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If you have children and are tired Inside out 2 after the hundredth viewing, you might want to check out one of the most fantastic adventures released by Walt Disney Feature Animation in its early years: Atlantis: The Lost Empire. While I’m not necessarily throwing shade at Disney’s newer intellectual properties, I’m definitely tired of the overexposure of new releases and have been watching Aladdin As a kid myself, I thought too often about working it into my family’s cartoon rotation for my mental health.
Because I was too cool for school at the time Atlantis: The Lost Empire has been circulating, I only recently saw it for the first time. While some of the character development feels a little rushed in this sci-fi action-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 talents are featured prominently in his portrayal of the King of Atlantis.
An unlikely adventure
Atlantis: The Lost Empire first shows its focus on 6800 BC. AD to show us how the lost city of Atlantis got lost in the first place. In case you were wondering, it was the megatsunami that pushed the city underwater and introduced us to Kashekim Nedakh (Leonard Nimoy), the king of Atlantis, and his young daughter Kidagakash “Kida” Nedakh (voiced by Natalie Strom in this sequence) after he was mysteriously abandoned by the Queen of Atlantis.
Flash forward to 1914 and we’re introduced to a clumsy and clumsy linguist named Milo Thatch (Michael J. Fox), who is obsessed with the lost city of Atlantis, but based on his extensive research is unable to obtain adequate funding from the Smithsonian Institution to embark on an expedition.
Unbeknownst to Milo, his late grandfather Thaddeus was in favor with an eccentric millionaire named Preston B. Whitmore (John Mahoney), who decided to finance the elaborate expedition to Atlantis out of his own pocket. He presents Milo with his precious copy The Shepherd’s Journal, a map that describes the route to Atlantis, and introduces him to the expedition’s crew, Whitmore sends him on a journey and Atlantis: The Lost Empire he leaves the streets and dives into the sea for the rest of the film.
Never trust a mercenary
Milo is overjoyed at his opportunity to test his knowledge of dead languages and navigation and finally has the financial backing to live out his grandfather’s wildest fantasy of finding Atlantis and seeing the lost empire for himself.
Milo is joined by a group of misfits led by Commander Lyle Tiberius Rourke (James Garner), including his second-in-command, Lt. Helga Katrina Sinclair (Claudia Christian), a demolitions expert named Vinny (Don Novello), Dr. Joshua Strongbear Sweet (Phil Morris), an eccentric cook named Jebidiah Allardyce “Cookie” Farnsworth (Jim Varney), radio operator Wilhelmina Bertha Packard (Florence Stanley), and a French geologist who acts like a mole named Gaetan “Mole” Molière (Corey Burton).
After an unexpected leviathan mechanical attack 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 Kasheki Nedakh and the adult Kida (Cree Summer). While Kida is receptive to the idea of allowing Milo to reclaim the history of Atlantis with his unique expertise, Kashekim is wary of the crew and pushes back, believing them to be up to no good.
Much to Milo’s shock and disgust, Commander Rourke is only trying to find the ancient crystal found in Atlantis, visiting the lost city only to loot it for his own personal gain. When Milo, Kida and the rest of the crew figure out his sinister plot, they put their heads together to reclaim the lost city of Atlantis before the ancient civilization is stripped of its life force.
Underwater adventure for the whole family
As much as I love the visuals and snappy dialogue found in Atlantis: The Lost EmpireOne thing that really bothered me was how quickly Milo went from a nervous wreck who can’t run down the Smithsonian corridor without tripping over his own feet to an underwater hero with godlike reaction time and agility. But since we’re talking about a children’s movie with breakneck pace and action sequences, I’m willing to suspend a little bit of disbelief while watching a movie about a secret ancient underwater society controlled by glowing blue crystals.
After all Atlantis: The Lost Empire is a visually stunning, funny and action-packed family movie streaming on Disney+ that will awaken the explorer in you.
