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Fifteen Months Later
Atlantis:  The Lost Empire

 At the time of its release, the lack of critical or financial success for Atlantis:  The Lost Empire set the Disney feature animation department in a whirl, resulting in high profile departures and saddening lay-offs for many talented artists.  Rumors circulated concerning the effectiveness of animation executive Thomas Schumacher, and when executive Peter Schneider departed to focus on theater production, some speculated that there was more than a hint of subtext to his decision.  Disney animation fans too were set in a whirl over another low-grossing traditionally animated film, causing a web of rumors and concerns to spin on the Net.  Now, over a year later, reports on the Net have once again brought to light the thought of an unreached potential that was said to have never surfaced in Atlantis:  The Lost Empire.

These reports concerned several planned action sequences that were removed from the film, such as a sequence involving creatures called squid bats, a land-based beast, and lava whales, which were cut due to several reported reasons, the most talked about being budget cuts forced upon the film by executives after the perceived under-performance of Hercules and Dinosaur.   Speculation from animation fans suggest that had these cuts not been made, the film would have been more exciting and better overall.

It has now been over a year since the experience of seeing the movie for the first time, and in that time, the industry has declared Lilo and Stitch another notch in Disney’s hit movie belt.  With the rumored threat to our beloved art medium temporarily removed, the haze over our collective glasses has cleared, and we can see the view a little more clearly.  Fifteen months later, while the planned action scenes, as boarded and presented on the collector’s edition DVD, seem both exciting and visually stunning, the best decision, no matter the reason, was to make the cuts.

Keep in mind that movies that pile action on top of action have plotlines that need it.  Take, for example, Jurassic Park III, which is little more than dinosaur chase followed by dinosaur chase with a little characterization sprinkled throughout to make it interesting.  The dramatic question of the Jurassic Park films is whether or not the characters will make it off the island alive.  With such a film, chases are expected.  Atlantis:   The Lost Empire, however, was not simply about the journey to Atlantis but about the hidden treasures there--the Atlanteans, the crystals, and the civilization.  The question in the minds of the audience member is not will they make it to Atlantis; the question is, what will they find when they get there.

Due of this, to pile on chase and battle scenes would have delayed the action to the point of tedium because each action sequence would stall the plot.  From the first sight of the Leviathan, the audience knows that they are in a special world; there is no need to beat them over the heads with it, which the original planning would have done.   Take, by comparison, the training section of Hercules, which runs a little longer than necessary.  The material is very funny, but the audience is in the theater for a story, not stand-up comedy.  The same would be the case with Atlantis:  The Lost Empire.  The audience is there for the story, not to watch a video game.

Perhaps a comparison can be found in Bambi.  In the book Walt Disney’s Bambi:  The Story and the Film by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, they recall the financial hardships that befell the studio while the film was in production.  The original plan had been to have a longer story, but when the cuts had to be made (the only other option would have been to not complete the film), the animators were torn.   It was with tears that they made the required cuts to their beautiful story of life and death in the forest.  In reflection, Thomas and Johnston suggest that in the end, it was probably a better film for the cuts.  The same can be said for Atlantis:  The Lost Empire. 

The reasons Atlantis:  The Lost Empire was not a smash success most likely have more to do with forces outside the film--marketing, the summer release schedule, negative reviews, industry speculation concerning computer animation, and so on.  To bore the audience with repetitive action sequences would do little more than to fuel the flame of negative reaction. 

After all this time, the worst that can be said about the film is that it is a little shy on character development for Kida and that a little more explanation for the function of the crystal mythology would have been helpful.  It’s still an exciting and visually stunning adventure, full of humor, warmth, and memorable characters.        

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-- Jim Miles

-- Posted September 19, 2002

Copyright Jim Miles. Licensed to LaughingPlace.com.