"I didn't say it was the smart thing, but it is the right thing."
Milo Thatch (Fox) is a linguist trying to prove that Atlantis is real. He works as the janitor at the Smithsonian, where the the directors mock his research. Everything changes when he is hired by eccentric billionaire Preston Whitmore (Mahoney), an old friend of his grandfather, invites him to lead an expedition to find Atlantis.
The expedition is populated by specialists, who worked with Milo's grandfather: Commander Rourke (Garner) and Lieutenant Helga Sinclair (Christian) provide military expertise, Vinny (Novello) is the demolition expert, Audrey (Obradors) is the chief mechanic, Dr. Sweets (Morris) is the medical officer, Mollere (Burton) is the digger, Cookie (Varney) makes the meals and Wilhemina (Stanley) tackles communications. They travel in a massive submarine, until they are attacked by a levithan. Eventually the team discovers the city of Atlantis, completely intact and thriving. Milo strikes up a friendship with Kida (Summer) the daughter of the King, based on mutual curiosity about life. But things are not what they seem, can Milo survive his first adventure?
In the early 2000s, Disney Animation wanted to step away from the musical format of previous films and embraced stories with more science fiction / fantasy and began using more computer animation. The films released from 2000-2008 were part of a the Second Decline of the company. Some of the films were successful, but none achieved the kind of success as the films from the 1990s. Atlantis was the first film to break out of the usual Disney formula and embrace action and adventure.
The animators embraced the visual style of comic book artist Mike Mignola, who created Hellboy. Mignola served as a production designer. The animators also used a different format to show that this film was a major departure from previous Disney films. They also hired Marc Okrand to create the Atlantean language and John Emerson created the writing / alphabet.
The characters are unique, with little quirks provided by the actors delivery. Michael J. Fox brings heart to the character of Milo, making the audience love him from the beginning. James Garner and Leonard Nimoy make their characters strong, imposing leaders. Cree Summer and Claudia Christian are voice tough women. The rest of the cast dive into quirky performances. Apparently Don Novello ad libbed his part, which makes Vinny an interesting character that is a delight to watch. This was Jim Varney's final performance, and his Cookie does not disappoint.
This isn't Disney's finest film... I have seen it 3 times and I'm still trying to figure out if I like it. I like aspects of it, but I don't intend to add it to my personal collection. Decent, but not memorable.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) 95 minutes
Director: Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise
Starring: Michael J. Fox as Milo Thatch
James Garner as Commander Lyle Tiberius Rourke
Cree Summer as Kida Nedakh
Don Novello as Vinny Santorini
Phil Morris as Dr. Joshua Strongbear Sweets
Claudia Christian as Lieutenant Helga Sinclair
Jacqueline Obradors as Audrey Rocio Ramirez
Florence Stanley as Wilhemina Bertha Packard
Jim Varney as Jebidiah "Cookie" Farnsworth
Corey Burton as Gaetan "Mole" Mollere
John Mahoney as Preston Whitmore
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