Atlantis:
The Lost Empire, directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk
Wise, is yet another Disney cartoon story for kids, with fantastic
beauty and a simple story, though the plot is aimed at teenagers
more than toddlers. When the film begins, a quote from Plato
alludes to the fabled existence of a superior civilization,
Atlantis, that was submerged and lost in a day. The hero,
Milo James Thatch (voiced by Michael J. Fox), is a nerdy but
brainy museum employee who resembles Bill Gates. It seems
that Milo’s grandfather found a journal that tells of the
location of Atlantis, but in the Atlantan language. Milo,
a linguist, has translated the journal and thereby formulated
a theory about where the lost continent is located and how
to get there. Accordingly, Preston B. Whitmore (voiced by
John Mahoney), a philanthropist, secures funds for his project,
and Milo goes with a captain, crew, and ship for the journey
in 1914. However, Commander Lyle Tiberius Rourke (voiced by
James Garner), a retired military officer, has an agenda of
his own -- "adventure capitalism," that is, to plunder Atlantis
of its treasures. When they arrive at Atlantis, dying Kashekim
Nedakh, king of Atlantis (voiced by Leonard Nimoy), receives
the visitors in a court that resembles the outdoor swimming
pool at San Simeon. The king rules that they are not allowed
to enter Atlantis. When Commander Rourke pleads that his crew
is tired after a long journey and in need of overnight accommodation,
the king relents, permitting the group to camp overnight outside
the gates. Princess Kidagakash (voiced by Cree Summer), however,
believes that Atlantan civilization, which has lost its knowledge
of its advanced technology, will be saved by the technology
of the newcomers, so she goes outside the gates to befriend
Milo and to show him around Atlantis. The visitors then gain
access to Atlantis, and Rourke reveals his wicked motive as
he begins his looting regardless of how many Atlantans must
die. The rest of the film deals with how to stop Rourke. As
a film that demonstrates by analogy the greed and brutality
that the West has perpetrated by exploring and then colonizing
non-Western peoples, the Political Film Society has nominated
Atlantis: The Lost Empire for three awards
-- best film in raising consciousness of the need for democracy,
human rights, and peace in the year 2001. MH
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