Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
By Robert Scucci
| Published
If you have children and you are tired Inside Out 2 after your hundredth viewing, you might want to check out one of the more fantastical adventures presented by Walt Disney Feature Animation during the early aughts: Atlantis: The Lost Empire. While it doesn’t necessarily overshadow Disney’s newer intellectual properties, I’m definitely tired of overexposure to new releases, and I’ve watched Aladdin too many times as a child myself to even think about working that into my family’s Disney animation rotation for my own sanity.
Because I was too cool for school by the time Atlantis: The Lost Empire doing its rounds, I only saw it for the first time recently. Although some of the character development seems a bit rushed in this sci-fi adventure epic, the animation and voice acting are superbly done. And if you’re a Trekkie who needs further convincing, you’ll be pleased to know that Leonard Nimoy’s talent is featured prominently in his portrayal of the King of Atlantis.
An Unlikely Adventure
Atlantis: The Lost Empire first points its focus to 6800 BC to show us exactly how the lost city of Atlantis got lost in the first place. In case you were wondering, a megatsunami pushed the city underwater, introducing us to Kashekim Nedakh (Leonard Nimoy), King of Atlantis, and his young daughter, Kidagakash “Kida” Nedakh (voiced by Natalie Strom during this sequel) after being mysteriously left behind by the Queen of Atlantis.
Flash forward to the year 1914, and we are introduced to a clumsy and depressed linguist named Milo Thatch (Michael J. Fox), who is obsessed with the lost city of Atlantis but cannot get the proper funding from the Smithsonian Institution to go on the expedition based on his extensive research.
Unbeknownst to Milo, his late grandfather Thaddeus was in a good mood with an eccentric millionaire named Preston B. Whitmore (John Mahoney), who decides to finance an elaborate expedition to Atlantis out of his own pocket. Milo gave his precious copy of Shepherd’s Magazine, the map that describes the route to Atlantis, and presents it to the expedition crew, Whitmore sends him on his way, and Atlantis: The Lost Empire leaves the streets, and dives into the sea for the rest of the film.
Never Trust a Mercenary
Milo is beyond enthusiastic about his chance to put his knowledge of dead languages and navigation to the test, and finally has the financial backing to live out his grandfather’s wildest fantasy of locating Atlantis, and seeing the empire lost for himself.
Milo is joined by a rag-tag group of misfits led by Commander Lyle Tiberius Rourke (James Garner), including his second-in-command, Lieutenant Helga Katrina Sinclair (Claudia Christian), a demolitions specialist named Vinny (Don Novello), Dr. Joshua Strongbear Sweet (Phil Morris), an eccentric chef named Jebidiah Allardyce “Cookie” Farnsworth (Jim Varney), Wilhelmina Bertha Packard (Florence Stanley) the radio operator, and a French geologist who acts like a birthplace of the the name of Gaetan “Mole” Molière (Corey Burton).
After a surprise mechanical attack by a leviathan that kills most of the crew’s supporting soldiers and sailors in an epic series of explosions, Milo and company finally locate the lost city of Atlantis and introduce themselves to Kashekim Nedakh and an adult Kida (Cree Summer). While Kida is receptive to the idea of allowing Milo to reclaim the history of Atlantis through his unique expertise, Kashekim is wary of the crew, and pushes back under the assumption that they do no good.
As luck would have it, and much to Milo’s shock and disgust, Commander Rourke is only trying to find the ancient crystal located in Atlantis, and is only visiting the lost city which he visits to plunder for his own personal benefit. After discovering his sinister plot, Milo, Kida, and the rest of the crew put their heads together to reclaim the lost city of Atlantis before the ancient civilization is stripped of its life.
Underwater Adventure For The Whole Family
As much as I love the images and the catchy dialogue found in it Atlantis: The Lost Empireone thing that really bothered me was how quickly Milo transformed from a nervous wreck who can’t run down the hallway of the Smithsonian without tripping over his own feet to an underwater hero with god-like reaction time and agility. But since we’re talking about a kid’s movie with break-neck pacing and action sequences, I’m willing to suspend some disbelief while watching a movie about a secret ancient underwater society ruled by glowing blue crystals.
At the end of the day Atlantis: The Lost Empire is a stunning, witty and action-packed family film streaming on Disney+ that will bring out the explorer in you.
