Atlantis:The Lost Empire/Treasure Planet - Ray's Reviews

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
95 min

Directed by:
Gary Trousdale
Kirk Wise

Written by:
Tab Murphy (story & screenplay)
Joss Whedon (Treatment)
and others.

Starring the voices of:
Michael J. Fox as Milo James Thatch
James Garner as Commander Lyle Tiberius Rourke
Leonard Nimoy as King Kashekim Nedakh

Plot synopsis from Amazon.com:

"...An eccentric zillionaire sends Milo (Michael J. Fox) out to test his hypothesis with an anachronistic crew that includes tough Puerto Rican mechanic Audrey (Jacqueline Obradors), demolition expert Vinnie (Don Novello), and butt-kicking blond adventurer Helga (Claudia Christian). When they find Atlantis, its culture is dying because the people can no longer read the runes that explain their mysterious power source--but Milo can. Nasty Commander Rourke (James Garner) attempts to steal that power source, leading to the requisite all-out battle."

Ray's Opinion:

Atlantis is an odd entry for Disney. The makers were brave in ditching musical numbers and avoided much of the juvenile humour found in most their films. There are no cute animal sidekicks present, yet there are attempts at humour with some 'funny' characters - particularly Mole, a strange, stinky little man who likes to dig holes. I appreciated the new direction for Disney, but unfortunately the elements do not come together to form a cohesive whole and we are left with a unique yet unsatisfying animated film.

I'm a fan of Michael J. Fox and hoped that his contribution would help raise my investment in the lead character, but somehow, like most the film, Milo just didn't gel. Overall I found the interactions between characters dull and predictable, only the physical action was able to engage me and there is some pretty cool stuff in that area: We get an intense underwater battle with a huge sea-monster, and the entire last 20 mins is all action and spectacle, with a particularly exciting volcano eruption to really finish with a bang. But despite all the effort in the action areas, if you don't care much about the characters, you're not going to care about what happens to them and that was the case here.

However, regardless of its uninvolving characters and dull tone, I was looking forward to the discovery of Atlantis - unfortunately, Atlantis didn't turn out to be very interesting and I didn't get a sense of the place as a whole either. Once there, you meet just a few key characters (yet apparently it is a populated city) and explore the barest of locations. I guess I expected a little more after such a long and dangerous journey.

In a first for an animated film, there was a entire plot element that I just couldn't wrap my brain around. Atlantis has a source of power, that seems to keep its inhabitants alive for eternity, but I was confused about how this power source worked. Was it a crystal? Was it a person? Why did it a need a person to work? Why didn't they understand how to use it if it's been the very centre of their existence for all time? Why had it seemingly stopped working, but still kept them alive for thousands of years? Why, why, why? Anyway...

Apparently the character design is based on Mike Mignola's chunky style (Hellboy). The characters are very angular, with big stubby hands. Personally I prefer the usual Disney style (like in Aladdin), but I guess it did add to the films unique look. There is an abundance of CG and it's well integrated with the 2d elements. I haven't watched the DVD's extras yet, but I'm guessing the ships backgrounds were fully 3D, with the barest of 2d details thrown in.

Sound wise, things are looking up. Underwater films have the potential for a truly immersive sound environment and Atlantis delivered. I pumped up the volume and gave my stereo a good workout (and managed to make my cat run away in terror when the subs kicked in).

Overall, I appreciate Atlantis for doing things differently, but after being spoiled by far more emotionally engaging films like The Lion King and Tarzan, Atlantis felt flat and lifeless. Maybe it's one of those films that grow on you with repeat viewings? Any big fans out there?

5/10 - Atlantis



Treasure Planet (2002)
95 min

Directed by:
Ron Clements
John Musker
(The little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules)

Based on the novel by:
Robert Louis Stevenson

Written by:
Ron Clements
John Musker
and others.

Starring the voices of:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jim Hawkins
Brian Murray as John Silver
David Hyde Pierce as Doctor Doppler
Emma Thompson as Captain Amelia
Martin Short as B.E.N.

Official synopsis:

"In this adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's TREASURE ISLAND, Disney presents a fantastic space adventure. Jim Hawkins (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a teenage boy with a taste for adventure who seems to always be in trouble, much to the chagrin of his hardworking mother (Laurie Metcalf). But when he comes into possession of a high-tech map leading to Treasure Planet where an ancient cache of jewels and gold lies buried, it's like a dream come true. His mother's friend Doctor Doppler (David Hyde Pierce) arranges for a ship, and the two set sail, traversing the universe on course for the treasure. Captain Amelia (Emma Thompson), a domineering feline, is in charge of a rough-and-tumble crew of odd creatures, who may have their own designs on the treasure. Jim is placed under the supervision of John Silver (Brian Murray), the cook, who is both his father figure and his adversary. Slowly but surely the ship makes its way toward its destination, as Jim comes of age, learning to follow his heart, do what's right, and be a leader."

Ray's Opinion:

I prefer Treasure Planet to Disney's previous effort Atlantis. While it's not as classic as The Lion King, Aladdin or Tarzan, it's still an exciting adventure, presented beautifully and carried along by memorable characters.

Like Atlantis, Treasure Planet ditches the classic Disney musical numbers - it has one song, but it's not performed by the character himself - but unlike Atlantis, it does bring back the 'cute' sidekicks in the form of an enthusiastic shape-changing blob called Morph and a forgetful, blabbering robot called B.E.N. Thankfully they weren't as annoying as you might expect and they actually got a few laughs out of me.

I can see why the directors had their hearts set on making Treasure Planet (they've been attempting to make it since 1985 but kept getting assigned other projects), it's a cool idea and its potential for dramatic visuals is obvious. While some may quibble over the space setting, I thought it was a cool idea - completely implausible - but ripe with imaginative ideas. All the techniques in Disney's arsenal were put to use here and at times you have a blend of three animation styles at once: Firstly you have the obvious hand drawn 2D animation. Secondly you have the CG backgrounds using the 'deep canvas' technique (that was developed for Tarzan, enabling him to jungle 'surf') and lastly, there are 3D elements rendered to look flat and blend in with the 2D animation - such as John Silver's robotic arm (which blends in perfectly). It was exciting for a geek like me to see all these different elements come together so successfully.

Unlike Aladdin and The Lion King (and Tarzan to a lesser extent) Treasure Planet does not have broad appeal. It is definitely pitched at boys and this may explain its lackluster boxoffice numbers - it cost Disney $130 Million (including advertising) to make and returned around $90 million (worldwide grosses), their biggest failure ever. However video rentals/sales have made back more than its budget by now. I'm still a boy at heart and I enjoyed the young heroes' journey and could relate somewhat to his issues stemming from the lack of a father figure in his childhood. I find it hard to imagine most young girls enjoying it, even with the addition of the great feline Captain voiced by Emma Thompson.

The picture quality is high (it should be considering it's a digital film) and with a colour palette like this film has, you're in for a visual treat. The 5.1 mix gave my stereo a good workout thanks to space battles, supernova explosions and the like.

Treasure Planet is not an all out success, but it's a fun way to spend 95 minutes. As I've stated already, I don't believe it's in the same league as The Lion King or Aladdin, but it's certainly better than Atlantis and far more suited to my taste than Lilo and Stitch, Mulan or Pocahontas.

7/10 - Treasure Planet

I've been searching the stores for a copy of another Disney favourite of mine: The Emperor's New Groove. When I find it, I'll review it.

Any comments about your favourite animated films would be of much interest to me...

More animated film reviews by Ray:

Tarzan

The Prince of Egypt

The Road to El Dorado

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas