Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

atlantisMichael J. Fox voices the character of Milo Thatch, an archaeologist who in his field is considered to be eccentric by his colleagues. Milo believes that the lost city of Atlantis is under water and he wants to retrieve the Shepard’s Journal, a book that proves to be a map to finding Atlantis. No one wants to provide the funding for his proposed expedition, until one night he’s taken to an eccentric old millionaire who wants to help him. He gives Milo the Shepard’s journal and tells him that his grandfather once wanted to explore Atlantis. So, Milo is then taken to a shipyard where he meets a team of explorers who are going along with him. All seems well, but after a while, Milo begins to suspect they have ulterior motives.

I really wanted to see this when it came out of the movies, and when I finally saw it, I wasn’t surprised to find out that I liked this movie a lot. First off, the story is original and perhaps one of the most intricate and intelligent of all the Disney movies to come along in a while. There’s twists and turns in this plot that make this movie a hoot to watch. There are a lot of celebrity voices that add well to this weird and fantastic gallery of supporting cast members. Probably the best were Sweet, the big black doctor who’s very eccentric and very funny, and Audrey Ramirez, a thirteen year old mechanic for the entire crew who proves to be quite a sparkplug for the team.

The entire movies backgrounds and scenery are excellent to look at. Especially that of Atlantis when they finally reach the bottom. The animation is very unique and different from many other Disney films in the past. It’s a lot more smoother and fluid like. It kind of reminds me of comics books. The film’s biggest plus is also its biggest minus. The movie is too flashy. It’s hard to discover a real story under all the colors and flashy gadgets. A lot of the scenery and back ground is very colorful and gaudy, which at times seemed too distracting. This isn’t one of Disney’s “Masterpieces” but it is a really good movie, but I do not suggest it for kids. A lot of the movie, especially the climax, borders on violence and some suggestive sexuality. A fun action-packed fantasy romp for kids of all ages, it’s a great watch.