Atlantis: The Lost Empire review

2001 is unlikely to be remembered as a golden year for Disney. Its hugely touted blockbuster, Pearl Harbor, was met with nothing but raspberries from the critics and failed to excite an apathetic audience. Now its annual cartoon effort leaves a lot to be desired and is a surprisingly dated-looking piece of animation. A rare example of a Disney animates feature without any songs, it will leave viewers who want more of the sophisticated graphics of Toy Story 2 and Shrek very disappointed. It's unlikely to have the long-lasting appeal associated with Disney films and may even leave some of its intended young audience scratching their heads due to an over-confusing storyline.

It's also interesting to note that the studio has dispensed with the usual policy of hiring the freshest new actors to voice the characters. Arguably, of course, it shouldn't matter, as audiences do not flock to see animation because of the actors used. What audiences do flock to the cinema for is the much touted 'state of the art' animation. Many will be surprised at the choice of using a style that is more similar to Japanese anime. Sure, it is effective, but it hardly seems as innovative as anything created by either Pixar or Nick Park in their recent works.

As for plot, what starts out fairly simply soon begins to unravel in its own complexity. Milo Thatch (Fox) is a young linguist at the beginning of the 20th century who is obsessed with rediscovering the lost city of Atlantis. When a philanthropist agrees to fund his expedition it's all systems go and Thatch assembles his team, a sundry crew of experts in digging, mining, explosives and so on. Holed up in their submarine they are soon on their way and defeating the monsters that defend the gates to Atlantis. Once inside, they find a city beset by apathy: although the people can live incredibly long lives, an authoritative King (Nimoy) refuses to let them enjoy themselves.

The trouble is, that this is where apathy also sets in for the audience. While the set-up and arrival in Atlantis are fairly entertaining, the movie subsequently falls into a very predictable trap. There is the inevitable love affair between Milo and the Empire's Princess, hostility from the King and his troops, and dissension in the ranks of Milo's crowd. The most confusing aspect, however, is Milo's search for the 'power': a source of enlightenment that will bring happiness back to the Atlantians. This 'power' takes on a quasi-religious tone and is never explained in simple words, which may lead to some puzzled expressions on the faces of children in the audience.

All in all then it's a bit of a Disney oddity: parents expecting to see another Lion King or even Beauty and the Beast will be disappointed to find that while it still works for much of its short running time, it doesn't have the spectacular theme or incredible images that one would come to expect.