that this was a real lost, living and breathing culture with a coherent society.

Something I feel this film gets especially right is the characters: Good lord, every single one of them is memorable. Milo, Kida, Sweet, Cookie, Mr. Whitmore, the King, Audrey, I could go on for a while. Each and every one of them have their own personality traits and all have their individual moments, plus no two are alike. Each and every one of them are likable and I found myself satisfied with each and every one of them. The demolition guy I especially enjoyed. Almost every line he said was hilarious, and his personality is hugely enjoyable too.

Speaking of that, that's another thing about this film: Its humor. I can't even begin to count how many moments and lines made me laugh. The writing for the humor is some of the funniest I've seen or heard, and almost every one of the protagonists has a funny line or two at some point. I think the most humorous scene for me were the ones with the demolition guy and Mole. Dear lord are they hysterical both together and on their own.

But on the opposite end of the spectrum, I absolutely love the drama that's conveyed throughout the movie. The story is very well written and it held my attention through to the end. It's definitely one of the most serious animated Disney films to date, and the first of its kind to not have any musical songs. Personally, I loved this touch. While I absolutely adore the songs in many other animated films, here I think it was more appropriate not to have any. The actions scenes are spectacular, especially with the final one that takes place. The violence and the gritty realism of everything makes the physics of its world seem closer to that of the real world (Or live action if you will), and I like things like that in animated films. Many characters die (I won't dare say who or why), a lot of depression sinks in for them, they use real guns, the violence is rather high, and I think it's great. (I'm not one of those people who always drool over action and special effects like with Michael Bay films, but I digress). The physics feel real and nothing is particularly cartoony in it, so I'm very glad Disney knows that kids can still handle serious drama like that.

And one other thing: The musical score by James Newton Howard is absolutely nothing short of fantastic. It could be because I'm a total sucker for chorus and choir music in movies, but the score here felt completely appropriate for the Atlantian setting. It has quite an Indonesian feel to it at times, while at other moments it has more of a Lord of the Rings influence to it, like when there's the loud choir going off in one of the major sequences. Every track has something to it, and it is one of the many Disney soundtracks I dearly wish I could buy to enjoy its full glory.

In conclusion, Atlantis: The Lost Empire is hands down for me the second most underrated animated film to ever come from Walt Disney Animation Studios (Coming in VERY closely behind The Lion King II: Simba's Pride). To reiterate what I said before, I am flabbergasted at the negative critic reviews for it, plus the rating here of 6.7 when that's more than a whole point lower than it should be. Atlantis: The Lost Empire is an absolute gem in the Disney lineup easily comparable to that of The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and so forth. It's always one of the first films I think of when I hear someone say they should revive 2D animation for all of these reasons and more.

This truly is a lost classic.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire could very well be Disney's most ambitious animated feature to date. It features intense, merciless scenes of battle and peril, depicted in some of the most stunning and fresh animation of the 2000's decade. The bravery and the thought process behind the film was nonetheless detailed, involved, and intricate, yet its payoff was pretty sour.

We'll discuss that later. The film centers around Milo Thatch (voiced by Michael J. Fox), a brainy cartographer and linguist who works for the Smithsonian Institution studying the language and the environment that existed in the lost continent of Atlantis. He believes he possesses directions to the underwater world of Atlantis, in a book called "The Shepherd's Journal." After getting shut down by the museum board to pursue the costly adventure, Milo conveniently meets Preston B. Whitmore (Mahoney), a millionaire who offers to send Milo and an already organized crew down to the depths of the oceans to search for Atlantis, all expenses paid.

Milo accepts and goes on to meet his band of misfits. They are gentle giant Dr. Sweet (Morris), explosives expert Vinny (Novello), teenage mechanic Audrey (Obradors), crabby Mrs. Packard (Stanley), chef Cookie (the late Jim Varney), and quirky Mole (Burton), whom are all lead by Commander Rourke (Garner). Together, they plumb the depths to search for the continent of Atlantis, and get more than they bargained for along the way.

The film's animation is lively, bright, and visually intelligent. It almost looks like scattered scenes from a comic book, that have come to life. The film was released in 2001, and unfortunately, found itself caught in the awkward time where animation was beginning to change drastically. Just one month before the release of Atlantis, came Shrek, a runaway hit shooting Dreamworks' popularity up to the stars. Not to mention, just a few years before that, we had A Bug's Life, Toy Story, and its sequel - all CGI animated features. Hand drawn animation was quickly decimating, and kids and parents blamelessly began looking elsewhere. That elsewhere was the brighter, more sophisticated color scheme of CGI; a method that would eventually transform animation forever.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire was victim of poor timing and unfair judgement, when in reality, it's a breathtaking adventure. It's not perfect, but it's a great leap from traditional Disney clichés such as soft music, cheery characters, and sing-a-longs. That might also be the reason why many parents were turned off as well. The film is very swashbuckling and adventurous. Some of the scenes of peril are frightening, intense, and very, very serious. The PG-rating is the not the thing you're used to seeing on a Disney film, and because of that, this found itself a bit blacklisted.

Because of all the uncertainty of where a project like this go, Atlantis's gross was a modest one, especially for animated films, and failed to drum up a significant amount of revenue. Because of this failure, a sequel, titled "Shards of Chaos," a spin off series titled "Team Atlantis," and a water-ride at Disneyland were all canceled. Disney was clearly anticipating a breakthrough success, but sadly, it all vanished before their eyes, and Atlantis: The Lost Empire would bring one word to people's minds; underwhelming.

Despite a few things lacking, like credible character development of Milo's crew, Atlantis is a wonderful adventure. It almost reminds me of a more attractive, animated Pirates of the Caribbean before the films even came out. The risk of releasing the film was high, but Disney took the chance, and as a result, created an attractive animated film with style, wit, and action galore. How many failed risks can one say that about? Voiced by: Michael J. Fox, Jim Varney, Cree Summer, Claudia Christian, James Garner, Corey Burton, John Mahoney, Phil Morris, Leonard Nimoy, Don Novello, Jacqueline Obradors, and Florence Stanley. Directed by: Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise.

I thought this movie was very well put together. The voice-overs were also great. I liked how they all overcame their conflicts and reached their goals. I would recommend this movie to anyone. It was definitely worth the time and money to watch it. Atlantis has some comic scenes that made me laugh. Other scenes made me sad. And others made me glad. It is a movie any age can enjoy. From the moment Milo is the crazy "profesor" or until he gathers the crew up for the fantastic voyage under the sea. After I watched the movie, I read the book. It was good as well, but the movie puts better pictures in your mind. It is just like the book. But go ahead and watch this movie!

Thank goodness Disney is making some animated features with punch! This is one. None of that eye-rolling cuteness that you usually put up with because you are with toddlers!

This film is fun, fun, fun! The characterizations are fine, the science fiction framework better than most live action films of the genre, and the art just gritty enough to be cool.

The action is fast--almost too fast! But the film covers a lot of ground (and water), so things have to move quickly. I'd like to see the sequel.

Disney's producers should take a very proud bow for making an exciting story with excellent characters. And the actors who do the voices deserve strong applause for giving the characters true depth. (The doctor was my favorite!)

More like this!

Here's what I knew about "Atlantis" before watching it:

* - It's officially Disney's first animated sci-fi adventure. I'm not sure how accurate that is (I like to nitpick) but it made me curious first time I heard it described.

* - The preview looked, for the most part, damn cool. Evidently, it was also "too cryptic" according to some critics after the fact.

* - It apparently did SO badly that Disney said, "Screw it, let's re-release 'Spy Kids'".

So, with all that said, how is the movie?

Hella-cool.

I'm a sucker for animated fantasy that involves stirring music and rampant special effects anyway, but "Atlantis" goes all out. It's a throwback to all the CGI eye-candy shots in "Beauty and the Beast" and "Aladdin", so much so that it's almost an effects animator's Best-Of Show. The characters maybe aren't that memorable (except, perhaps, for the ship's medical officer), and the plot's a little dull, but this isn't a movie you watch for the plot.

Here's a controversy that bothers me. The "failure" (as in, it "only" took in, like, five-hundred-million or something; I know animators who'd kill to see fifteen bucks of that) of this movie compared to the popularity of "Shrek" and "Monsters Inc." has been seen as evidence of the death of traditional animation. I don't think that's true. How do you account for the "South Park" movie? What about "Final Fantasy"? Really, the story and the artistry is everything, not the method. I don't know what Disney's comeback movie will be like, but I don't think they're out of the picture yet.

Atlantis is an experiment for Disney, but it is one of they're most successful ones. By excluding often dumb songs (though some of them in the past weren't horrible like in The Lion King and the Jungle Book) and even dumber animal sidekicks, Disney for one of they're few times taken an interesting type of story and given it good dialogue that will appeal to adults more than kids. And while I know kids are the prime target here, I reccomend the animation for them, which takes it's cues this time heavily from the pulp comic book tradition (which is a good thing) and the anime style of quickness and seriousness in characters (which is even better).

Michael J. Fox stars (in possibly his last role due to his claim that he will not act due to Perkinsens) as a "jibberish" decipherer who can decipher most lost languages, and believes in the fantasy of Atlantis, and soon a billionaire gives him a chance, and a crew, to find Atlantis. What follows is a energetic and flowing adventure of the journey, discovery, and fight of Antlantis, filled with spectacular animation (the crystal rise up scene and finale Atlantis scene are awesome animation feats) and characters that older kids and adults can like as much as, or even more than kids. And once again for you parents reading this, if your worries your kids won't like this, just remember what chum is coming up in a few weeks: Cats and Dogs. See this movie is only to avoid that. Varney's last voice-over and movie role (unless Daddy and Them gets released). A

20 years ago, Walt Disney Animation Studios released an interesting feature during a time when they were straying away from their usual musical fantasy formula. The film was Atlantis: the Lost Empire, an original project conceived by producer Don Hahn, screenwriter Tab Murphy and directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise. While the feature was hyped upon its original release, it was met with mixed reactions and underperformed financially, not helped by the main factor of it losing over Shrek. However, it has remained one of the company's biggest cult hits amongst an underground fanbase. But just how deserving is its cult status?

Set in 1914, 8,000 years after the ancient city of Atlantis sank below the sea, the film tells the story of young linguist Milo Thatch. Upon gaining possession of a sacred book which he believes will guide him to the lost city of Atlantis, he pairs up with a crew of mercenaries in search of the civilization. From the setup, the feature definitely feels like it will offer a lot of thrills along its way, and to the filmmaker's credit, the proper motivations are all set up, and not just from Milo. The actual mercenaries he tags along with consist of a war hero like commander, a sardonic demolitions expert, a rapid fire medic with a big heart, a neurotic mole like geologist, a tough teenaged mechanic, an elderly cynical radio operator and plenty more. In addition to a very solid voice cast such as Michael J. Fox, James Garner, Don Novello, Phil Morris and many more, the main lead and side characters truly make the first half of the movie a spine tingling adventure. While the entire movie isn't all spent on the journey, unlike the original script, the character driven aesthetic shows a lot of promise for more to come.

However, the one fatal flaw that really holds the movie back is regarding its underdeveloped plot elements. A lot of thought and care was put into developing the world of Atlantis itself, down to famed linguist Marc Okrand creating a unique Atlantean language, but the movie itself ends up putting more emphasis on worldbuilding rather than much logic as to how the city survived for so long. Even with the vague preservation of ancient crystals, the film doesn't spend enough time establishing the world's essence to make for a concise second half. According to the film's story supervisor, John Sanford, the filmmakers chose to lead the function of Atlantis through more ambiguously to the point where even he believed they went too far. And all because George Lucas wanted to explain how the force worked in the Star Wars prequels too. It doesn't help that once the main antagonist is revealed, the movie ends up becoming too derivative of Dances with Wolves, if only not as preachy. In the end, we have a lost civilization that ends up creating more questions than answers once discovered.

To give more credit where credit is due, the cinematography and shot composition are truly breathtaking. As much of the film takes its time getting to Atlantis and then showing off the civilization itself, much of the pacing ends up feeling like a suspenseful journey through a newly discovered land that no one had ever ventured before. In addition, the art direction ranges from cold and grimey caves to a luscious albeit washed out city of blues and terrain, allowing for a very solid contrast between the lost world and what lies before said world, along with some wonderful cel shaded CG props as a bonus. As for the character designs and animation, given that Hellboy creator Mike Mignola was one of the film's production designers, the cast end up looking like a blend between Mignola's rough sketchy outlines and caricatured Disnefied design work. Thanks to the work from veterans such as John Pomeroy, Michael Surrey, Randy Haycock, Ron Husband, Dave Pruiksma, Shawn Keller and many more, the animators' finest work ended up keeping the film's weaker second half from getting too stale.

So while it does have all of the right pieces to make a wonderful action packed adventure, Atlantis doesn't quite hit the mark to truly stand out besides being the more action-packed Disney flick from a different time. That being said, the fact that the filmmakers were even allowed to go this far to try something different in the company is worth admiring, perhaps partially why its cult status is still going strong after 20 years. Of course it did get a failed TV spinoff that turned into a worthless sequel, but aside from that, it's great to see how a film that fell below the radar has now gotten the attention it almost never had before.

Maybe it's because it doesn't follow the typical Disney formula, but this fun, interesting, and hits on some relevant points about dreams, ambitions, and human greed. If you're looking for a dashing prince to save a beautiful princess, go watch another movie. If you want a movie that is enjoyable to watch again and again, watch this one. While character development varies, it's not hard to like the characters. Even the antagonists are likable, in the way that only villains can be. The animation style is different than most other Disney films, and personally, I like it.

This is one of those movies Disney has kind of swept under the rug and forgotten about, for reasons I don't understand. Kida is not featured with the rest of the Disney Princesses, (even though she is one of many who are actually princesses within their world of origin). This is another nuance I don't understand, and it, sadly, only serves to prove just how under-appreciated this movie is.

That hits a few speed bumps and shows it, but is well worth watching. Atlantis - The Lost Empire is an imaginative and engaging film about an unfunded linguist who seeks to find the lost city of Atlantis. He is turned down by conventional establishments (i.e. the stuffy museum where he works in the boiler room) and is given his chance by eccentric millionaire Preston Whitmore and a team of explorers. It suffices to say that Milo and company, after much adventure and mishap, discover Atlantis, which is vastly different from anything they expected, and Milo gets more than he expected out of his adventure. I would give this film 6 out of 10 stars - its not great Disney, but it's certainly better than some of the other crap out there. I watch it whenever it comes on TV, which is a good indication of an enjoyable film, I think. It isn't really a film for children. The plot is often hard to follow, and the action may be too intense for very little ones. There is a very sweet romance which grows out of a friendship, so there isn't any kissy kissy to make "blech" faces at. The characters are human and funny, and there are some pretty good one liners in here. Worth the time, if you like adventure and comedy.

I thought that this film was very enjoyable. I watched this film with my wife BEFORE I had my first child. Therefore, I was not watching it as simply family entertainment and I still thoroughly enjoyed it. It seems as though many of the reviews are pointing out that this movie is not earth shattering, there were no unexpected plot changes and that the movie was predictable and boring. If these people were watching this movie expecting to have a religious experience doing so, then they were obviously going to be disappointed. This is simply an animated movie; nothing more. If you want to see this movie simply to sit back and let yourself be entertained, you will not be disappointed. In closing, this is definitely not the best movie Disney has made, but it IS entertaining and I do not understand the bad reputation it has received.

Beautifull 2D animation, good story! Great adventure! Not 'wauw' but don't prices it won are well earned!

Disney, the film name that once stood for all things innocent and suitable for all ages, has finally started to realise that to survive it needs to become more diverse. Such diversity has been very apparent in the last couple of years. Films like "Tarzan" and "The Emperor's New Groove" have made an attempt to move away from the traditional song-driven routine of Disney's past and into new, uncharted territory. "Atlantis" is the boldest step yet, but we have to remember: This is STILL Disney. The first ever serious film to come out of Disney's animation studio is a major achievement for them - in fact it's so serious it makes it into PG territory. Perhaps why a lot of families were scared off from seeing it this past summer.

But despite the more mature subject matter, this is still a film that Disney wanted to draw in the families with, not just mature audiences, so the plot had to be kept simple enough for children to understand, but interesting enough to take it away from the realms of "The Little Mermaid" et al.

So what we get is actually a potentially detailed plot, unfortunately suffering the blow of being condensed into a 96-minute movie. Ultimately, this is an action film about Atlantis, not about the exposition preceding it, so we are whisked through the first half hour with as many sequences bombarding the screen as is possible without losing coherency. Suspend your disbelief of how the characters get from point A to point B so quickly, you're unlikely to find an animated film that detailed coming out of Hollywood! If you want epic levels of detail in the plot, turn to James Cameron's "Titanic". Both films feature a boat in some manner.

And let's talk about love, shall we? Yes, as with a lot of films, the lead male (one Milo Thatch, a bumbling archaeologist) and lead female (Kida, the clichéd Atlantian princess) are set to fall in love with each other. But what I found was not as clichéd as I was expecting. By film's end, for once, the characters touching/feeling/kissing sequence was far more subdued. There's various points in the film where the attraction grows, but it's just not in the ballpark of, say, "The Little Mermaid" (A good thing).

You may have grasped that this is a rather clichéd film. Correct. You have your leading hero and heroine, backed up by more than half a dozen crew members who go on the expedition, all being given their moments during the film. Numerous other characters appear, take up the few minutes of screentime, then disappear. It doesn't take a genius to do the maths – a 96-minute film with a focus on action and visuals, and with a considerable cast, has very little time to expand the characters to any major extent. So what does it rely on? Clichés, and lots of them. Every character emulates something that has been done a thousand times before. You have the bumbling scientist, the attractive princess, the square-jawed colonel, the rich eccentric, the maniacal sleazebag, the Russian femme fatale – need I go on?

I don't know why this got to anyone – I found the tongue-in-cheek nature of this film quite amusing. Alright, this is meant to be a serious flick, but do you really expect Disney to give up every single trait of their history? At least the writers have tried to come up with consistently witty dialogue, and sometimes it even is a little inspired.

But in the end it's those big stunning visuals that put the icing on this cake. The CGI animation is truly amazing in places, and doesn't dwarf the characters, which was a flaw that let the recent "Titan A.E." down. Speaking of characters, Disney hired an outside comics industry artist to create the designs, bringing an anime style to the film. Infact the visual presentation of the film as a whole owes a lot to anime, much more so than any previous Disney outing. This resulted in a conflict with fans of the Japanese anime, "Nadia", for the film's overall similarities with said cartoon series. Having not seen this anime, I can't comment.

With picture, there is sound. Gary Rydstrom heads up the sound team, and what a soundtrack! From the opening shot the sound stage is alive and is a treat. James Newton Howard treats us to a dynamic musical score, which compliments the film in every way, never sounding out of place and always helping to build the tension or subdue it.

Perhaps I missed the point of what the creators intended. To me, the film conveys that it's an adventure thrill ride, albeit with a more serious tone than any Disney film before it. If you don't like the clichéd tongue-in-cheek attitude, then perhaps the effort that has been poured into the visuals will delight. Heck, at least the mythology is far more correct than can be said about other Disney efforts (*cough*Hercules*cough*).

This is a positive, 10 out of 10 review, from someone who was blown away by this film. I always suspend my disbelief with any animated film – after all, the laws of the real world are more than frequently broken in the cartoon medium. So sit back, enjoy the ride, and perhaps everyone can find something to enjoy about this film.

Animated movies don't need musical numbers to be exceptional (c.f. "The Iron Giant"). Nor do they have to have marketing gimmicks. "Atlantis" missed its mark because it has a case of inconsistent cohesion.

Animated films tend to be tight-paced. "Atlantis" at least has that along with its excellent animation. In at least one place, the pace is TOO fast, as in the case of the escape from the leviathan which could have been a show stopper like the Tarzan vs. Sabor battle in "Tarzan" if the story editors allowed it more time.

The characterizations are ... inconsistent. We get a delightful introduction to most of the secondary characters, although Helga Sinclair is a huge question mark. Why is she always looking so annoyed? Why is her facial expression range so limited? Why do we get no background on her AT ALL? And why are there characters as serious or believable as Joshua Sweet juxtaposed with Cookie and Moliere? I liked all the characters, but the fleshing out was uneven, leading to an inconsistency of scenes that work. The chemistry is not quite there.

By all means, see "Atlantis", but don't expect the clarity or story quality from it as you could expect from other Disney masterpieces.

So I had the privilege of attending last night's New York City premiere of Disney's new feature lenght film "Atlantis: The Lost Empire". It was my first premiere and I loved it! It was such a thrill.

Now, onto the review. Disney is taking a huge chance on this movie for a number of reasons. First of all, it is NOT a musical. Much of the Disney name is based on the legendary soundtracks. Initially, I thought that the lack of music would make the movie seem a bit longer and not so Disney. But after seeing it, I thought that the absence of music was a great move. Even though I love such classic songs as "Under the Sea" and "A Friend Like Me", music might have made it a bit too kiddy. Nice job Disney.

Secondly, this movie is PG. It is NOT G and with good reason. There is a good deal of action (and those scenes are better than any part of "Pearl Harbor"). The partially CG, partially animated "Star Wars"-esque dogfights and chases truly are breathtaking, even to an adult. Yes, this movie might frighten some small kids, especially the scene with Leviathan and some of the climactic rumble(s). But overall, the kids in the audience weren't too frightened. The nice mix of humor for kids (and some for the adults too) helped to keep the balance of intense action and light hearted fun.

Lastly, this movie is not "Sleeping Beauty". This is not "Snow White". It isn't "Beauty and the Beast" or "Aladdin". But this is not nessesarily a bad thing. This is like the dark side of "The Little Mermaid." Disney pulled out a couple of the stops but for a reason. Yes, there is a bit of blood. It's not a gauging like the over pretentious "Gladiator", it's enough to convey real emotion. (Milo Thatch, "Atlantis'" main character, has more dimension as a 2-D cartoon than any scene involving Russell Crowe in "Gladiator"). This movie isn't the vibrant end of "Be Our Guest". The darker nature almost made you forget that this was an animated feature. It was very effective and finally someone at Disney realized it isn't all about selling t-shirts and plush toys. Bravo Disney, "Atlantis" surely won't sink

BTW, I got to meet Marty McFly himself, Mr. Michael J. Fox. Great guy, and the premiere did benefit his Parkinson's reasearch Center. Again, bravo to Disney, this was an incredibly generous move on their part.

This pastiche of turn of the century adventure stories (specifically inspired by Jules Verne, apparently) has been mostly forgotten over the years, and overall doesn't seem to have a fantastic reputation. I would argue that this is not deserved. That doesn't mean this film is some kind of hidden gem. It is relatively formulaic (though that's to be expected, somewhat, considering what it's trying to do) and doesn't feature much depth of character. But I can forgive that in an adolescent adventure story if there is wit, pace, ambiance, humour, and spirit - which this film has in droves...and which is what I think the 12 year old boys this movie was obviously marketed to are really looking for.

I certainly was when I first saw it (at that age), and at that time it didn't disappoint. Viewing it through that lens, it still doesn't today. There is great imagination behind the portrayal of the Atlantean culture, some really comic characters (somewhat surprisingly, I thought all of them were unique and interesting to some degree - with the possible exception of the somewhat bland love interest, the antagonists, and the clichéd king of Atlantis), and a pace that never lets up.

If the film were too meandering or bloated, it would have fallen apart, but an awareness of what it wants to be (a straightforward adventure story) helps it succeed. The basic beats of the story are competent to prevent it from losing momentum, and since it never imagines it is a "great work of cinematic art", it never bothers bogging us down in poorly thought out character development (a not- uncommon flaw in bloated special effects movies, whose pretentiousness sometimes keeps them from being what would have been a decently entertaining action film...at half the length).

The visuals, however, are probably the shining star of this movie. Reportedly there was a lot of work put into developing the Atlantean culture; a whole language was even constructed (courtesy of Mark Okrand, who is famous for inventing the Klingon language used in the Star Trek universe), and the work shows. A lot of the appeal of fantasy movies is their ambiance, and this film gets that.

Sure, the film is no masterpiece, but that was less because of what it did wrong than the fact it didn't really go the extra mile character wise. The movie is competent, and has genuinely entertaining elements beyond the basic spine of the story, and for that I award it 7 stars out of ten.

Whether you love or hate this film, no one can deny the hard work put into it. For starters, it inspired a new language - Atlantean. The animation is also very good (and one of Disney's last to be animated in its classic form before the horrible Chicken Little came along).

The characters certainly are easy to engage with, especially the main protagonist Milo who is adorkable and a hard worker. Atlantis TLE is also one of the most original story lines Disney has ever come up with for a while too. It's also very much action-packed and has some humour to.

A couple of criticisms I have is that I felt a little bit bored at times so I guess the plot isn't completely solid and the comedy side of it came off as quite gimmicky sometimes (mostly derived by Mole's character).

Overall, Atlantis is not the greatest Disney film ever but it certainly is worth a watch and greatly under appreciated.

Although it has an odd, inconsistent pacing and some of its plotting is frustratingly unclear (or, perhaps, underexplored), 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)' is a typically entertaining and engaging 'Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1980)'-esque adventure. It has a bit more of an edge to it than Disney's usual fare, with a surprisingly high body count which includes the deaths of several major characters. It also has a somewhat strange aesthetic, more akin to a Saturday morning toon than a full-blown studio feature. Neither of those things is necessarily bad, though. The piece is often exciting and its animation is as well-achieved as you'd expect. Though some of its characters are straight-up bizarre and don't quite fit within its established world, most of the major players are brought to life with strong voicework (including an excellent lead performance by Michael J. Fox) and assured animation. Plus, the picture peppers in just enough subtle character work to keep you invested in its events. Though it isn't perfect, the movie is a enjoyable pretty much throughout its runtime. 7/10.

"Atlantis" is a new and right step for a Disney feature. It's a good choice to make a film by such a mysterious legend like "Atlantis". I didn't have any expectations for this film, but after watching it, I don't quite understand why this film got so bad reviews. Even in my country the reviewers weren't positive.

"Atlantis" is not a perfect movie, but still one of Disney's greatest, even I doubt that this film ever will get "Disney classic" reputation. Well, that's another case. It's funny to think that this sci-fi movie was directed by the same directors as "Beauty and the Beast" and "Hunchback" (so Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale are trying to get away from their monster movies reputation, he he, I'm just kidding).

Well, enough nonsense. "Atlantis" is a watchable, exiting and very enjoyable film. Even this film it's a PG-rated action-feature, it's also suitable for kids, in my opinion (parents who mean the opposite, don't kill me for writing this, he he).

The story is a little predictable, but it doesn't ruin the movie. The comic book-inspired animation it's suitable for the film and set's a departure from the usual Disney-style. It's colorful, dark and detailed. The Deep Canvas sequences are pretty impressive. The film is also funny sometimes, even I more giggled than laugh through the movie. (SPOILERS) The characters of this film are also very likable, but unfortunately there isn't enough screen time to get to know everybody, so some characters are left behind (SPOILERS).

The score of James Newton Howard is absolutely great. It's daring and exotic. (SPOILER) The most impressive about this film is how they're making the Atlantean language sound very natural, ethnic and authentic. It's really awesome (SPOILERS OVER)

The script is tight and well-written, but still the there are some questions left unanswered in the story. But luckily there are not so much of them.

So do you're self a favor, don't listen to the reviewers and watch "Atlantis", cause it's waiting for you...

This movie was great! It was an excellent rendition of an ancient myth. The animation was somewhat odd, but nothing new from Disney. It was definitely better than expected for a Disney movie with no singing.

The background animation was magical. It was a different level of work for the Disney people. Some of the characters were a little boxy, but it was more than made up for with the beauty and lushness of the scenery. The music was largely instrumental but that was perfect for the movie. This was definitely not a film that needed the characters to bust into song.

Perfect. 10 out of 10.

Milo Thatch is an individual who carries with him his grandfather's passion for archaeology. Despite being merely regarded as a fool by those who have the means to provide him with the resources to start an expedition, an opportunity comes along that gives Milo the chance to fulfill his desire to see one of his grandfather's life's works come to fruition.

To begin, I find using Atlantis as a setting to be a solid choice not only of the story created surrounding the myth, but also of certain characters that were central to the expedition. Lovely setting and concept. The characters shine enough to complement one another and fulfill their roles only to the extent that they can still have their own moments without being too overbearing.

The writing unfortunately could have used some work, as the Ol Disney Formula is quite apparent here. If you've seen Disney animations a number of times, you should be aware of what it is. I'm referring to how their stories are structured to fit a pattern that can be discernable once you've seen enough of their animated films. And sometimes it's not even a bad thing, but in this case, Atlantis could have been a better version of what it is if it weren't for the story progression and sequences being quite predictable at times.

I might be reading too much into it though. At the end of the day, while I can pick through some of what it could have improved on, I still adored this work overall. It has its flaws, but it still has its own charm in the form of its own grand, fun adventure. Plus they did really well in their character design for the Atlanteans.

From the animation to the side characters, Atlantis is a surprisingly awesome Disney movie. It's got action, and funny jokes, and everything you could want in an action-adventure movie. Highly recommend this one.

Gone are the days of completely harmless animations such as Bambi or Snow White. Today's Disney churns out movies like this (which I admit I found enjoyable enough) but which, in my humble opinion, are a far cry from the kid-friendly, don't-need-to-vet-it, it's-a-Disney, movies of yesteryear.

It was my partner who pointed out that there were rather a lot of people dying in this film for a Disney. I hadn't noticed up to then, being absorbed by trying to decide if the animation was actually very good, or very bad. But she was right. People die all over the place here. Not just casual, in-the-distance deaths either. People get drowned, are trapped and die in water-tight compartments, are even set on fire, for goodness sake! It's like the entire Disney team were hyped up on a caffeine overdose when they made this.

Whilst the movie is harmless enough entertainment for us adults, is this what we want our kids to watch? I can remember a similar incident with Disney's "Dinosaur" movie. All the mothers and toddlers trooping in to watch it, then a number coming out horrified after ten minutes once the meteor scene arrives, kids crying at all the little monkeys getting killed.

What this all says about what we let our kids watch these days is, I'm sure, a debate that will continue indefinitely. I think its OK for kids to be scared by movies. But I think the way we accomplish that needs to be given some attention. But enough sermonizing..

As for the film. The story is simple, along with the animation, for the most part. It's not a movie you'll watch again anytime soon, but it is quite entertaining for a one-off view. I was particularly pleased with the voice cast. It's nice to see old faves like James Garner getting to do their thing again, and Claudia Christian shows she can do this sort of thing quite well.

As I say, not one to be watched again and again. But harmless enough for a one-off visit....at least for us adults. Not for very small kids.

I am a huge anime fan, and when the kid i babysat popped this movie in, I thought "Ya!" instantly I regretted it, as I saw the story Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water. Everything is related to Nadia. I personally also thought that the characters where underdeveloped, there was a plot, but the plot didn't hold too well. I think that the best way to make this a great movie, for it not to be even a movie. Make it was TV series like Nadia, and it would do alright. I often felt like the story was dragging, oh wait, it was. To me this story was an insult to us anime fans, and a futile attempt to take Hideaki Anno's second greatest masterpiece. This movie is not worth your time, since I wasted a total of 90 minutes watching crap, when I could have been writing. So, do not see this horrible, insulting, movie.