Atlantis: The Lost Empire
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A young linguist named Milo Thatch joins an intrepid group of explorers to find the mysterious lost continent of Atlantis.
What critics thought
Critics were sharply divided on release, with admiration for the film's bold visual style and action-adventure ambitions consistently undercut by complaints that its story and characters were thin and formulaic. The gamble of making a dialogue-driven, non-musical Disney film for older audiences was itself a fault line: some saw it as a refreshing departure, while others found it joyless and strangely dull. In the years since, popular reassessment has run well ahead of the original critical verdict, with many viewers now treating it as an overlooked gem.
“The story of Atlantis is rousing in an old pulp science fiction sort of way, but the climactic scene transcends the rest, and stands by itself as one of the great animated action sequences.”
Roger Ebert·RogerEbert.com
“Disney pushes into all-talking, no-singing, no-dancing and, in the end, no-fun animated territory.”
Todd McCarthy·Variety
“The big problem with Disney's latest animated feature, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, is that it doesn't seem geared to kids at all: It's so adult that it's massively boring.”
Stephanie Zacharek·Salon
“On the whole, Atlantis offers 90 minutes of solid entertainment, once again proving that while Disney may be clueless when it comes to producing good live-action movies, they are exactly the opposite when it comes to their animated division.”
James Berardinelli·ReelViews.net
“Ironically Disney had hoped to update its image with this mildly diverting adventure, yet the picture hasn't really broken away from the tried-and-true format spoofed in the far superior Shrek.”
Rita Kempley·The Washington Post
Genres
Action, Adventure, Animation
Cast & Crew
Gary TrousdaleDirector
Kirk WiseDirector
Michael J. FoxMilo (voice)
Cree SummerPrincess Kida (voice)
James GarnerRourke (voice)
Claudia ChristianHelga (voice)
Corey BurtonMoliere (voice)
Phil MorrisDr. Sweet (voice)
Jacqueline ObradorsAudrey (voice)
Don NovelloVinny (voice)
Jim VarneyCookie (voice)
Florence StanleyMrs. Packard (voice)
John MahoneyPreston Whitmore (voice)
Leonard NimoyAtlantean King (voice)
James Newton HowardComposer
Tab MurphyWriter
Joss WhedonWriterAtlantis: The Lost Empire
A young linguist named Milo Thatch joins an intrepid group of explorers to find the mysterious lost continent of Atlantis.
What critics thought
Critics were sharply divided on release, with admiration for the film's bold visual style and action-adventure ambitions consistently undercut by complaints that its story and characters were thin and formulaic. The gamble of making a dialogue-driven, non-musical Disney film for older audiences was itself a fault line: some saw it as a refreshing departure, while others found it joyless and strangely dull. In the years since, popular reassessment has run well ahead of the original critical verdict, with many viewers now treating it as an overlooked gem.
“The story of Atlantis is rousing in an old pulp science fiction sort of way, but the climactic scene transcends the rest, and stands by itself as one of the great animated action sequences.”
Roger Ebert·RogerEbert.com
“Disney pushes into all-talking, no-singing, no-dancing and, in the end, no-fun animated territory.”
Todd McCarthy·Variety
“The big problem with Disney's latest animated feature, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, is that it doesn't seem geared to kids at all: It's so adult that it's massively boring.”
Stephanie Zacharek·Salon
“On the whole, Atlantis offers 90 minutes of solid entertainment, once again proving that while Disney may be clueless when it comes to producing good live-action movies, they are exactly the opposite when it comes to their animated division.”
James Berardinelli·ReelViews.net
“Ironically Disney had hoped to update its image with this mildly diverting adventure, yet the picture hasn't really broken away from the tried-and-true format spoofed in the far superior Shrek.”
Rita Kempley·The Washington Post
Genres
Action, Adventure, Animation
Cast & Crew
Gary TrousdaleDirectorKirk WiseDirectorMichael J. FoxMilo (voice)Cree SummerPrincess Kida (voice)James GarnerRourke (voice)Claudia ChristianHelga (voice)Corey BurtonMoliere (voice)Phil MorrisDr. Sweet (voice)Jacqueline ObradorsAudrey (voice)Don NovelloVinny (voice)Jim VarneyCookie (voice)Florence StanleyMrs. Packard (voice)John MahoneyPreston Whitmore (voice)Leonard NimoyAtlantean King (voice)James Newton HowardComposerTab MurphyWriterJoss WhedonWriterStream
Rent & Buy