Now, for the point-by-point review:
+ Plot - Decent, if predictable. Anyone who is an experienced moviegoer should be able to guess what will happen, but the maturity of the storyline is good and the plot itself is interesting despite its obvious nature.
+ Cinematography - I personally enjoyed it, though there were some camera placements and scene changes that were obviously taken from other places and incorporated into the movie because of their previous effectiveness. Still, it all worked to enhance the mood and that's the mark of good cinematography. I really enjoyed the way they handled the pull-back and wide-view shots.
+ Score - Not the best I've heard, but far from the worst. Very novel for movies, yet it still worked to enhance the atmosphere.
+ Writing - Very Disney, at least in the character's lines. Could use improvement. The action scenes, however, were written very well. Better than I am used to, at least from Disney. And also - this is a rare achievement for movies - the script had continuity. Things experienced in one scene could explain things that happened in later scenes.
+ Characters - Good in some cases, very bad in others. There was no need for four characters committed solely to comic relief. Also, there was no need to have a character representing every single age and ethnic group possible. The character development some showed, however, was very admirable and all-too-rare in modern movies.
+ Overall Impression - Good movie, and the direction Disney should be moving with their animated features. It is mature in scope and style. It still holds onto the basic formula for a Disney production however, and I think that is what has caused this movie to do worse than other Disney animated pictures; instead of going for the mature style, they took a small step towards a more adult style while simultaneously marketing the movie primarily to young children. This, along with the entire Nadia issue, has alienated many who would otherwise see it. I find that saddening, since this IS a good movie and deserves better than it is recieving. It is not a GREAT movie, true, but it is better than the majority of what Disney releases and I personally want to see more of this type of movie coming from American moviemakers. Unfortunately, because of all the troubles this movie has had finding its audience I believe that the next animated picture Disney releases will follow its traditional formula instead of experimenting more with what I think made Atlantis good.
Final sentence: Try to see this movie if it is still showing near you, if only to persuade Disney that this is the way to go.
You can really see the advances Disney has made in story telling. I've seen pretty much all of Disney's movies, and Atlantis is now one of my all-time favorites.
In the beginning the Universe was created.Douglas Adams, 1952-2001
quote:
Originally posted by Yamaneco Yuuki:
Haven't seen Atlantis, but since I've seen Nadia: The Secret of the Blue Water I can say it's a good movie indeed.
See, that's the exact wrong attitude. I saw Nadia for just this reason, so I could have a comparison. NO, it is not the same. It is based off the same Atlantian myths as Nadia, but there are large differences.
The people who are refusing to see Atlantis because of a similarity of plot are just asking Disney, "Please, make more kiddie crap that insults our intelligence and turns our kids into merchandising tools incapable of realism!" Disney is reaching out to a more mature audience with this film, and unless they get some sort of positive feedback from it they will resume the same formula that they have been using and will most likely not go back.
So it's not perfect. I've seen plenty of bad anime. My friend rents a LOT of bad anime, because in-between the crap are some gems. The point is, American animators are attempting to produce something better than saturday-morning cartoon-show quality material. This is good. We should support these endeavors.
The sad thing is, if confronted by a good American cartoon with a decent plot and mature themes there are people who will immediately scream that it is an attempt to clone anime. Because, of course, nothing good can EVER come from America. People, just try and accept that it is a GOOD thing if quality animation comes out of America. It means you'll have two places to look for shows you like. Japan won't go out of business. Remember, people THERE watch anime too.
I do feel pity for Disney, though. Because they are an American institution, everyone hates them. Conservatives don't think they're conservative enough, and rail on about how Disney movies are poisoning kids' minds. Liberals don't think they're liberal enough, complaining about how they use sexist roles in their movies and do not display enough real-life situations. Everyone thinks Disney ought to cater to their own personal view of what America ought to be, so they simply can't win.
I'm betting there will eventually be protest over Atlantis being a PG movie.
quote:
Originally posted by Drakkenmaw:
No, I think general Disney animation is crap. Poor writing, poor plot, poor characters, TERRIBLE soundtrack.
Did you know that they are releasing a video of Hunchback of Notre Dame II? More singing and dancing from the deaf, mute hunchback.
Let's face it, the people at Disney that decide what they are going to make are off in their own little world (it's a small world after all), and only make good movies by accident.
What I want from Disney is something NEW, not "Hey, a story like *this* is popular, let's make someing alot like it as our next movie!" I don't mind them using old fairy tales and such, but mangling good books or history (aka: Pokeme-hotass) just makes me ill.
Atlantis appears to be a good movie, and I wish it was showing somewhere closer to where I live (it's not, don't ask my why). I'll get the video, but some of their stuff I wouldn't touch with a 50foot mecha.
oops, I ranted, didn't I? 
quote:
Originally posted by Chalesm:
I saw it as well, and I agree with most of your points. I like the direction Disney is taking, and I hope they keep it up.You can really see the advances Disney has made in story telling. I've seen pretty much all of Disney's movies, and Atlantis is now one of my all-time favorites.
Ditto.
I loved Atlantis! There are some scenes where you can tell they had Japanese Animation influence. With the Final Fantasy movie coming out July 11th, it could be that fantasy is becoming more reality. (At least through videogaming/rpg becoming more influential in the world ^_^)
Strange for a Disney movie though, that it wasn't a musical. My sister and I went to see it and she seemed suprised.
Sis: You know this isn't a musical.
Me: I know
Sis: But it's Disney! and it isn't a musical!
Me: But it will have background music...
(which was very nice-- a lot of Celtic sounding music)
On the Hunchback of Notre Dame II, I wouldn't go see it. Disney does take some things to extreme. But as for Atlantis, I liked it. The story wasn't too far-fetched.
Before I heard about the movie coming out, I was in the planning stages of writing an Atlantis story myself. Shows how slim the chances are for being unique.
Finally, I hope Disney does continue to make movies along this line.
Arigato for listening to my rambling!
Titan A.E.
Don Bluth has always tried working with adult themes undecutting animation. Secret of Nimh etc. We can of course just forget the whole land before time fiasco. 
Although if you have young children those are must own shows for the kiddies. Hell even Dirk the Daring and Dragon's Lair was an undercut adult feature if you ever played the arcade.
America still has the best in animation. They just need to grow up. 
And I haven't seen Atlantis yet.
Edit: Woo, typomatic 3000.
[ 07-02-2001: Message edited by: Pvednes Phoenixfeather ]
Atlantis = OK
Nadia; the secret of blue water = Better
So go watch Nadia...
quote:
Originally posted by Sora:
And now its time for Sora's opinion....Atlantis = OK
Nadia; the secret of blue water = Better
So go watch Nadia...
Yes, I would also recommend going to see Nadia. Good anime. However, I would strongly recommend going to see Atlantis first before it leaves theatres. Remember, this is an EXPERIMENT by Disney to see if it is feasible for them to start making mature animation. We as a block of movie viewers want to see more mature animation in American theatres, right? Well, that isn't going to happen unless we give these experiments the positive results they need to continue in development.
I can't believe you would simply ignore what could be an entertaining experience simply because of some imagined cloning of anime. YES, the style is mature like anime - that is a GOOD thing, and no more makes Atlantis a copy of Nadia than Star Wars' theme of warrior destiny and swordplay makes Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon a copy of it. Yes, facets of the plot are the same - however, they are similar for easily-explainable reasons (the crystals everyone is complaining about have ALWAYS been considered a "power source" in New Age thought, so it was a simple move to bring it to that level for any movie) and have massive differences in them (living vs. dead Atlantian civilizations, for one instance).
And here's the amazing thing for me, since I'm a writer and would normally be extremely pissed if I heard rumors of plagarism - I DON'T CARE if Atlantis is a copy of Nadia. Even if some high-up executive DID decide to copy the anime, I STILL say you should go see it. Why? Because unless we prove to the people in the large animation companies that money CAN be made by mature animation, we'll just keep seeing the same general CRAP they have always put out.
And for those of you who are thinking that it's okay and there'll always good anime for you to watch (because OF COURSE it'll ALWAYS be better than ANYTHING that crappy AMERICA can put out, dammit!), that is the most moronic view I have ever heard anyone propose. You are suggesting by that line of thought that we never give people in countries other than Japan a chance to produce something of quality. How many of you are amateur artists? How many of you are amateur writers? How many of you would consider it an HONOR to help create a quality production, one that would earn acclaim for years to come? I sure as hell would.
Now how many of you would like to hear "Sorry, but we don't do that kind of thing. Not profitable, since people would rather watch that Japanese stuff than anything from here. Won't even give us a chance to break into the market. How 'bout you move to Japan and try there?"
By deciding that the only GOOD mature animation comes from Japan, you are keeping all the talented individuals HERE from being able to try at all. You won't give a chance to us. We deserve a chance. Who knows, we might just produce something you can enjoy. Then you'll be able to get the finest of TWO countries instead of one.
But go see Atlantis. Then you can see Nadia. In fact, then I ENCOURAGE you to see Nadia. But Nadia has been here for awhile, and will stay around for years to come. Atlantis is only in theatres for a while, and that time is really your only chance to influence policy among American animators. Go. See the movie. Enjoy it. Give us creative, non-Japanese people a chance.
And yes, I AM working on writing a mature animated movie. I hope someone will eventually make in into an actual production. I REALLY hope I won't have to move to Japan to have a chance at that.
[ 07-02-2001: Message edited by: Sora ]
We need more movies like Shrek, it was full of dual meaning jokes. Like when the jingerbread man says "eat me!"
So both kids and older people can enjoy the movie,
[ 07-02-2001: Message edited by: Davidson ]
Another excellent piece of American animation that came out in recent years was Iron Giant. That is a masterpiece as far as I'm concerned, check it out.
For 6 years I was actually employed by the Anime industry. I wrote english dubbed versions. Yah yah keep your rotten eggs or throw them at someone else. We can debate the merits of dubbed anime in another thread if you want. But I did get to work on both crappy and exceptional projects, everything from Blackjack to Street Fighter II V to Bastard!! to Fist of the Northstar (AHHHH). I worked on a few whose english language versions never got released (LA Blue Girl) or got bagged and re-contracted to Canada (Escaflowne - had it 2/3 finished before it got repackaged and contracted to the canucks).
In fact Ugo.com is featuring something I dubbed in their anime channel now, Armaggedon. It's not that good, but it's cool to see it there.
I'm on to other things now, but it was interesting while it lasted. Thankfully most anime is so gorgeous you don't mind watching it frame by frame and feeling your brain melt while you try to take a sentence in japanese, turn it into english so it makes sense, make it fit the frikken mouth movements AND facial expressions AND accomodate the fact the villain speaks only with his teeth and never his lips! (so many sleepless nights... DAMN YOU BISON!!!)
eek... bad anime flashback ended
