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QUICK PLOT SUMMARY:
Animation - A young adventurer discovers the secret ancient mystery known as the legendary lost empire of Atlantis.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG
- The MPAA rated this film PG for action violence.
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Reviewer's Corner
Feels Like Old Times
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Well folks, it's that time of year when die-hard Disney offers up the usual summer cartoon movie. This company cranks 'em out year after year, and still hasn't figured out maybe they should focus on beating DreamWorks to the box office rather than at the box office. After DreamWorks Chicken Run walked all over Disney's Dinosaur last year, again the company is faced with a seemingly second rate feature with Atlantis: The Lost Empire, compared to DreamWorks' huge hit Shrek. If you ask me, the two are equally fine presentations of digitally rendered animation. The difference seems to be in the style. While DreamWorks presses onward with brand new innovations, Disney clings to the old tried and trusted methods.
The story is kind of a cross between Indiana Jones and 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. It's 1914 and the grandson of an explorer is a linguist named Milo, obsessed with proving the mythological place of Atlantis once existed. He works in the boiler room of the Smithsonian hoping to convince one of the Institute's elite to fund his dream expedition. A twist of fate leads him into a mission exactly as the one he had been dreaming of, but Milo learns quickly he should be careful what he asks for.
As always, the fun is in the voice work. An all-star cast make up the kooky characters, starting with the wonderful Michael J. Fox. You have to admire this guy for continuing to work while suffering from the dreaded Parkinson's disease. Voice overs are a great way for expressive actors to make money when they aren't physically capable of handling the on-camera work. Other tremendous actors who make their way back in this manner are Leonard Nimoy and Jim Garner, both who have remarkable voices and probably prefer an easier gig. Another veteran is Don Novello, who seizes the chance to bring his hilarious SNL character Father Guido Sarducci back, this time as an Italian explosives expert and ex-florist.
I love how characters take on certain resemblance of the actors doing the voices. Here, Milo cocks his head from side to side, using his bangs for emphasis like Michael J. did so many times on Family Ties or Spin City. The Helga Sinclair character is a humanized version of Jessica Rabbit from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. Personally, I think the best character of the movie is the old lady operator Wilhelmina Bertha Packard. This lady is kind of a cartoon cameo specialist; she started out as the greeting card granny who smoked and quipped for Hallmark named Maxine, spent some time on The Simpsons as Doris the Lunch Lady, and later as Doris, the receptionist for Jay Sherman on Comedy Central's The Critic. In the past the voice has come from script writer Doris Grau but this time the voice is provided by Florence Stanley, the actress we knew as Fish's wife Bernice on Barney Miller.
I feel I must warn parents that this story is fun to a point, but pretty violent. Many people die by way of strange catastrophes, but also at the hands of men and women by knife, gun or explosion. One character smokes in every scene and says things like "we're all gonna die". Things get pretty tense a few times. There are also many aspects of the storyline that might be confusing to kids, like how an ancient land would have flying vehicles. In this way Disney seems to have taken great liberties with the legend, using rather improbable ideas to create an exciting story (and some better happy meal toys, probably!).
Still, the spectacle of Atlantis: The Lost Empire is grand, the eye candy is plenty, and the Disney characters are still fun. The love story has the same feel as other Disney tales, such as Hunchback of Notre Dame and Aladdin, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Reviewed by C.A. Batchelor
What do YOU think? -- June 19, 2001
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WHO SHOULD SEE THIS MOVIE:
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- AS A DATE MOVIE
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- Good Bet - For those looking for a nice innocent movie to see with that new special love interest, Atlantis: The Lost Empire is a good bet. It isn't really aimed at children to the point of boredom for adults, and there is plenty to discuss afterwards about the probability of such a lost world.
- CHICK FLICK
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- Probably Okay - Not really a good choice for Girl's Night Out, but this one is certainly a lot better than having to sit through Pokemon 3 or Digimon, if a movie with the kids is the only option.
- GUYS MOVIE
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- Maybe - For fellas that love animation, this one is not nearly as high-tech or impressive as Shrek or the upcoming Final Fantasy. Those who go see it should know it's very close to other Disney cartoon movies, and doesn't really deliver the goods as a moving saga.
- CHILDREN
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- Good Bet - The children will want to see this one, and will easily be caught up in the colorful adventure regardless of whether or not they understand all of it. Parents should consider the violent content and characters that smoke before taking their wee ones to see the film.
- TEENAGERS
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- Good Bet - The teen agers might still be young enough to appreciate a good Disney movie, as long as they don't take on the idea of using a whoopee cushion on their friends or take up smoking after seeing a cartoon character do it. The PG rating insures that teens won't feel so embarrassed to go see the film.
- GENERATION X
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- Maybe - Unless Gen Xers that were weaned on Disney, this one is just more of the same. Don't worry if you miss it on the big screen, it will still be worth purchasing when it comes out on DVD.
- BABY BOOMERS
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- Probably Okay - The all star cast of voices should be the draw for the Boomers. A fun script, some gorgeous animation and a sci-fi storyline is a good mix for those who are tired of the F-word, blood and guts, and full-on nudity.
- MATURE AUDIENCES
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- Good Bet - Grandma will surely enjoy watching this one with her favorite little ones, and overall this light hearted entertainment should be a nice diversion for the seniors.
- INTELLECTUALS
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- Maybe - Those who are still raving about Shrek, are liable to be disappointed with Atlantis: The Lost Empire, if the high-tech animation what they're after. Atlantis theorists, scholars and historians might have fun tearing this story apart over cappuccinos later.
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WHAT PARENTS SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE THEIR CHILDREN SEE THIS MOVIE:
MOVIE DETAILS:
- VIOLENT ACTS
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- Abundant - A massive tidal wave destroys everyone and everything in its path; someone pushes another; an underwater battle of explosions between submarines and other watercraft that is the demise of hundreds people; lightning bugs set a camp on fire; a man's chest is cut badly; a flying machine crashes; someone eats a living creature; someone threatens another with a knife; someone shoots a knife out of another's hand; an old man is punched in the gut; a man is punched in the face and sent flying; lots of explosions; an air-battle where men shoot at each other from their flying machines, some go down (implying death); someone kicks another several times; someone is thrown from a hot air balloon, but survives; someone punches and kicks another; someone dies in a hot-air balloon crash; someone is cut with something that makes him turn into a beast before he dies; someone takes out a hot-air balloon with a flare gun; someone is threatened with an axe.
- SEX/NUDITY
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- Very Little - A woman shows off her legs and acts seductively towards a man; a woman strips down to a bikini, and a man drops down to his boxers; a man and woman hold hands.
- PROFANITY
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- None - Except one exclamation of "oh good lord!".
- TENSE SCENES
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- Some - A young child sees her mother being lifted into the sky by a mysterious light; a giant sea creature swims past and attacks the crew's craft; a giant caterpillar surprises the crew; various scary creatures cause the crew some grief; a swarm of glowing bugs fly down and set an encampment on fire; a bridge breaks while people are crossing; a life force is removed, causing people to begin dying; a volcano erupts.
- IMMORAL/ILLEGAL BEHAVIORS
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- Some - Greed; selfishness; theft; attempted murder; assault; deceit; misuse of power.
- QUESTIONABLE CONTENT / UNHEALTHY BEHAVIORS
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- None - Someone gets seasick; a couple jokes about passing gas; a man starts to drop his pants to use the toilet, but stops;
one character chain-smokes; someone talks about having whiskey for the crew.
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- Children's Value Rating
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Parents should consider the violent and questionable content before taking their kids to see the film. Overall, it should be a good movie to share with children that are old enough to understand that not everyone makes healthy choices, and that they should still make healthy choices even if they see a cartoon character doing something that's immoral or unhealthy.
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