“We done a lot of things we’re not proud of. Robbing graves, eh, plundering tombs, double parking. But, nobody got hurt. Well, maybe somebody got hurt, but nobody we knew.”

Justin’s rating: I should mention that there’s no musical numbers whatsoever. I am grateful for that.

Justin’s review: Every so often the entertainment industry takes a stab at trying to make the myth of Atlantis cool, usually with mixed results. Kathy Ireland dared to venture in its domain in 1988, Indiana Jones set one of his greatest PC games there in 1992, and Stargate put its own spin on it with a spin-off in 2004. And let’s not forget that Disney threw its weight behind Plato’s old fairy tale with 2001’s Atlantis: The Lost Empire.

This happened in the period between 2000 to 2002 when Disney was growing desperate as the ’90s renaissance faded. And that desperation actually gave us some of the most original and interesting animated flicks from the studio, including Treasure Planet, Lilo and Stitch, The Emperor’s New Groove — and this flick.

Michael J. Fox is Milo, a linguist in 1914 who’s downright obsessed (as was his grandfather) with finding Atlantis. When a wealthy eccentric agrees to fund an expedition to do just that, Milo boards a Jules Vern-looking submarine with a colorful crew of specialists. My favorite? The laconic sonar operator who also happens to be an elderly lady who likes chatting long-distance on the phone. She reminded me a lot of Monsters Inc.’s Roz.

Disney didn’t skimp on the visuals or the casting. You can almost sense the eagerness to prove that 2-D animation still could compete with 3-D computer art, and some of these settings almost convince me. And this is stocked with loads of great character actors, including James Garner, Jim Varney (in one of his very last roles), Leonard Nimoy, and Claudia Christian.

It’s not really a submarine movie, though. Soon enough — thanks to a giant underwater robot, which is another reason why I don’t swim in the ocean — a reduced crew is trekking underground in trucks and various dieselpunk vehicles, dodging various beasties and hoping to find this sunken continent.

This is certainly a unique setting for adventure, and Disney’s team isn’t afraid to get a little outrageous and fantastical. This is especially true when Milo and company encounter the living Atlantans, led by a girl named Kida. When the expedition is welcomed to this fantastic realm, they find that it’s not strictly paradise: Atlantis is gradually failing and is crumbling into ruin. Milo can help to restore the place and its people, but some members of the expedition aim to exploit Atlantis for their own benefit.

The story is serviceable — nothing amazing, but it does the job — but it’s greatly propped up by the scifi elements, very intense world building, and the vibrant visuals. This really doesn’t feel like Disney playing it safe, and that’s the sort of Disney I like. Then again, a big part of this story involves a crystal, and that’s always a sign of a screenwriter who broke early for lunch.

Generally, it’s good stuff. It’s definitely not as funny as Lilo or New Groove, but the commitment to adventure makes up for that. My kids and I all watched this for the first time this year and found it a whole lot better than some of the animated bombs we’ve seen lately (Trolls Band Together, Kung Fu Panda 4).

Intermission!

• Not many Disney movies start with a nuclear explosion, but this one does! Don’t you dare go to sleep tonight kids!
• “I came down the chimney, ho ho ho.”
• “Whoever took the L from the Motor Pool sign, ha ha ha.”
• “Tonight’s supper will be baked beans with a musical to follow …who wrote this?”
• The sub pods are really neat, like little fighter jets
• Dang, they killed a whole bunch of people and held a funeral for them
• Only took 10 seconds to transform a thousand-year-in-the-making wall into a bridge
• She sleeps in the nude. And she sleepwalks.
• Exploding bugs!
• His swimming shorts filling up with air and bubbling to the surface is so relatable
• That soundtrack is something else — I’d highly recommend a listen for score enthusiasts