|
Review by Dustin Putman
2½ stars out of 4
"Atlantis: The Lost Empire," Walt Disney Pictures' latest summer animated
feature, is a step away from their usual cartoon offerings. In place of cute,
furry, wise-cracking animals and a stream of pop songs is an old-fashioned
adventure yarn with the only appearance of an animal coming in the form of
the hero's meowing pet cat. None of the characters break into song, and the
legend that the story is based on comes from the words of ancient philosopher
Plato. The film is rated PG, as well, and has one character who chain-smokes
throughout. It's pretty safe to say that "Atlantis" is most certainly not the
movie you've grown to expect from the Disney studio, and that isn't
necessarily a bad thing.
Set in 1914, Lanky Milo Thatcher (Michael J. Fox) is a Washington, D.C.
native whose linguistic skills have helped him to get a job from the local
university. Obsessed with the legend of the lost city of Atlantis, which is
said to have been engulfed into the sea thousands of years ago, Milo is
delighted to be asked to participate in an expedition in search of the
underwater ruins. Following a disastrous encounter with a giant sea creature
that leaves their submarine destroyed and much of the crew dead, the
remaining members are taken aback to finally reach Atlantis, and just a
little surprised to find an entire Atlantian society that has mysteriously
survived after all these years. Striking up a friendship with Princess Kida
(Cree Summer), who, in turn, tell each other about their separate ways of
living, Milo is distraught to find that the rest of his crew, most notably
Commander Rourke (James Garner) and Helga (Claudia Christian), are planning
to make a ton of money off their discovery, with little regard to the people
of Atlantis.
While "Atlantis: The Lost Empire," directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise
(1991's "Beauty and the Beast"), is a remarkably more mature, adult-minded
Disney film than the norm, it fails to go down as one of their more
successful contemporary features. Lacking the pure entertainment value of
1999's "Tarzan," 1994's "The Lion King," and 1989's "The Little Mermaid,"
"Atlantis" is deliberately paced and not nearly as child-friendly, although
kids will, no doubt, enjoy it. It's a good movie, to be sure, and one with
several rousing action scenes, but it lacks that something--that
finesse--that all of the best Disney movies have attained.
Even if "Atlantis" isn't terribly memorable, it does set up several
interesting characters and relationships. The gradual romance between Milo
and Kida is understated and charming, with both Michael J. Fox and Cree
Summer turning in emotionally involving voice work. It isn't love at first
sight for this pair, and they don't predictably spend the whole movie making
goo-goo eyes at each other. Instead, they are intelligent people with their
own ideas and thoughts. Also standing out are Sweet (Phil Morris), a muscular
doctor who is a softy at heart (and the first black character to appear in a
Disney animated movie); Cookie, a very bad cook who means well, and is
poignantly voiced by the late, great Jim Varney; and the street-smart,
teenage mechanic, Audrey (Jacqueline Obradors).
The animation style that "Atlantis" uses is fairly conventional, but it works
within the confines of this particular story. While the majority of what is
onscreen is hand-drawn, there are occasional lapses into computer-generated
territory, with just a hint of anime influence. "Atlantis" is not quite as
bold or redefining as it would like to be, particularly in the shadow of the
superlative "Shrek," but it does succeed in not seeming like a movie strictly
made for children. More along the lines of 2000's "Titan A.E." than anything
else, "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" is a worthwhile venture that may not go
down as a modern animated classic, but it does expose Disney as a studio more
than willing to break free of tradition and try something a little different,
for once. It's about time.
Copyright © 2001 Dustin Putman
|
out of 4
