Walt Disney's ATLANTIS
Starring (the voices of) Michael J. Fox, Tommy Lee Jones, James Garner and Leonard Nimoy
Directed by Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale
1 hour 45 minutes
Released June 15, 2001
Rated PG

In a bright, animated 1914, gawky linguist and cartographer Milo James Thatch (voiced by Michael J. Fox), scorned by his superiors, finds an artifact that will lead him-and a team of colorful characters- on a trip to the fabled sunken city spoken of by Plato in 360 B.C. After an arduous trip, they find Atlantis is still a living civilization, though bereft of their fabled advanced technology because they have long forgotten how to use it. Milo ends up falling in love with the beautiful native girl Kida (Cree Summer), as well fighting suspicion and betrayal; some of his team have ulterior motives for Atlantis' legendary source of power, and their presence may lead to the underwater city's untimely destruction...

Disney's newest attempt to break out of their "kid's movie-musical" mode is enjoyable, adult-friendly, extremely well-animated, demonstrating progress... but ultimately falls short of its potential. The combination of the deep-canvas animating technology refined with their animated "Tarzan", computer generated images, and traditional cell animation is more fluid than last year's competition, "Titan A.E." The blending of these styles is subtle, and the complexity of rotating angles, machinery and human movement will likely be lost on those who aren't familiar with the particular limitations of past animation. The city of Atlantis and the underwater sequences are breathtaking, although I found the battle at the end of the film a bit cluttered and perhaps too frenetic. Unlike Pokemon, however, it did not cause anyone in the audience to have seizures. Character designs, scenery and machinery benefit from the artistic stylings of comic book favorite Mike Mignola, who helped create an art style different from Disney's usual fare, yet equal in quality, unlike failed attempts like the awkwardly animated "Hercules".

The voice actors are splendid and well matched; Tommy Lee Jones, Leonard Nimoy, James Garner, Jim Varney, John Mahoney and Claudia Christian all provide excellent vocals for fun archetypal characters. The only one not perfectly matched is Milo himself-some of Michael J. Fox's stammering and stuttering doesn't quite fit the mouth and movements of his animated character... but this is fairly inconsequential. Knowing who is performing the roles lends fun for the adult accompanying his child, the latter of which will be riveted by the sea monsters, eerie masks, exploding volcanoes and flying stone vehicles. Some smart lines punctuate a snappy script; Jones' character drives off, mumbling only that "P.T. Barnum was right..." without actually quoting the famous man's line. The meaning sails over kids' heads and lets parents know there are moments in this movie just for them as well.

The problem lies in that, amidst amazing visuals and great talent, there is little plot. A cross between the formula for the film "Stargate" and the aforementioned "Titan A.E.", Atlantis never pauses for exposition or even the appropriate awe due some of the fantastic, cataclysmic scenes. There is a candle lit, and a tender moment for some of the crew that perishes early in the film (yes, characters do die in the film, though not in a graphic way-this is simply like Star Wars or other live action family films). Though the characters are more interesting than usual Disney fluff, there is no plot to fully flesh them out. At least seven writers are credited for this film... another testament to the lack of focus derived from writing a story by committee. Still, the characters don't break out into an Elton John musical number, so one sees hope that the evolution and diversification in Disney's animated films will continue.

There is brief discussion about the mystical "power source" in the film... almost a deity-like spirit, it is "the collected emotion of all the Atlanteans that have gone before", a soul-pool of life energy. However, my description here is more defined than the one given in the film. "The Force" in Star Wars was ten timse more prevalent than the vague spirituality dealt with here, easily dealt with by the communicative family and their child. Walt Disney's "Atlantis" makes a fun matinee for a family date. The PG rating should not be a concern; Sleeping Beauty is a darker film, and Bambi's mother will traumatize your child far worse than the supporting characters in this film who don't stand up again.

Disney still has a lot to learn, and should spend more time with their subsidiary Pixar, maker of the "Toy Story" films. The journey to Atlantis is a good start, but they still have a long road ahead of them to reclaim their status for creating cutting-edge animation and family entertainment.