Day 41: Atlantis: The Lost Empire

My apologies for posting this a day late and then editing the time stamp so it looks like I got it up on time.  Lol, anyways...

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

Starring: Michael J. Fox, James Garner, Cree Summer, Don Novello, Phil Morris, Claudia Christian, Jacqueline Obradors, Florence Stanley, David Ogden Stiers, John Mahoney, Jim Varney, Corey Burton, Leonard Nimoy

Songs: A score by James Newton Howard

Atlantis: The Lost Empire is the forty-first Disney animated film.  It tells the story of young explorer Milo Thatch, who takes a crew in search of the lost city of Atlantis.  This was Disney's first animated sci-fi adventure film.

Development began on this movie after the completion of 1996's The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  The studio wanted to do something different than the musicals they had been producing, and they took inspiration from Jules Verne's A Journey to the Center of the Earth.  Visual inspirations included Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the film was styled after comic book artist and graphic designer Mike Mignola's work.  Marc Okrand, the linguist who developed the Klingon language for Star Trek, created an Atlantean language.

The production was difficult and expensive, and unfortunately box office performance was modest and critical reviews were mixed.  To me it seems like that was probably because the movie was very different than what Disney had recently been doing and what people were used to.

This is a movie I didn't see in theaters.  I actually didn't see it the first time until I was a little older, but I did like it when I saw it, and still like it now.  I think it's really cool and enjoyable.

What I Liked: This is a really unique film in the Disney canon, and that's very cool.  Also the characters are really well developed and likable.  Well done there.  And also the score... perfect for a film like this.

What I Disliked:  My usual complaint for the films of this era... sometimes the CGI elements stick out around the traditionally animated elements like a sore thumb.  But to be fair, other times they're blended really well, really cohesive.  And this movie used more CGI than any previous traditionally animated Disney film, so it was an admirable effort.  It works really well in most places, but when it's rocky, it's noticeable.

Should You Watch This Movie: I'd definitely give it a shot.  It's really enjoyable... don't let the mixed reviews deter you.