Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Rating:
Summary: Amazingly -- an improvement on the movie
Review:  
Take it from someone who's seen the movie. Atlantis is very far down on my list of Disney features. But if you're wondering what exactly went wrong, I'd advise buying the graphic novelization. Obviously, the writer was working from an earlier draft of the script and elements from the movie that are completely perplexing on screen are cleared up in this re-telling -- especially in the final battle between Milo and the movie's villain. (My 8-year-old daughter actually commented on that fact after reading this adaptation.) Comparing the film and the adaptation tells a fascinating story about some of the last-minute plot meddling that may have happened to help save this doomed feature. I'd advise that any completist Disney collector should have both the movie and this adaptation on his or her shelf. I know Greg Ehrbar as the name behind some very handsome and well-told French-language Disney comic book adaptions that are available only in France. But, I'm afraid no one could have made this feature completely intelligible. Perhaps the film makers concentrated too much on capturing the style of Production Designer Mike "Hellboy" Mignola. I only wished that they had paid a little more to the one detail Disney usually does best -- story.

Rating:
Summary: AWFUL!!!
Review: I haven't seen the movie yet, so I can't, and won't, compare. I'll just say that the adaptation is a haphazard mess that seems more like a fast-forward highlight reel than a true re-telling. The reader is likely to spend much of the time wondering what just happened, how did we get from there to here, who is that, etc., which does not make for an enjoyable read. I realize that the book is targeted at children, but children are YOUNG, not stupid. Even when I was younger I would have dismissed this as trash. Greg Ehrbar (The "writer") is a name I will studiously avoid in the future. The saving grace is the sketchbook in the back, showcasing the design work of the movie's Production Designer, famed comic-book creator Mike Mignola. I bought the book just to see his sketches, and at least they delivered.

Mignola fans might be happy, but all others should steer clear.

Rating:
Summary: BRAVO!
Review: Was very happy to get this GRAPHIC NOVEL...GREG EHRBAR has a real flair for adapting a DISNEY film to text! Wonderful! Had no idea MIKE MIGNOLA did the cover and there is a very nice sketchbook of his on the back pages! Well Done!