Line #76 YMMV/AtlantisTheLostEmpire


1	* {{Adorkable}}:
2	** Milo: Intelligent, sweet, clumsy, scrawny, still brave... Top it off with the voice of Creator/MichaelJFox, and you have got fangirl carnage on your hands. Kida makes mention of this... in her own, unique way.
3	---> '''Kida''': You are a scholar, are you not? Judging by your diminished physique and large forehead, you are suited for nothing else.
4	** Kida herself actually has a good few moments, such as when she tries on Milo's glasses and her eyes get magnified or the WhosOnFirst routine where she can't understand that Sweet is the actual doctor's name, suggesting that she and Milo aren't that different in the dorkiness department.
5	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
6	** During the Leviathan's attack on ''Ulysses'', it briefly grabs the ship in its mandible claws and holds it up to its "eyes", close enough for Milo to watch them dilate. Considering that it doesn't attack or snap the ''Ulysses'' in half during this scene, it almost appears to be '''[[ItCanThink intently studying]]''' the ship. Is it [[PragmaticEvil analyzing the enemy for weaknesses]], perhaps trying to determine whether it's a threat? Taunting the people on board with how easily it can destroy them? Lining up a kill shot for its WaveMotionGun? Or is it so ancient that it genuinely has no idea ''what the hell it has in its claws'', especially since the only other mechanical constructions it's ever seen are other Atlantean vessels like itself?
7	** During the same sequence, the Leviathan takes an awfully long time to destroy the ''Ulysses'', although it clearly could have obliterated the ship and everyone on board with a single tail slap. Is this a case of PlotArmor keeping the Leviathan from killing all the main characters in five seconds, or is the Leviathan sadistically toying with its defenseless prey? Or, as suggested above, is it confused about the ''Ulysses'' and trying to figure out what it is?
8	** As the Leviathan is circling ''Ulysses'', it gives out two loud calls that the crew can't understand. Is this a RoarBeforeBeating, or was the Leviathan trying to communicate with the vessel?
9	** Was Rourke EvilAllAlong or did he do a FaceHeelTurn when he realized the mission wasn't a simple "find the lost city and take valuables"? He knew about the crystal beforehand by reading or looking at the images in the book, but he didn't understand the ancient language so he couldn't know what the crystal was exactly, nor did he (or really ''anyone'' for that matter) expect Atlantis to still be inhabited. Excavating valuable artifacts from long-dead civilizations isn't evil even if you're OnlyInItForTheMoney like he seems to be, but deciding to take it from still-living people who depend on is unquestionably evil. Considering he only starts acting outright villainous ''after'' the crystal is revealed and he is given the chance to learn more about it, it calls into question if he was EvilAllAlong, or if learning the truth made him realize the value of it and acted on that. Dr. Sweet's statement when Rourke punches King Kashekim implies that after arriving in Atlantis, the crew (save Milo) met up and agreed upon taking the valuables, since he outright says Rourke assaulting the king was not part of the plan.
10	** How much of Helga's LastBreathBullet to kill Rourke due to [[DeathEqualsRedemption a desire to do the right thing now that she no longer had any chance to profit from doing the wrong one]] (she did seem to be very slightly less comfortable than Rourke with their various despicable actions, though not enough to stop being TheDragon) and how much was TakingYouWithMe spite from him betraying and fatally injuring her the second it seemed useful.
11	* AluminumChristmasTrees: Gas had not been deployed as a weapon yet, but the concept of a gas mask dates back to the 19th century. A gas mask was patented in America in 1849 by Lewis Haslett, for filtering dust, and Garrett A. Morgan invented a gas mask in 1912 that proved useful for gas/smoke-filled environments. Military use of gas masks did not occur until at least 1915, but Rourke runs a private army with unconventional equipment, to say the least.
12	* AnimationAgeGhetto: A major factor in the movie's failure. It was intended to be the beginning of a new movement for Disney that involved making animated films for older audiences. However, those same audiences, especially the teenage boys to whom ''Atlantis'' was marketed, were predisposed to ignore Disney animation -- not surprising considering that Disney has spent the entire previous decade making movies that were aimed first and foremost at very young children. TheNewTens, however, brought the fall of the ghetto and CultClassic status to the film, so it's proven itself as just ahead of its time.
13	* AudienceAlienatingEra: Given its lukewarm critical reception and box office take, it was seen as an early warning sign that Disney was falling into one, and many critics pointed to it as in hindsight being the surest sign that the Disney Renaissance had effectively ended by this point. Many fans entirely disagree, and thus place it at the end of the renaissance instead, along with ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'' and ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'' for their bold and daring experimentation.
14	* AudienceAlienatingPremise: While there are a number of reasons ''Atlantis'' underperformed at the box office, the one most commonly attributed to its failure is that it was simply "too different" from what viewers expected from Disney. And in all fairness, it ''was'' unlike anything Disney had produced since ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'', which also attempted a more "mature" approach and subsequently bombed. The years following have been kinder to the film, however, and now it enjoys a definitive CultClassic status among Disney's fans.
15	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Music/JamesNewtonHoward provides as usual. The music during [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3iwvG2ZKuw the submarine launch]] is especially epic. Special mention needs to go to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tx783Z5gso "The Crystal Chamber"]]. It's quite possibly one of the most gorgeous tracks Howard ever composed. Close runner-ups would be [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kolsr3bipfc "The Secret Swim"]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck3cggQVrKQ "Just Do It"]].
16	** Not quite "music" in the conventional sense, but the Foley work on this film is spectacular--particularly the cracking rock sounds as the crystal-dome-covered Atlantis is covered in cooling lava.
17	* BaseBreakingCharacter: Rourke. [[spoiler: While quite a few fans regard him as a frighteningly believable antagonist who demonstrates the immorality of the worst side of capitalist values and is charismatic enough to make the third act twist work, others call him an underdeveloped villain with a bland motivation clearly shoehorned in to give the movie a conflict.]]
18	* CatharsisFactor: [[spoiler: Considering how rude Helga is before the group's FaceHeelTurn and afterwards being a SmugSnake who jokes about doubling the price once she hears that stealing the Heart of Atlantis will result in the Atlanteans dying, it's rather satisfying when Rourke [[RewardedAsATraitorDeserves betrays her]] and throws her off the zeppelin. And seeing as Rourke does this for no good reason beyond a flimsy excuse and [[KickTheDog claiming it's "nothing personal"]], it's also just as cathartic when a dying Helga gets a revenge shot in, throwing those words back at Rourke as she does]].
19	* CompleteMonster:
20	** [[spoiler:[[OnlyInItForTheMoney Commander Lyle Tiberius Rourke]] is a tomb-robbing mercenary--or, as he insists, "[[InsistentTerminology adventure capitalist]]"--solely in the Atlantis operation for profit. The leader of the expedition sent to find Atlantis, Rourke maintains a gruff, militaristic indifference to the lives of those lost to the Leviathan and upon seeing the Heart of Atlantis, plans to confiscate it and sell it for triple the money he'd receive. Knowing full well this will kill every Atlantean, when he's confronted on this Rourke threatens to shoot Princess Kida and shortly thereafter murders her father, never dropping his [[FauxAffablyEvil friendly facade]]. Rourke was concerned for [[ItsAllAboutMe little else but himself]] and the potential profit he could reap from Atlantis, to the point where he tosses [[TheDragon Helga]] off a blimp to her death in an attempt to aid his escape, and was greedy enough, in the end, to make his entire party turn against him.]]
21	** [[Script/AtlantisTheLostEmpire First draft script]] ([[https://archive.org/details/atlantis-script-1-first-draft/mode/2up link]]):
22	*** [[spoiler:[[AmbitionIsEvil Rourke]], [[{{Jerkass}} lacking any of the superficial charm of his film counterpart]], is a much darker character here and is an ally of the Kaiser. The thuggish commander of the expedition crew, Rourke shows a [[LackOfEmpathy callous demeanour]] to the horrific deaths of his crewmembers, even threatening Milo when he suggests they turn back. Wanting to acquire the Heart Crystal of Atlantis to allow Germany to usher in a "[[OneWorldOrder New World Order]]", Rourke happily acknowledges that doing this would doom {{Atlantis}} and its inhabitants to decay and die in the dark. Having Preston Whitmore rendezvous at the entrance to Atlantis, Rourke sets up the man and his crew to die via a German U-boat attack. During the climax, Rourke betrays his ally Helga by shooting her and kicking her off his Zeppelin and attempts to sadistically murder Milo, musing about dragging the death out to an agonising end. Having a much grander scope of ambition compared to his film counterpart's lust for greed, Rourke is a deranged sadist willing to kill both friend and foe to achieve his goals.]]
23	*** Red Beard is a [[RapePillageAndBurn pillaging]] Viking out to discover Atlantis. Raiding a village, Red Beard forces a monk to give up the map to Atlantis for the price of his flock being spared; once the monk concedes, Red Beard razes the village to ashes and kills all within out of amused sadism--but [[ExactWords spares the sheep]]. When one of his men gets uneasy due to concerns there's something within the ocean, [[BadBoss Red Beard]] tosses the man off his boat to drown in the frigid waters, threatening the rest of his crew with the same fate should they question him.
24	* CrazyIsCool: Gaetan Moliere. The man is completely obsessed with dirt... and it makes him incredibly useful. He's able to identify Milo as a linguist by {{Sherlock Scan}}ning and [[FingertipDrugAnalysis tasting]] dirt from under Milo's fingernails.
25	* CriticalDissonance: Has a critic score of 48% on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as a surprisingly low audience score of only around 51%. However, given its CultClassic status and its constant inclusion in lists of the most underrated Disney movies and animated movies in general, it’s obvious the audience liked it more.
26	* CultClassic: As with ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'', this film is becoming one. In fact, it's one of the rare few movies (along with the aforementioned two) that fans actually ''want'' to see join Disney's increasingly long list of [[LiveActionAdaptation live-action remakes]], just so it can get a second shot at the box office.
27	* DracoInLeatherPants: Due to the sheer sexiness (and coolness) of Helga, and the fact that she technically [[spoiler:pulls a HeelFaceTurn that amounts more to TakingYouWithMe when Rourke betrays her]], fans like to imagine her as less of a villain than Rourke. She does say "this changes everything" when she finds out that there are people in Atlantis, but [[IgnoredEpiphany continues with the mission]] even after the rest of the team defects.
28	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
29	** Ask any random person what they remember most about this movie. Nine times out of ten they'll answer the [[EldritchAbomination Leviathan]] even though it doesn't actually speak and only appears for about five minutes in total.[[note]]At the time of release, the sequence was heavily featured in commercials and merchndising[[/note]]
30	** Vinny is arguably the most popular character. ''[[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff Especially]]'' [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff in the French fanbase,]] thanks to a brilliant dub that arguably makes his {{Deadpan Snark\|er}} even funnier than in the original English. He's also beloved among [[MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales Italian fans]], as in that dub he's given a Southern accent to make him stick out from the other Italian-speaking characters and to be accurate to his canon bio about being born in Palermo, Sicily.
31	** Mrs. Packard, due to her [[DeadpanSnarker bottomless pit of snark]].
32	** King Kashekim, for being voiced by Creator/LeonardNimoy.
33	** Audrey is perhaps a close second for many, for her [[LittleMissSnarker feisty and snarky attitude]], her [[TeenGenius knack with machinery despite her very young age]], and her being [[NiceGirl one of the first team members to warm up to Milo]]. The fact that she's a prominent female character who doesn't end up as someone's love interest helps a good deal, too.
34	** Helga's got a strong fanbase, too, on account of her [[FemmeFatale cool, no-nonsense demeanor]] and her [[MsFanservice sultriness]], [[spoiler:as well as her DyingMomentOfAwesome where she shoots down Rourke's airship with a LastBreathBullet]].
35	* FairForItsDay: The film is not without modern criticisms about Kida's character being oversexualized and stereotypically native, as well as the plot carrying WhiteSavior shades with Milo's role saving Atlantis. However, despite it being made during the TurnOfTheMillennium, it is also one of the most diverse Disney films to date, featuring a cast of many races and nationalities with their own charisma, which is no doubt one of its draws and reasons for its cult status. It's also worth noting that Kida is still the most powerful person in the story, and the third act's rescue plot is also so that she can save ''them''. While a passive vessel for the Heart of Atlantis, depicting a woman of color saving the day in a Disney film in 2001 was most certainly not often seen. And of course, Kida is the first [[spoiler: princess character in a Disney movie to become a queen at the end]], even if she isn't considered an official Franchise/DisneyPrincess.
36	* FanPreferredCouple: Although Milo and Kida are the movie's OfficialCouple, many fans prefer to ship Milo with [[DatingCatwoman Helga]] or [[PairTheSmartOnes Audrey]]; in no small part due to their respective chemistries with him.
37	* FanPreferredCutContent:
38	** A lot of fans would have liked most of the storyboarded action adventure sequences before finding Atlantis to be included in the finished film. WordOfGod is that they were cut because it was "taking too long" to get to Atlantis itself, but many of the pacing issues would likely have been solved by including them.
39	** The cancelled sequel would have involved [[spoiler: Helga surviving the volcanic eruption and coming back as a [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency Rudolf Von Stroheim]]-esque dieselpunk cyborg to be the film's villain]], which many fans would have been happy to see.
40	* FriendlyFandoms: With ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'', due to the similar art style and character designs, courtesy of Mike Mignola.
41	* GeniusBonus: Several examples:
42	** Ichthyologists and paleontologists in the audience had to laugh at Whitmore's aquarium, which contained coelacanths (a 65-million-year-old species that was thought long extinct until its rediscovery in 1938.) Probably meant to show, in the most obscure possible way, that Whitmire's been exploring the world long enough to find all sorts of hidden things.
43	** Cookie shows off a tattooed map on his belly showing "all 38 states." There were 38 states from 1876 to 1889; meaning he would have got the tattoo sometime between the ages of 33 and 47. He seems to think there are ''still'' only 38 states, but then, he's not all there.
44	** While abandoning the main characters in Atlantis, Rourke mutters, "P. T. Barnum was right." Barnum's most famous (and probably apocryphal) saying, ''There's a sucker born every minute.'' Even people who don't know much about him understand that he was a complete grifter.
45	** Cookie is confused when he finds a can labelled "cilantro" in his supplies at the start of the mission. Cilantro -- Spanish for coriander -- was called "coriander leaves" until the 1920s (it was introduced to British colonies in North America in 1670), and still ''is'' referred to as such in some countries.
46	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff:
47	** It had a big following in Canada, probably due to how similar it is to ''Series/StargateSG1''.
48	** Mexico as well, likely because of the artistic similarities to ''[[Film/Hellboy2004 Hellboy]]'' (which is very popular in Mexico due to being directed by Mexican Creator/GuillermoDelToro).
49	* HesJustHiding: Some fans of the movie pretend to think that Helga survived the final battle. [[spoiler:In fact, the cancelled true sequel would've confirmed that Helga actually did survive; and would have ended up [[WeCanRebuildHim being rebuilt into a heavily-armed dieselpunk cyborg]] and becoming the new BigBad of the movie.]]
50	* HollywoodHomely: Milo is often talked about as though he's scrawny and unattractive, with Kida even making fun of his physique. Except that halfway through the film, he goes through an impromptu AdrenalineMakeover where he spends the rest of the story in a tank top, and when he disrobes for a swim with Kida, he has lots of muscle definition. The impression is more 'slender athletic build' rather than GeekPhysiques.
51	* ItsShortSoItSucks: Thanks to its surprisingly rich lore due to its [[AllThereInTheManual supplementary materials]], fans have noted that the film could have used a lot more running time to better establish the setting, explore the universe's lore, and give the characters more screen time. Official word is that ExecutiveMeddling is at fault for this one, as the journey to Atlantis was set to take up a larger portion of the story in the original drafts.
52	* JerkassWoobie: King Kashekim is aloof not just to the protagonists but to his own daughter, and he's the arrogant ruler who became responsible for Atlantis's fall in the first place. But he's fully aware that his own hubris doomed his people, and he also had to lose his beloved wife, whom he still misses thousands of years later. [[spoiler:He also dies fearing that Kida will be lost the same way as the queen]].
53	* LGBTFanbase: The film has a lot of queer female fans due to [[EvenTheGirlsWantHer the sheer attractiveness]] of [[FemmeFatale Helga]], [[TankTopTomboy Audrey]], and [[NubileSavage Kida]]. [[NerdsAreSexy Milo]] has a similar following among [[EvenTheGuysWantHim male fans]], with particular attention being drawn to his {{adorkable}} nature, trim GeekPhysique and the extended scene where [[MrFanservice he goes swimming with Kida in nothing but his boxers]].
54	* LoveToHate: Helga is quite an enjoyable villain for her DeadpanSnarker FemmeFatale persona, as well as being a DarkActionGirl in the climax. [[spoiler:Many fans lament the cancelled sequel where Helga would have been revealed to have not only survived the volcanic eruption and prior fall from Rourke's blimp, but also to have been rebuilt as a dieselpunk cyborg and [[DragonAscendant succeeding Rourke as the new main villain]].]]
55	* MemeticMutation:
56	** The part where Rourke lights a match in the dark and asks "Alright, who's not dead? Sound off." has become very popular for Gif users.
57	** Additionally the part where Milo asks about Mole's backstory and Dr Sweet responds with "Trust me on this: You don't want to know. Audrey, don't tell him. You shouldn't have told me, but you did, and now I'm telling you, you don't wanna know." has become a popular meme, usually in response to someone asking about some aspect of internet culture that the asker [[YouDontWantToKnow probably won't like the answer to]].
58	** After ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen 2013}}'' came out and featured Elsa being crowned as a queen, memes stating that Elsa was the first Franchise/DisneyPrincess to become a queen, only to have annoyed looks from Kida followed.
59	* MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales: Vinny Santorini is as much of a beloved EnsembleDarkHorse among Italian fans as he is generally among other viewers worldwide. The SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing by Pasquale Anselmo, who gave Vinny a southern accent to make him stick out more in the Italian dub and be accurate to him being from Palermo, definitely upped the character's charm.
60	* MoralEventHorizon: [[spoiler: Rourke crosses it and keeps on going when he punches the elderly King of Atlantis so hard it causes internal bleeding, eventually leading to his death. Dr. Sweet drops out without hesitation when he sees this happen and while the other main crew members don't, Audrey and Vinny at least are shown to be disconcerted and repulsed; and it sets the wheels in motion for them to turn on him later as well.]]
61	-->'''Sweet:''' [[spoiler: Rourke, this was ''not'' part of the plan!]] \
62	[[spoiler:'''Rourke:''' Plan's changed, Doc. I suggest you put a bandage on that bleeding heart of yours. It doesn't suit a mercenary.]]
63	* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb40970D4sU Level Complete]] theme from the [=PS1=] game adaptation; a short but atmospheric choir-backed fanfare that's reminiscent of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1tyK9BCSL0 Item Acquisition]] theme from the ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy''.
64	* {{Narm}}: [[spoiler: Rourke’s hellish scream when he fully transforms into a crystal monster is [[NightmareFuel terrifying]], but to some it sounds rather... [[ScreamsLikeALittleGirl high-pitched]] in a way that makes it harder to take seriously.]][[note]]If you ever want to know where exactly the sound of Rourke's scream came from, it's actually sourced from ''Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark''; specifically, during the scene when Eddie Carr [[HalftheManHeUsedtoBe gets ripped apart]] by [[MamaBear a pair]] of [[PapaWolf T. rexes.]][[/note]]
65	* OlderThanTheyThink:
66	** Kida is the first princess in a Disney movie to [[spoiler: be crowned Queen]], a whole decade before Elsa from ''{{WesternAnimation/Frozen\|2013}}''.
67	** The film also featured [[spoiler: a seemingly friendly character being revealed as the villain]] long before it started showing up in ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'', ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'', ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'', and many other Disney productions.
68	** Atlantis's crystalline technology, a common talking point of critics that claim the film plagiarizes ''Nadia'', originates from decades earlier in the writings of self-proclaimed mystic Edgar Cayce.
69	* OneSceneWonder: Why yes, the [[EldritchAbomination Leviathan]] ''technically'' appears for only one brief segment of this movie. Let's put it this way -- have you ''forgotten'' about the [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever colossal]] [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot magic Atlantean robot lobster]] that [[WaveMotionGun shoots lasers]] and inflicts an absolutely ''[[CurbStompBattle staggering]]'' death toll on the MainCharacters, in a ''Disney'' movie?
70	* SugarWiki/SheReallyCanAct: Given that Creator/CreeSummer is best known for voicing 90% of SassyBlackWoman characters in cartoons, it's quite surprising to hear her give such a wildly against-type performance as Kida. Cree even lists the princess as her favorite role.
71	* SoOkayItsAverage: General consensus among external critics seems to be that it has a lot of good points (surprisingly rich lore, finely-made animation graphics, diverse and varied side characters), but a lot of bad ones too (overly short runtime, condensed story plots) with each kind of balancing the other out. For cult fans, the latter doesn't really care.
72	* SpiritualAdaptation: The movie is probably the closest thing we'll ever get to an American remake of the 1990 anime series ''Anime/NadiaTheSecretOfBlueWater''. In fact, the [[https://mounawar.tumblr.com/post/127954900791/my-sister-recently-pointed-something-out-to-me similarities]] between both works are so strong that, according to the ''Nadia'' production team, there were calls for ''suing for plagiarism'' at one point. They only declined to do so because the TroubledProduction of the anime had left its rights in the hands of another production company, as well as because they didn't believe they would win against the mighty Disney in court.
73	-->'''[[https://www.gwern.net/docs/eva/2002-takeda-notenkimemoirs Yasuhiro Takeda:]]''' ...some years later, Disney would produce a cartoon that fans in both America and Japan would claim was practically a carbon copy of ''Nadia''. Several people asked us if we planned to sue, but the only response we could give was, "Please take this up with NHK and Toho."\
74	'''Hiroyuki Yamaga:''' We actually tried to get NHK to pick a fight with Disney, but even the National Television Network of Japan didn't dare to mess with Disney and their lawyers. What we said to them was, this really had nothing to do with us but if it did we would definitely take them to court. Of course, it is all a lie. We actually did say that but we wouldn’t actually take them to court. We would be so terrified about what they would do to them in return that we wouldn't dare.
75	** [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2001-05-15 Co-director Trousdale and Producer Don Hahn notably denied this]], attributing the similarities to both works drawing on Creator/JulesVerne and other pre-existing writings about Atlantis.
76	** It doesn't help that Nadia was already cribbing a lot of motifs from ''[[Anime/CastleInTheSky Laputa]]'', leaving their complaints ringing a tad hypocritical.
77	*** ''Nadia'' and ''Laputa'' are both based on the same draft by Miyazaki for a sequel to ''Anime/FutureBoyConan'', which itself was based on novel ''The Incredible Tide'' by Creator/AlexanderKey.
78	** It also shares many of the same beats as ''Film/{{Stargate}}'' with a group visiting an unknown world (with less-than-noble motives unknown to the innocent main protagonist), a fictional language made for the other world's people that can be learned by the protagonist in only a few scenes, the protagonist having apparent knowledge of the people's culture but being derided by his intellectual community, but then being supported by an elderly benefactor, and falling in love with one of the female locals and electing to stay behind when the others return home.
79	* TheissTitillationTheory: Kida's Atlantean clothing bares much skin. Okay, so that's an Atlantean thing. Helga, on the other hand, wears some things with straps. Often, there is only one firm on a shoulder at a time...
80	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: The search for Atlantis had the potential to be an entire adventure movie of its own. Here, however, it was all jammed into about a half hour of the film, which resulted in so many people feeling that it was rushed and that the ''Ulysses'' submarine was wasted.
81	* TrailerJokeDecay: Milo going swimming with Kida and his shorts inflating was played in most trailers and TV spots.
82	* VanillaProtagonist: Milo's by no means a FlatCharacter, but in a film with so many quirky and diverse supporting characters, he's not particularly interesting. By comparison, he's just a nice-if-determined nerd with a talent for linguistics who gets to go on an adventure because he's the only one who can read a particular book.
83	* VindicatedByHistory: The film was neither a huge financial nor critical hit, and perhaps received one of the most lukewarm receptions of any Disney film at the time. Many questioned Disney on its choice to pursue an action-oriented animated film, one that was designed for an older audience in mind, and resorted to the extensive use of CGI when traditional animation had begun to lose favor at Disney. However, these days it is becoming a significant cult classic with more and more viewers taking a closer look at the film's merits. Those who enjoy it tend to appreciate its comic book-style animation and its many adventurous elements, while many in its supporting cast have grown to be fan favorites, especially Audrey, Kida, and Vinny.
84	* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The film has very good animation on the whole, but the animation on the Leviathan is ''amazing''. Similarly, any scene with Kida and the Crystal is bound to have this.
85	* TheWoobie: Kida as a child witnessed both the destruction of her city, and essentially the death of her mother, and has spent centuries seeing her civilisation decline. Relations between her and her father have also been strained, and [[spoiler: he dies before they can repair their bond]]. She really needed that hug from Milo at the end.
86	* {{Woolseyism}}:
87	** In the Brazilian dub, Cookie is from Minas Gerais, a Brazilian state that is historically associated with the countryside and whose traditional cuisine is generally rich in fatty dishes. It fit the character well, at least until Cookie reveals his tattoo, and the dub ''still'' calls it a map of Minas Gerais.
88	** In the original English version, Vinny speaks with an Italian accent. In the Italian dub, since everyone -- for obvious reasons -- speaks Italian there, Vinny in particular receives a Southern accent that fits right in with him being from Palermo, Sicily.
89	** Also in the Italian dub, Rourke's "P.T. Barnum was right" line was replaced with a simpler "The world of full of fools" since the reference[[note]]''"There's a sucker born every minute."''[[/note]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._T._Barnum the man himself]] would have been lost on Italian audiences.
90	** In the German dub, Milo accuses Rourke of wanting to sell the [[spoiler:heart of Atlantis]] to "some kind of tyrant" instead of (as he said in the original audio track) a very specific tyrant, "The Kaiser". He's very likely referring to [[UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany Wilhelm II]] of Germany, making a reference to the brewing tensions in Europe that would lead to UsefulNotes/WorldWarI.
91	** In the Polish dub, Vinny is renamed Volodya, speaks with a ''heavy'' Russian accent (to the point he can get unintelligible) and references a long list of stereotypical Russian traits - including VodkaDrunkenski. This also means many of his dialogues are completely altered to make them work in such a context. It is unclear if this was intended as a MythologyGag to the ultimately never implemented Rasputin-like mystic character from the first draft of the script, or just its own thing done solely for the sake of localisation.

Context YMMV / AtlantisTheLostEmpire