"Atlantis The Lost Empire" - The Underwater, Sci-Fi Action Adventure From the New Millenium That Became a Flop

Hi folks! Welcome to my My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analysis blog. A blog where I'm analyzing several Disney films, Disney or Animation in general! These entries are just meant to be my analyses. Not reviews or statements. Just fun analyses! Though I'll make some personal remarks now and then, the content of these entries are meant to be depicted objectively. They're made for entertainment purpose only and the pictures/clips are copyright Disney or other companies. 

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And finally; If you haven't seen the films, beware of spoilers! And the funny lines aren't meant to be nothing than funny. So I hope you won't find them offensive. If so, I apologize

 

 

 

Yes, the letter A stands for Alpha :) Which makes the highest in the food chain :)

 

 

 

 

The fire is hidden behind me :)

If there`s something Disney has often been criticized for, it`s for being derivative. While most studios are known for their own set of trademarks, Disney has often been faced the constant criticism of being derivative. If there ever was a time were this criticism was especially evident, then it was during the 1990`s. As great, captivating and influential those films were (and how they defined an entire generation of passionate Disney lovers), the formula was getting thin after a decade. Therefore it was relieving when Disney departed from that formula when entering the new millenium.

Let`s see how long we could
hold on this :) Before we get
sticky :)

But the sad irony is when Disney did detract from that formula, their movies didn`t reasonate enough with audiences. Whether it should`ve be blamed on the then-new formula itself (despite that Disney weren`t criticized for shifting gears), it was clear that those movies didn`t reasonate as much with critics and audiences as the Renaissance pictures did. Whether the arrival of CGI animation at the time should be blamed for it, since they were being cherished for being superior movies as a whole (the Pixar features, Shrek and Ice Age), it was still clear that these then-new movies weren`t perceived as being good enough to honor Disney`s legacy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Origins About the Atlantis Myth & Disney`s Atlantis` Trademarks & Innovations 

 

At least it`s not the
light from the
dangerous fish in
Finding Nemo :)

If The Emperor`s New Groove hadn`t been retooled from the serious drama Kingdom of the Sun, Atlantis The Lost Empire would`ve been the first of a new string of movies that departed from the usual Disney formula. But in Atlantis` case, it was decided to be so from the get-go. It was deliberately meant to be an action-adventure sci-fi picture and to be a new direction for Disney (an action-adventure on that caliber was invigorating not only for Disney, but for animation in general. Despite how Titan A.E. started the trend the year prior). The idea was to make a movie about a group of explorers who goes into an adventure together, going into the center of the Earth. It was meant to be the animated equivalent of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Swiss Family Robinson. And yeah, the whole crew at Disney supported the idea, with no hesistations. Apparently the crew were most excited about Atlantis than with their other projects at the time (one of the early taglines for it was "fewer songs, more explositions"). Despite how some of the executives hated the movie for those reasons.

We`re rehearsing for
the shaded
marathon :) Don`t ask
why :)

Making a movie about Atlantis is certainly intriguing, due to it`s mythology and full of dramatic intrigue. The origins of the myth comes from Plato, who learned the story from his father. Which was about an island owned by Poseidon, which was sunked by the angered Gods (all of the trivia in Milo Thatch`s first speech about Atlantis are from the myths). But the elements of crystal was taken from writer Edgar Cayce. Yet since how it`s just a myth, the creators had lisence to create an fictional mythology (as with The Sheperds Journal). Cause they discovered that everyone knew Atlantis as a concept, but nobody knew what it was about. Speculation over Atlantis continued through the ages, but the myth gained mainstream appeal when Ignatius Loyola Donnelly wrote the best-selling 1882 book Atlantis: The Antediluvian World.

This will be the new
trend of pets :) Soon
everyone will want
them :)

But at the end of the day, Atlantis has a lot of going for it and various innovations. It`s absent of two of Disney`s biggest trademarks: Songs and funny animal sidekicks (and while there a couple of animal sidekicks, they aren`t major characters, despite how people loved Fluffy the Cat). Some have called it a Jules Verne Novel coming to life (which the story was originally based on, Journey to the Center of the Earth. Which the directors lost all interest in when it was based on Verne. Since they visit Atlantis, but never spend any time there). Or a Jerry Buckheimer picture in an animated form (originally Milo was going to be a descendant from a pirate).

For once that mark
won`t be pink :)

At least the absence of songs shouldn`t be such an innovation, since Disney has dared to stray away from it before. Instead we`ll get a grand, orchestral score by James Newton Howard (who would score his second Disney picture in a row, between Dinosaur and Treasure Planet. And pen the end credit song Where The Dream Takes You, sung by Mya). But at least the abscence of comic sidekicks is truly a daring departure, considering how Disney has been synonymous with that trope. Despite how Atlantis doesn`t exclude the comic reliefs completely (since truth to be told, Mole is the character who fills that mold. For his animalistic and cartoony nature). But at least that absence should`ve been a major proof that Disney were considering to make a more mature picture (which eventually ended up with a PG rating). And yeah, the plotline of Atlantis is bascially preceeding the one from James Cameron`s Avatar, which some people have pointed out. The official Website and teaser came out almost a year before it`s release.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Other Innovations & The Disney Trademarks of Atlantis

 

What also differentiates Atlantis is it`s visual style. From Hellboys` Mike Mignola. It was a deliberate choice from the get-go to have a comic book style to the film (Mignola also provided with the story and came up with the flying fishes and stone giants). The style was called Disnola or Mignoley. The visual style is pretty much a departure from the warm and cuddly Disney look. Gone are the bright pastel colors, which in turn are more muted (Mignola compared the look to Sleeping Beauty). And it took a while for the creators to get used to it. Frankly, this movie also has somewhat of a anime look to it (and yes, various comparisons to Nadia: The Secrets of the Blue Water has been drawn).  

Atlantis was also the first movie which effects supervisor Marlon West worked on. Freelancers from the live action business were hired on the movie (like Matt Codd from Men in Black and Jurassic Park, designed the Leviathan and the Submarine, Ulysses). The directors decided from the get-go that they didn`t want the look of Atlantis itself to look like the conception, that of Greek columns. In order to make Atlantis the mother of all civlizations, they looked at Indian, South Asian and Mayan architecture. Atlantis was also made in Cinemascope (the first Disney feature since Sleeping Beauty) to enhance the scope (which the directors feared would be more expensive, which it wasn`t). Which was also decided from the get-go. Also impressive is how an entire new language, Atlantean, was created specificially for this picture. Created by Mark Okrand, who created the languages for Star Trek, while an artist named John Emerson, created the letters.  

We`re hiding it
on purpose :)

Yes, I want to show how
blondes can look naughty
in black :)

Atlantis was helmed by Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale. Who pretty much had defined themselves by making two movies starring "monsters" (Beauty and the Beast and The Hunchback of Notre Dame). So Atlantis was a departure from them and the idea for it hatched right after the release of Hunchback in a Mexican Restaurant. With writer Tab Murphy (Hunchback, Tarzan, Brother Bear) and producer Don Hahn (Beauty, The Lion King). The directors wanted to keep the same crew for the latter movie together, before they were scattered. 

Yeah, the goal is to make my
crystal soar :)  I just need to
breathe harder :)

Yes, they were my
supplies :) I`m a
tough chick :)

Yet despite being a departure from Disney`s components, Atlantis doesn`t detract from them completely. As it has various of the typical trademarks; An orphaned hero who`s an outcast (voiced by Michael J. Fox, chosen for his warmth, comedy, heroic qualities and vulnerability. Fox let his son decide if he would work on either Atlantis or Titan A.E.), a charismatic villain, a love couple (who becomes the second main couple of Disney, after Mulan and Shang, who never shares a kiss). And a Princess who looses her mother at the beginning (which fuels every criticism of a Disney Princess ever made). And frankly, Kida should`ve been in the official Princess lineup, since she deserves to be there. And is frankly a more vivacious character than many of her counterparts. Voiced by Cree Summer, who not only had to speak Atlantean, but speak English like it was her second language). 

I`m using Kida as a warning
of what you don`t want to
become :)

And frankly, many comparisons to Disney`s previous movies can be made: The Atlanteans are pretty much a semi-tribal people. And Milo and his gang are pretty much exploring a new paradise, two nods to Pocahontas. And it centers about a underwater culture, just like The Little Mermaid. And even has a father (voiced by Leonard Nimoy) who`s against the invadors (who was a blind character that his animator studied and took after after. And the fact that both Nimoy and Okrand were from Star Trek was just by chance, despite how Nemoy was hired first. And Nemoy could nail the Atlantean language, while Fox hated it). 

Yes, I got mad by the water
they throwed at me :)

The overall production of the picture was 4 and a half years. The very first scene put into production, was the Viking Prologue. But it was deleted in order for the new opening, in order to sympathize with Kida (which was put a year and a half before the movie was released). The research for the Submarine was made in two trips: To a harbor in Los Angeles and Baltimore and to Maryland for looking at the vehicles. And to the Carlsbad Caverns National Park for the caves. The reason for 1914 was chosen was to contrast it`s gritty design with those from Atlantis and many exciting events happening. Some of the animation was done on Disney`s Paris studio, like Helga Sinclair. There`s a lot of Deep Canvas in the movie. Gary Rydstrom var the sound designer. The amount of special effects in Atlantis were 6,000 and the digital effects were 362 (the biggest effects the studio had ever done to that time).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Fate and Reputation of Atlantis

As most Disneyphiles know, the fate of Atlantis was a glum one. It was a bomb both commercially and criticially. And didn`t meet the high expectations the studio had for it (and yes, those expectations were high. As it was more promoted than Disney`s previous hand drawn entry, The Emperor`s New Groove). Why Atlantis actually failed at the Box Office is an interesting debate, as there are many theories for it. 

Yes, it will be a frantic
search :) Just look at
this picture :)

Many people said that it wasn`t good enough (despite how test screenings were actually positive). That it was cold and sterile. Some called it boring, the characters were flat and that the story was weak, confusing and predictable. And that it was only made for a wrong demographic (teenage boys, which was a hurdle the folowing Treasure Planet would see the following year. And would bomb even more). That it was too short for an epic (originally Murphy`s draft was longer). Yet as aforementioned, many have picked at the arrival of CGI and simply that those movies appealed more than Atlantis (the reviewers in my country, Norway, were comparing it to Shrek) And while Atlantis has it`s fanbase, it doesn`t seem to rank as the epitome of underrated Disney.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Own Personal Opinion About Atlantis & The Purpose of This Entry

 

I wanted to show
that you can make
a tough pose with
a book :)

As for myself, I actually happened to like Atlantis a lot when I saw initally. Ironically, I wasn`t looking particularly forward to it. Since the film didn`t seemed intriguing to me. But I still liked it when I saw it and I didn`t thought it deserved the massive hate that it got. Now, two decades later after it`s release, I still feel the same way. But as time has gone by, I`ve come to realize it`s flaws. As they`ve been more overt and obvious with time. It would`ve been awfully tempting to make this entry about the faults that people see with Atlantis (as aforementioned). But I wanted to twist the idea and rather make it about what I consider to be the flaws of Atlantis. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The First Problem With Atlantis: Wrong Movie in The Wrong Medium

Perhaps the biggest problem with Atlantis is how it tries to adapt a
genre that doesn`t normally lend itself to the medium. While this is of course debatable, it`s true that Atlantis incorporates a genre that isn`t normally associated with animation. Which means that Atlantis somewhat feels of a compromise. But still not living up to it`s potential. This is most evident with the childish jokes. Where all of the jokes and gags that are meant for a juvenile audience simply feels out of place here. 

Don`t worry, you`ll get used
to the smell :)

No, this isn`t a lobster menu ;)

But frankly, regardless of how brilliant the movies from Wise and
Trousdale are, the juvenility of their gags have always been one of their weakest links (which was most evident in Hunchback. But even in the beloved Beauty the cartoony jokes felt jarringly out of place, despite that I`m one of the minorities who thinks so). But despite the misplaced, juvenile humor, Atlantis truly doesn`t like up to it`s genre for not allowing the movie to embody it`s genre completely. Which leads to the aforementioned argument of it being too short for it`s screentime. In fact, Atlantis is in fact a compromised action adventure feature, filled with the regular components of an animated feature. And therefore not living up to it`s genre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Second Problem: Too Much Emphasis on Characters and Less About Story and Action 

I`m running the "knife-
marathon" :)

Secondly, Atlantis is too character oriented in a premise that requires it to be story- and action oriented. It`s not that there`s something wrong with the characters. On the contrary, as most of them are quite compelling and engaging (with the exception of the grating Mole, voiced by Corey Burton. Who was the favorite of the kids). But regarding it`s genre, Atlantis definitively needed to be story oriented. As there are several pivotal parts of the movie where the action is reduced at the expense of the screentime with the characters. True, while Atlantis does have it`s fair share of action, it feels too character-oriented as a whole. It may be a shallow statement, but it`s one of the problems with the film.

Third Problem: How Some Characters Gets Excluded at The Expense of Others

Welcome to the A for
A-Listers :)

Now I know how
Lara Croft must
have felt like in a
dress :)

Thirdly, Atlantis has too many characters. Not that this should be a problem, but in Atlantis it certainly is. Mostly because of how some characters gets less screentime at the expense of others. As likable as a character Milo is (and for getting the staple of breaking the dull curse of the Disney leading men and was the favorite character in test screenings), he`s still overshadowed by his fellow companions. Who frankly are superior characters than him (especially Vinny, Dr. Sweet, Cookie, by the late Jim Varney, making his last role, and Kida). But unfortunately Milo absorbs too much screentime and often at the expense of the other characters.

But unfortunately the amount of characters leads to the issue of how some pivotal characters remains underdeveloped. Helga (Claudia Christian), Atlantis`s femme fatale, is certainly one of them. She certainly displays more depth and dimension than her male counterpart, Rourke (voiced by James Garner, who was an obvious choice). And she does have some slight moments where she shows compassion and empathy. But unfortunately she`s reduced to just being a sheer villain at the end. Without developing her dimension any further (originally she was going to be way more sexually revealing in her introduction). And yes, believe it or not, but Rourke and Helga were going to have an affair. And Rourke would be an agent in disguise.

Epilogue

 

At the end, it`s struly a pity that Atlantis is stuck with a dud-reputation. Whether it`s truly deserved, it`s up to you to decide. But it`s still a pity that despite it`s fanbase, it hasn`t truly managed to rise from the surface and become a classic (pardon this intended pun). And it`s truly a pity that despite
it`s good intentions, Atlantis (and Treasure Planet) managed to be a flop. And while it was fair to conclude that Disney would never made another Sci-Fi animated feature again, they did with 2022`s Strange World. 

Which turned out to be just as big of a bomb. Which is a pity. After all, animation should have variety in many forms.  Whether Atlantis will ever truly rise from the ashes, is another case. But at least we could be happy that Atlantis has it`s fanbase, nonetheless, for all of us who likes it. At the end, as this entry was written to synergize with it`s 20th Anniversary, there`s nothing left to say than to wish Atlantis Happy Past 20th Anniversary and may you continue to have many more.

For once, the light has chosen all of us :) Which is a good thing,
so we`ll don`t have to fight :)

 

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References:

Atlantis The Lost Empire Collector`s Edition DVD

Disney Magazine Summer 2001 

Animation Magazine July 2001

Box Office Magazine June 2001

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantis:_The_Lost_Empire

http://am.animatedviews.com/AtlantisTheLostEmpire.html

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/atlantis_the_lost_empire

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230011/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3

https://www.dvdizzy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5521&hilit=Helga&start=60

https://discuss.micechat.com/forum/the-micechat-network/miceage-discussions/micechat-news-archive/9634-why-does-everyone-hate-atlantis