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Atlantis - The Lost Empire

Atlantis - The Lost Empire

List Price: $19.99
Your Price: $15.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Atlantis
Review: Tired of buying over hyped DVD's. This is a plot from a 50 year old "B" Movie, and a little of 60 year old Flash Gordon. It's not much more than that. The only plus was sound, but not worth the $... I paid for it. Very, very few movies are lately.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: PRESERVING & CELEBRATING THE BEST ANIMATED FEATURE OF 2001
Review: "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" simply is unlike any Disney feature film ever made, and the best evidence in support of this is on the 2-Disc Collector's Edition released January 29th.

Marrying the magic of great comic books/graphic novels with the action adventure epic, "Atlantis" succeeds in being a triumph not only of visual creativity, but also of superior story telling as only animation can deliver. Actually, as only Disney animation can deliver.

The supplemental disc has every bell and whistle a disc-o-file could want, and then some. That it's delivered cleverly and with great style makes it all the better a bargain at any price. Without giving away the show (and it is quite a show) suffice it to whet your appetite that the supplemental disc -- containing deleted scenes, countless visual development galleries, and both pencil and digital animation tests -- sets the stage by starting off with a "one reel" Industrial Film from Whitmore Industries. This is the sort of stuff that makes Disney DISNEY. The "plussing" -- which I'll let the film's producer, Don Hahn, explain as you browse through the 2 plus hours (!) of Disc 2. Much of the credit for this feast has to go to the supplemental disc's Writer, Producer & Director Michael Pellerin and to Disc Executive Producer Jeff Kurtti who have done a magnificent job of organizing the material and presenting it to the viewer.

As for the first disc containing the film itself there's much to be enjoyed here, as well. The audio commentary is "plussed" (there's that word again!) with an added visual commentary option that interrupts the film with various "making of" insights best explained visually, all without missing any portion of the film. Wonderful! Trousedale, Wise and Hahn keep things moving and never bore the viewer. Nor are they boorish and self-serving as far too many DVD filmmaker commentaries are these days.

The film itself is simply a treasure.

The story delivers mysterious strangers, dark mansions, and machinated marvels that play like a previously unpublished Jules Verne adventure discovered at long last. Without overwhelming us the film manages to move us along while pausing for well paced breaths, delivering surprises that are earned, and making us long to visit this magical, mysterious world.

Such magical mystery is what animation is for, after all; to realize places and people that traditional live action can't realize. The flat look of the comic book styling is thanks mostly to comic book artist Mike Mignola. And Art Director Dave Goetz's saturated colors and bold designs is not only refreshing, it also proves that hyperrealism isn't the be all and end all of animation! There are no weak characters or "if only they hadn't" moments here. Standout performances worth mentioning (Remembering this is team acting by both the voice artists and animators) include the hero, Milo Thatch, voiced by Michael J. Fox is animator John Pomeroy 's finest work to date. It's no small feat, as the character inhabits nearly 80% of the film's 95 minutes. Equally memorable is a supporting cast of magnificent misfits, with Don Novello voicing Vinnie the demolition expert as hysterically rendered by Russ Edmonds and his team, and the dry and delicious Mrs. Packard voiced by Florence Stanley and animated by Dave Pruiksma (a sad and confusing note: the disc's supplemental material all but ignores Pruiksma's contribution. He is the only animator left out of Kurtti and Pellerin's "special thanks" - which seems pettier than the artist's petulant and rather obstreperous public departure from the studio earlier last year. It's a shame, and one can only hope that time and some distance will give everyone involved some perspective, both on the legacy of a fine animator who breathed life into such wonderful characters as Chip and Flit, as well as a better understanding of the need for all things to grow and change -- even Disney Feature Animation. "Atlantis would have been a poorer film without Pruiksma's Packard, and Pruiksma was always at his best under Trousdale & Wise's direction. It's a shame.) Princess Kida voiced by Cree Summer and animated with grace and exuberance by Randy Haycock and his staff is a true jewel. Kida is the most appealing Disney heroine since Ariel, and Haycock - who was responsible for both the infant and adolescent Hercules in the film of the same name - comes of age as a film artist and animation actor with this performance. Mole provides endless delight thanks to the voice of Corey Burton and some wonderful animators, with Tony DeRosa leading the dig! Special nods to animators Ron Husband, Anne Marie Bardwell, Yoshi Tamura and Mike Surrey for giving life to the performances of Phil Morris's Dr. Sweet, Jacqueline Obradors's Audrey, Claudia Christian's Helga and James Garner's Rourke. And the late Jim Varney left behind a jewel of a swan song that animator Shawn Keller polished to comic perfection as Cookie.
These are moving drawings - in every sense. But it's also a miraculous marriage of the best of animation technology taking animated film making to new heights. There's much more than a strong graphic appeal to this film, however. Disney proves that a great story and fully realized characters that can think, and act, (and do more than tell jokes) can keep audiences on the edge of their seats. Parents shouldn't shy from the PG rating. The violence is no more alarming than any Saturday morning fare. There's a very well crafted (and not the least bit preachy) message that greed is not a reason to plunder the majesty of an untouched world. ATLANTIS: The Lost Empire gets better and better with each screening. The Special Edition simply extends "better" into the realm of "best", underscoring how it deserves a chance to take home the Oscar that says so.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great movie, cool features, but the picture quality.......?
Review: First of all, the movie. This has to be one of the best movies Disney has created since The Lion King. It is fresh, not ripped off and altered from a book (Tarzan, however great it was), or so poorly animated with horrid songs that make you gag (Mulan, Herculese). Granted the animation in Atlantis is certianly not the greatest animation I have ever seen, but it is cool. The characters are well drawn, the colour scheme is more than pleasing to the eye, and the backgrounds are lovely. And, contrary to what many "anime" fans believe, the movie IS NOT ANIME. It is an American sci-fi/fantasy-esque adventure flick. Not to be compared to the (excallent) Don Bluth film Titan A.E. though. Atlantis is on its own. Some plot holes, but they are easy to overlook.

Second, the special features. They are quite interesting, especially in seeing how the characters have "evolved" (especially Princess Kida). My only problem with the disk is that there is no Spanish language track, however there is a French one. The movie was indeed dubbed into Spanish, so it would seem logical that Disney include one. Or, at the very least, subtitles. Spanish is not my first language but it is still nice to see the feature of alternate languages, especially for those who DO speak them.

Finally the picture quality. The image is sharp. Too sharp. It seems to me "overhanced", creating white-ish lines around the outlines of verious features on the objects on-screen. It is hard to explain, but it is quite annoying.

Overall though, worth a buy:)

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Atlantis Sinks Again!
Review: Easily the worst Disney movie in years! If I could have left out the star on the rating, I would have.

The number of deaths is stunning for a Disney movie - by my count, over 200 people die! Not suitable at all for small children.

Older children and adults will be massively disappointed. "Atlantis" might as well have been called "Anachronism." It's set in 1914 (why?) but in attempt at political correctness, there is a female Hispanic teenage mechanic (yeah, right!), a physician of African-American decent reared by Native Americans (treating Anglos in 1914!?!), etc. Not to mention the mechanical and technical oddities. It's unclear why anyone would set a movie in this time then ignore all the realities of the age.

The plot makes no sense - the Atlanteans are dying out, in part because they have forgotten how to read their own language (post-traumatic stress?). But of course a white boy from America has no trouble learning to read the language from scratch. Also, there is an all-powerful spirit being who is apparently not powerful enough to get out of a box. Uh-huh.

I rented this for $2 and still feel I overpaid. Don't waste your time or money on this one. For good Disney, try: Mulan, The Emperor's New Groove, Aladdin, Lady and the Tramp, Beauty and the Beast,The Little Mermaid...but not this!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Puts anime to shame
Review: There's this Anime movement afoot stateside that i feel is somewhat undeserved.Supposedly Japanese animation is superior to anything else out there.I disagree,iv'e rented a number of so called classic or highly entertaining anime(Princess Monoke,Akira,Vampire Hunter)and iv'e been disappointed just about everytime(save for the lain navi series).Maybe it's an aquired taste,but i just can't take the static images and exaggerated physical features prevalent in janime,and most of the stories are hokey and cliched(does the story always have to be about the end of the world or some supercomputer/robot?).Saying that,Atlantis is the way to do animation.With great detail in every frame,wonderful colors,and dynamic flowing movement.There is so much going on in each frame,you will probably miss the majority of the visual touches upon first viewing.This is a high water mark for Disney and i feel far superior to Shrek(was that E Murphy's most annoying voicework to date?)with regards to voicework,characters,action,and sound.The audio on the DVD is fantastic,with clear and concise dialogue,powerful but subtle bass,and terrific sound effects.If you have a surround sound setup with DD5.1(i wish there was an DTS mix,but oh well)and a decent woofer you'll be very impressed at this transfer.The only way to fully appreciate this film is with the aforementioned.There are many extras too,with a running commentary by the 2 directors,a history of Atlantis,and the original opening sequence that was later cut and replaced with with an entirely different introduction.I'm surprised this film did'nt do better at the box office because it's a very high quality production that anyone of any age can enjoy.A+.

Note:The collector's edition contains a DTS 5.1 mix.My review was for the standard edition with DD 5.1.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: One is the lowest rating they allow...
Review: I agree with most of the reviewers on this one. I sat through this with my husband and two children, paid the high cost of movies now days, even to see it at the theatre. It was so bad, that two seconds after an event occured on screen, I could not have told you what it was! There was one, maybe two, jokes in which I found myself chuckling briefly, but they were over the heads of my children, who had more fun playing peekaboo over the chair arms than watching the movie. It seemed to last four hours. Some of the voice acting was good, some painfully stereotypical with their accents. Some of the scenery was worthy of capturing a few fleeting moments of my attention. However, the story line was boring for me as well as my children, the characters were unimaginative and dull, and the events lacking in many respects. I found myself echoing my daughter half way tthrough, "Can we go home now?"
Do not spend the money to buy this new. Buy it used or rent it if you must see it. You will thank us all afterward.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not for Kids!
Review: My kids were really looking forward to seeing Atlantis, but boy were we disappointed! First, the plot was hard for me to follow, nevermind the young children who are the intended audience. Also, a chain-smoking character is not appropriate for a children's movie. I'm glad Disney is trying to do something different, but I think they've lost sight of who the movie's intended auidence is.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: THIS IS AWESOME!
Review: You may have heard some negative thngs about this movie. Granted, it's not what most Disney-lovers would expect. However, the story and the CGI animation will make up for any uncertanties.
Milo Thatch believes Atlantis is buried under Iceland, but no one else thinks so. Then, Milo meets a man, who will test his beliefs. Milo finds himself on a submarine, in search of the continent.
When the crew finds Atlantis, they discover that the people are dying, because they can no longer ead the runes that explain the power source. When Milo finds out what the power source is, he has to fight a General to protect it!
This is extremely unusual, but it is great none the less.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Nice new feel for Disney
Review: Atlantis is definitely a different look and feel for Disney. The story is a bit more mature than the typical Disney animated feature. It isn't a musical, though the score is quite good. My 8-year-old daughter loved it and I did as well. A good movie for the whole family to enjoy!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not a ten year old's review!
Review: I'm 19 and I saw the movie in the theatre with my girlfriend. It was good overall: the story WAS compelling, the animations and effects were astheticly pleasing and the characters were real and likable. My personl disapppointment came from the second half of the movie. For me, once they reached Atlantis, the fun was over. The movie progressed to rapidly to appreciate what was really going on. It was difficult, if not impossible to develope a liking for the Atlantian king. I study, informaly, anthropology so I enjoyed the basis for this movie as the search for Atlantis. Overall, I was not displeased when I left the theatre. Shrek, though not a Disney, was better though.


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