Toon Talk
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(c) Disney
As brought to us by producer Don Hahn and directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise (who also worked together on the contemporary animated classics Beauty & the Beast and The Hunchback of Notre Dame), the new film is a thrillingly exciting return to the such classic adventure yarns as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth. But unlike those live action films, Atlantis: The Lost Empire has the benefit of being told through animation, an artform that is perfect for creating such mythological vistas as, say, a city floating in the air in the middle of a subterranean cavern, water cascading over it's boundaries like a huge, circular waterfall.
Such wonders are accomplished with the successful combination of 3-D computer animation and the "Deep Canvas" process (first used in Tarzan) with traditional 2-D animation, the best use of this hybridization of old and new techniques to date. So perfectly blended it is, you'll have a tough time differentiating where the pencil stops and the computer begins.
Each Disney animated film has it's own unique look, and the style for Atlantis was provided by popular comic book artist Mike Mignola (Hellboy). Mignola contributed the artistic look of the film, which explains the "graphic novel come to life" feel of this Atlantis. Most notably, his style can be detected in the square fingernails of the male characters.
(c) Disney
In addition to the film's use of CinemaScope (used rarely for animated films) and PG-rating (for "action violence"), Atlantis also utilizes other film techniques more commonly associated with live action films, such as subtitles and flashbacks. In fact, I believe that this is the first time subtitles have been used in an animated film; they are present whenever the Atlantians speak their native language, created by real-life linguistic expert Marc Okrand, who performed similar duty on Star Trek with the Vulcan and Klingon languages.
The filmmakers have also assembled an impressive roster of voice talent, lead by Michael J. Fox, who is superbly cast as Milo. Fox brings a fresh enthusiasm to the role that carries the viewer along with him through his evolution from nerdy bookworm to brave savior of an entire civilization.
Milo and Princess Kida
(c) Disney
Popular voice-over actress Cree Summer (in addition to several Disney television series, she voiced the precocious Elymra in Tiny Toon Adventures) creates a memorable heroine in her Princess Kida, a worthy addition to the Disney ranks alongside Pocahontas and Mulan.
Filling out the cast are a veritable who's who of classic television stars: James Garner (Jim Rockford on The Rockford Files), John Mahoney (Martin Crane on Frasier), Phil Morris (Jackie Chiles on Seinfeld), Leonard Nimoy (Spock on Star Trek), Don Novello (Father Guido Sarducci on Saturday Night Live), Florence Stanley (Bernice Fish on Barney Miller) and David Ogden Stiers (Major Winchester on M*A*S*H). And of course Fox, who won multiple Emmys for his roles on Family Ties and Spin City.
While the film sure looks and sounds great, it does have some problems in the storytelling department. Simply put, there's to much story to tell. In addition to the complex mythology of Atlantis created for the film, there is a host of characters that all get their own backstories. While this is a nice touch, as character development usually isn't so overt in animated films, the film seems cluttered even before the adventurers make it to the Lost Empire. And the plot twists that occur once they do are awkward and forced.
By the time we reach the action-packed finale, filled with vague resolutions that leave one scrambling to decipher what is happening, you'll feel like you yourself have been to Atlantis and back.
Which, like the film itself, isn't entirely a bad thing.
Toon Talk Rating: B+
MPAA Rating: PG
Running Time: 95 minutes
In theaters now nationwide. Click
for showtimes from IMDB.
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