Atlantis offers some nifty battle scenes, including an attack on a Jules Verne-esque submarine by a giant robotic trilobite and fishlike flying cars. But the film suffers from major story problems. If Princess Kida (Cree Summer) remembers her civilization at its height, why can't she read the runes? Why doesn't Milo's crew notice that the Atlanteans live for centuries? The angular designs are based on the work of comic book artist Mike Mignola (Hellboy), and the artists struggle with the characters' stubby hands, skinny limbs, and pointed jaws. The result is a film that will appeal more to 10-year-old boys than to family audiences.

Suitable for ages 8 and up: violence, scary imagery, tobacco use, and a difficult-to-follow story. --Charles Solomon

  Customer Reviews  

Misunderstood
Rating: 5
Great film; the animation has its own style, some enjoy it, and others, seemingly a hefty sum, don't seem to grasp the loving care this film was given, in all aspects.

Oh well, though, we can cry another day. It would be truthful in saying that the movie at least ranks with Disney's better animation films, and is nowhere near as bad as some of the libel on this site. It is quite possibly no more disconnected than ALL of the so called Classics, and though it may not top something such as Aladdin or Lady and the Tramp, its better than so many of the other films script wise, and the cubist style animation in particular reminds me of a comic book.

OF COURSE, the creators brought aboard famed comic illustrator Mike Mignola as visual designer and consultant. The script and the comic book style fit together SO WELL in this film... I truly adore the jaggy edges and slightly disconnected elements as they are presented in the full painstaking package Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise (responsible for Beauty and the Beast and The Hunchback of Notre Dame) and from a story conceived by Tab Murphy of Hunchback fame. The entire experience is totally backed up by professionals, and should be acknowledged as four stars for that reason alone, in that they succeed in what they set out to do, and quite well compared to what Pixar and Ghibli present.

Atlantis is a journey where nothing gets in the way that cannot be solved, logically or not, but it leaves the viewer optimistic with wonder and not unjustly imbibed with gimmicks or nonsense. Atlantis is a sensational experience, in my opinion, of a movie like Howl's Moving Castle, and though it is not quite THAT good, it's close. Watching the movie in darkness and headphones provides ample testimony to my claim. Scary but true, and, although many things are not realistic nor completely immersive, WHAT ******* DISNEY FILM is also not in the same vein? They all have a flaw or two. It is just nitpicking of the naysayers that would have it the other way....

I also must note that the enemies and other antagonists are quite fearsome even sinister, much more so than the majority of Disney's catalogue. I was very convinced of imminent danger in the first few chapters, going into the sea with the crustacean machine violently raging after the crew. The stereo effects and symphonic overlay are quite gorgeous during this sequence and many more throughout; the ending, the firefly sequence, and the descent all being memorable.

With nice headphones and an amp, you really appreciate what went into the sound design, and it is obvious that is was a process carefully looked over and appraised, because it stands among Disney's best.

I for one, appreciate quirky misunderstood characters like the Hunchback, and to make a point, that is the film I most compare this one too. Each is very much a masterpiece in its own right. And this is proven in the finale that is one of the most memorable in recent memory, if a little cliche, it has its parting shot up there in beauty with Pride Rock. Exhilarating, to say the least, if you have the imagination.

Also,the sardonic and sometimes sexual humor is quite natural and amusing... you might find yourself saying, 'wow, didn't quite expect that out of this', and that is what it comes down to in the end: this movie is full of good surprises, and as one of the last few traditional movies we should applaud that aspect.

As for the video, this particular DVD does not look its best, but I hear that is because of my gear. On my system there are compression artifacts and macroblocking, though overall it is a clean print, workable and fairly good throughout on my setup that consists of a 1920x1200 DELL with calibrated displays from MAC mini.

It would be nice if the BLURAY disc is even better, and released sooner rather than in five years or whatever they have planned.