MYST 7 - Atlantis: The Lost Empire

From the period 1989 to 1999, animation mastermind Disney released a series of movies known as the 'Disney Renaissance.' The apparent 'golden age' of Disney filmography was a series of 2-dimensional animated musicals that were extremely popular and highly respected and honored in the field of animated cinema, and these movies represent the apparent 'golden age,' or highest peak of popularity, of the Disney license and name. This Renaissance created huge stimulation and success for the Disney image, and was a huge factor in their cultural integration and growth of power throughout the centralized movie industry. This list is a powerhouse example of animated films, and contains some of the most prominent examples of the greatest epic Disney films of the peak era, with gems such as 'Tarzan,' 'Hercules,' 'The Lion King,' 'The Little Mermaid,' and 'Beauty and the Beast,' just to name a few.

However, this Renaissance was truly the peak point for the Disney brand name. After this 10-year period, there were a large number of animated Disney films that simply fell under the radar. Because of a decline in popularity after 'Tarzan,' the final movie of the Renaissance, the animated Disney label fell to the popularity of CGI and the instigation of Pixar as THE major front-runner of the Disney name turned the 2D animation studio to dust. It's a shame, too, because there are some beautiful gems of movies in the early 2000s of Disney filmmaking that simply disappeared under the Pixar name (I won't be reviewing it, but Disney 'Treasure Planet' is one of those movies. Seriously. If you haven't seen this movie, it's incredible. Go watch it). Thus, when the transition was made, some of Disney's other movies were lost along with the popularity.

'Atlantis: The Lost Empire" is one of those very movies.

Going into it, I had heard of it, but I had not heard very positive things from critics regarding the quality of the movie, so suffice to say, I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this picture. Most of the complaints that I heard regarding the quality of 'Atlantis' was often in comparison with many of the films from the Renaissance, and how 'Atlantis' was no 'Lion King,' or no 'Hercules' (although, let's face it, any animated movie has a tough time against the Renaissance. That's like putting any modern rapper in a rap battle against prime 2Pac and Biggie. It's just not fair).

Good God, were those critics wrong.

'Atlantis' takes place in 1914 America, where we meet linguist Milo, son of an extravagant explorer convinced of the existence of the lost city of Atlantis. When he discovers his father's ancient journal, a map to Atlantis known as the 'Shepard's Journal,' Milo embarks with a legendary crew to explorers to set off and find Plato's lost city. This was Disney's first ever entry into the science-fiction canon, and for a first time attempt, the execution was simply stunning.

First of all, this is the most beautiful animated movie I think I've ever seen, ever. There's no lag, no cut, no issues with frame rate, and much in the manner of a 'Matrix,' the movie retains a blue depth throughout the entire movie. Playing with different concepts such as light, variance, and a mix of 2D and 3D animation, especially in the underwater fight with the Leviathan, portrays this beautiful, sophisticated elegance throughout the movie. It's beautiful to look at, beautiful to listen to, and even more beautiful to feel engaged in. Overall, in terms of the editing, this is the most beautiful Disney film I've ever seen, and you're looking at a kid who grew up watching classic Disney.

The movie also feels like a quality Disney film. There's zaniness, flamboyancy, and the non-princess Princess of this Disney epic is absolutely stunning. There are all of the elements of what people usually associate with quality Disney work, and none of it is missing throughout the piece. Introducing us to a plethora of characters throughout the different aspects of the story, we get the comedic bomb-squad Eastern European, the quirky Frenchman digging specialist, and even more. There's that Disney aspect of fantasy and over-the-top animation, and all of that is apparent throughout the intricacy of the atmosphere.

The Atlantean landscape is by-far the coolest part of the movie. It's incredible to see so many different parts of the different mythical landscape come to life, and the fact that Disney takes the time to engage the voice actors and keep the consistency of the plot moving along is what keeps the movie so active and engaging throughout the beauty of the surrounding scenery, more beautiful than the vast majority of Disney films, and arguably just animated films in general, that have been created thus far.

However, what I think is the most interesting and impressive part of this movie is how little it is like any other Disney film out there (maybe except 'Treasure Planet,' there are similarities there). There isn't any music, there isn't a princess in a castle, there isn't a little village, and while love is a good part of the story, the overarching theme becomes more about greed, human nature, and the destructive capabilities of monopoly. It's a very smart film, and does away with the traditional machine of Disney movies, trying to touch more upon the philosophical nature of the human psyche with regards to greed and desire. That sophistication is what drives the most unique and entertaining aspect of 'Atlantis.'

Unfortunately, as beautiful as 'Atlantis' is, it's not without it's faults.

The biggest issue that I had when watching this film is that I couldn't decide whether or not 'Atlantis' wanted to be a family-friendly romp. Usually, this isn't much of a big deal, but 'Atlantis' seemed to be jumping back and forth with respect to its tone. On one hand, Milo is the weird, quirky kid that every little kid wants to relate to, with big dreams of Atlantis and exploring and becoming a big part of the world around him. However, the movie also constantly references alcohol, sex, and makes more than one specific reference to gun violence, so much so that it feels so much more mature than any other Disney movie before. Personally, I have no issue with it, but it did make me feel a little more uncomfortable that mass gun violence used against the Atlanteans was in the same movie that talked about Milo's 'self-discovery.'

Also, as beautiful as some of the scenery was (I don't take back what I said. This is Disney's prettiest movie), sometimes the story wasn't nearly as interesting. There are a decent amount of cliches that pop up in a few parts of the movie, and while cliches, especially in the Disney world, are nearly unavoidable, the ones here were almost totally overdone. Whether it's the stereotypical 'militant badass goes bad' or 'hero falls in love with native' or 'loser's life changes because of one thing on one specific day,' there are cliches, and they aren't unnoticeable. While most of the time, they don't really matter because the story is engaging, at the same time, it does make the viewer wish that Milo could get to the Atlantis expedition in some way OTHER than being Disney's stereotypical social reject. Or, something maybe one step higher.

Overall, this is one of my new favorite movies. Aesthetically, it's gorgeous, it's engaging, it's cute, and it's a Disney movie that doesn't feel like it's trying to overdo itself. While there are cliches that exist in key points in the story, and while it really doesn't know whether it wants to be adult or child oriented, the movie nevertheless keeps an engaging plot line, maintains the classic Disney feel, and makes a very interesting commentary on the human nature of greed and desire. While Disney may have had it's 'Renaissance' already, there are a number of Disney films such as this that, unfortunately, have fallen out of popularity in the shadows of princesses and ape-men. And it's a shame, too, because these are some beautiful pieces of cinema that will never get the true respect they deserve.

I give 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire' an 9/10.