Atlantis: The Lost Empire
I don’t know why, in a three year span, American animation got three science fiction films from major studios, but I do know that I was interested in all of them, and saw them all in theatres. The middle one of those was “Atlantis: The Lost Empire.” Directed by Kirk Wise & Gary Trousdale, it looks to take audiences on an adventure to the lost city of Atlantis with a hero’s journey at the center. Rewatching it for the first time in 25 years, I admire the attempt a lot more than I enjoy the film.
Looking at their credits, it’s wild that Trousdale and Wise challenged the status quo so much in their time during Disney’s renaissance. They directed the first animated feature film nominated for Best Picture in “Beauty and the Beast,” and followed it up with an adaptation of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” before rounding out their time with “Atlantis.” I guess when your first film for the Mouse gets nominated for Best Picture, they will let you do anything. Points for ambition, though.
The other two sci-fi films we got in American animation at that time was Don Bluth’s “Titan A.E.” in 2000, and Disney’s “Treasure Planet” in 2002. None of the three were successful, though “Atlantis” fared the best. What all three tried to do was to bring the tropes of science fantasy adventure that had been codified in “Star Wars” and “Flash Gordon” to animation; at some point, I’ll revisit the other two, but I think one of the reasons why “Atlantis” didn’t resonate with me at the time was that it didn’t feel as novel as it probably should have been. This one in particular also has a healthy dose of Indiana Jones in it, as well; rewatching it, that influence stands out even more, and I’ll admit- it works better than I remember.
Milo Thatch (voiced by Michael J. Fox) is a linguist whose grandfather was an explorer, obsessed with finding Atlantis. It is 1914, the start of WWI, and he’s trying to convince the benefactors at the museum he works at to fund an expedition. He’s laughed off. One day, he’s taken to Preston Whitmore (John Mahoney), who knew his grandfather. He’ll fund the mission, and he already has a company of mercenaries to lead Milo there. One of the things Milo is most curious about is a supposed energy source that will change the world. What happens when they do find Atlantis, however, is not unexpected if you’re familiar with this type of adventure narrative.
One of the things I was not entirely conscious of when I watched “Atlantis” back in 2001 was how white explorers were more focused on colonization and strip-mining indigenous cultures for profit than actual study and learning honestly about the culture. A few weeks prior to this rewatch, I was in Cherokee, NC on a work trip with my wife and one of our nephews, and after I was done with work, we went to the local museum about the Cherokee people. It was fascinating not just because of the real history, but because the museum was making clear that its initial creation was by white people, and they were in the process of reverting the perspective to reflect the Cherokee point-of-view. Having that, and other learned knowledge, in my brain, added some heft to Tab Murphy’s screenplay beyond what was on the page, especially considering the fates of Milo- ultimately, someone who wants to learn- and Rourke (James Garner), the grizzled leader of the colonizing force. That doesn’t make “Atlantis” any more filled with emotion and weight than your typical adventure film, but it did provide an interesting lens with which to view the film.
Trousdale and Wise might have had the most pure ambition of the ’90s era Disney filmmakers. Each of their three films not only do distinct things with the animation style, but also have a lushness that even some of the best films from that era lack. While not in the same league as the best anime, you can see the influence of the art form on the most fantastical parts of the film, as well as the use caricature in the character designs. Though not as breathtaking of a visual feast as “Beauty and the Beast,” it did make me mournful that 2D animation is something of a lost art in mainstream animated films. Overall, I enjoyed “Atlantis” more on this rewatch, but it didn’t inspire me to really give it much thought in the future.
