Do you want to see ‘Atlantis - The Lost Empire’?

Atlantis - The Lost Empire (2001)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 5.5/10
Reviews Counted: 140
Fresh: 68 | Rotten: 72

Atlantis provides a fast-paced spectacle, but stints on such things as character development and a coherent plot.

Average Rating: 5/10
Critic Reviews: 32
Fresh: 13 | Rotten: 19

Atlantis provides a fast-paced spectacle, but stints on such things as character development and a coherent plot.

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Average Rating: 2.9/5
User Ratings: 344,039

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Movie Info

The first Disney cartoon to be produced in the 70 mm format since The Black Cauldron (1985), this blend of traditional animation with computer-generated imagery is a straight adventure tale of the Jules Verne school, eschewing the studio's typical formula of cute critters mixed with song-and-dance routines. Michael J. Fox is the voice of Milo Thatch, a lowly museum employee and linguist in the early 20th century who's determined to continue his late grandfather's search for the lost, sunken

PG, 1 hr. 35 min.

Action & Adventure, Animation, Kids & Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Directed By: Gary Trousdale , Kirk Wise

Written By: Tab Murphy, Joss Whedon, Bruce Zabel, Jackie Zabel, Kirk Wise

In Theaters: Jun 15, 2001 Wide

On DVD: Jan 29, 2002

Box Office:$83.6M

Walt Disney Pictures

Atlantis - The Lost Empire Trailer & Photos

More Photos (33)

Cast

Michael J. Fox
Milo James Thatch
James Garner
Commander Lyle T. Rourk...
Cree Summer
Princess Kidagakash "Ki...
Leonard Nimoy
Kashekim Nedakh "King o...
Don Novello
Vincenzo "Vinny" Santor...
Claudia Christian
Helga Sinclair
Jacqueline Obradors
Audrey Ramirez
John Mahoney
Preston B. Whitmore
Corey Burton
Gaetan "Mole" Moliere
David Ogden Stiers
Fenton Q. Harcourt
Jim Varney
Jebidiah Allardyce "Coo...
Florence Stanley
Wilhelmina Bertha Packa...
Phil Morris
Dr. Joshua Sweet
Natalie Strom
Young Kida
Mark Hamill

Critic Reviews for Atlantis - The Lost Empire

All Critics (140) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (72) | Rotten (73) | DVD (28)

Visually imaginative and even persuasively spiritual, this animated adventure has some unusually complex villains and heroes, and some of the plot and dialogue transcends what's typical in movies intended for a broad or youthful audience.

January 25, 2011 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader

| Comment

Lisa Alspector

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

This blandly conceived and executed attempt at a juve-style Indiana Jones with Jules Verne trappings recycles familiar adventure and cartoon devices with minimal wit and flair.

August 7, 2008 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comment

Todd McCarthy

Variety

Top Critic

Atlantis is good, and kids will love it, but it doesn't achieve greatness.

June 21, 2001 Full Review Source: CNN.com

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(CNN.com) Paul Clinton

CNN.com

Top Critic

A new-fashioned but old-fangled hash.

June 15, 2001 Full Review Source: Washington Post

| Comment

Rita Kempley

Washington Post

Top Critic

The characters and story are mere narrative lubricant to get us from one digitally goosed sensory assault to the next.

June 15, 2001 Full Review Source: Toronto Star

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Geoff Pevere

Toronto Star

Top Critic

Just beneath the surface, Atlantis brims with adult possibility.

June 15, 2001 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle

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Wesley Morris

San Francisco Chronicle

Top Critic

It's too rich with invention and characterization, too packed with juice, and it gallops right along breathlessly. Even so, it manages moments of lyricism and visual elegance.

July 5, 2011 Full Review Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser

| Comment

Burl Burlingame

Honolulu Star-Advertiser Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser

...a passable Disney endeavor that ranks somewhere in the middle of the studio's animation canon.

June 28, 2011 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews

| Comment

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Disney's animators once again go under the sea, this time to discover the lost city of Atlantis. Shame they didn't find an engaging plot while they were down there.

January 25, 2011 Full Review Source: Film4

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Film4

Entertaining but intense adventure for tweens and up.

December 22, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

It is difficult to say whether its greatest failure is in its story, its characters, or its animation.

December 7, 2009 Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy

| Comment

Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

I liked this movie a lot.

April 29, 2009 Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed

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Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

By all means bring the kids to this one -- and sit back to enjoy the ride in Adventureland.

November 20, 2008 Full Review Source: Hollywood.com

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Kit Bowen

Hollywood.com

Disney does animated adventure with this colorful, mostly brisk 1914 search for the legendary missing empire.

August 7, 2008 Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review

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Bob Grimm

Sacramento News & Review

When compared to Disney's best animated films, "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" doesn't compare.

September 12, 2007 Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine)

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Christopher Smith

Bangor Daily News (Maine)

It's probably the most grown-up animated feature Disney has produced, and with its attuned vocal performances, elegant design and pulse-quickening finale, it sets a standard of sustained craftsmanship most live-action film-makers must envy.

August 16, 2007 Full Review Source: Time Out

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Trevor Johnston

Time Out

A solid addition to the Disney canon. But from the directors of Beauty And The Beast, solid ain't good enough. Classic Disney this is not.

December 30, 2006 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine

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Empire Magazine

After seeing spectacular epics like Tarzan, it is difficult to properly appreciate the mediocre, but entertaining Atlantis.

September 27, 2006 Full Review Source: Bangitout.com

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Jordan Hiller

Bangitout.com

The potency of the Disney brand name will be tested with Atlantis, a peculiar animated feature that has no children in its story, no cute creatures, and no musical or dance numbers. Any reason for the family to go?

February 24, 2006 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

Poor Disney, they now have a real competitor in the family film business and it's a big, green oaf from Dreamworks.

December 6, 2005 Full Review Source: Film Threat

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Film Threat

... breathtaking animation in service of a story that doesn't hold enough water to drown a rat much less a civilization.

December 6, 2004 Full Review Source: Looking Closer

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Jeffrey Overstreet

Looking Closer

a rousing animated adventure that captivates the wee ones and confuses adults just a wee bit

August 14, 2004 Comment

James Plath

Reel.com

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Atlantis - The Lost Empire

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A pretty good film considering it wasn't advertised as much as other children's animations. The narrative was well formed even though it was quite predictable.

October 23, 2011

Sophie Burgess

Super Reviewer

Atlantis The Lost empire is one of the most beautiful animated films of all time, and one of the most fun Disney films ever made. the plot was surprisingly great, it took one of the greatest legends and made a great story that kids and adults will find interesting. The voice acting is great, and their charaters are

August 17, 2011

Brad Wright

Super Reviewer

Atlantis - The Lost Empire Quotes

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1. Milo James Thatch: Will you look at the size of this? It's gotta be half a mile high, at least. It must have taken hundred- no, thousands of years to carve this thing. [Vinny blows it up, and it falls down over a chasm]
2. Vincenzo "Vinny" Santorini: Hey, look, I made a bridge. It only took me like, what? Ten seconds? Eleven, tops.
– Submitted by Nick S (53 days ago)
1. Milo James Thatch: Okay. Here's the plan. We're gonna come in low and fast and take 'em by surprise.
2. Audrey Ramirez: Well, I've got news for you, Milo. Rourke is never surprised and he's got a lot of guns.
3. Milo James Thatch: Great. Well, do you have any suggestions?
4. Vincenzo "Vinny" Santorini: Yeah. Don't get shot!
– Submitted by George B (2 months ago)
1. Milo James Thatch: So, what's Mole's story?
2. Dr. Joshua Sweet: You don't wanna know, trust me. Audrey, don't tell him. You shouldn't have told me, but you did and know I'm telling you, you don't wanna know!
– Submitted by Emil � (3 months ago)
1. Milo James Thatch: Forgot you jammies, Mrs. Packard?
2. Wilhelmina Bertha Packard: I sleep in the nude.
3. Vincenzo "Vinny" Santorini: [throws a pair of sleeping mask] You're gonna wear one of these. She's sleep walking.
– Submitted by Emil � (3 months ago)