Growing up I remember finding little about Disney animation that held my attention. Instead, films like Journey to the Center of the Earth, The City Beneath the Sea, and those weekly adventures of the crew of the Seaview on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea held my attention. Disney did come through with the exceptional 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The James Mason/Burt Lancaster vehicle about the infamous Captain Nemo and his amazing submarine the Nautilus was a feast for any 10-year-old boy’s imagination.

Sadly, very few films of this caliber and imagination are made anymore -- and I’m not talking about potboiler epics involving a World War I submarine crew playing chicken with a fleet of destroyers. I’m talking about a film that depicts sea monsters, fabulously over-engineered submarines, and legends that extend beyond the petty drivel of a mermaid and her annoying sidekick crustacean. Atlantis, though flawed, makes a valiant attempt at resurrecting the magic such adventures paid my childhood.

Unlike other Disney animations, Atlantis thankfully wastes no time with cutesy animal characters or musical numbers. Instead, we have a straightforward story involving some entertaining human characters. A demolitions expert played by Don Novello (a.k.a. Father Guido Sarducci), and a French, err, geologist played by Corey Burton offer some comic relief. The voices of James Garner (The Rockford Files, Space Cowboys), Michael J. Fox (Spin City, Family Ties), and John Mahoney (Papa "Frasier") are easy to recognize behind their animated alter egos.

Milo Thatch wants someone to finance an expedition to validate his grandfather’s belief that the ancient city of Atlantis existed. The only problem is that he’s a penniless custodian whose grandfather, Thaddeus Thatch, was a joke to his peers. Lucky for Milo, a wealthy old friend of his grandfather’s believes in keeping promises and supplies the impassioned bookworm with the crew and machinery he needs to seek out the truth. The most impressive of Preston Whitmore’s contributions is a city-sized submarine that defies the technology of the early 20^th century.

I enjoyed Atlantis. Actually both my son and I enjoyed Atlantis for the first half of it’s running time. What caused the film to ultimately fail was the lack of screen time for the magnificent sub Ulysses and an ending that seemed a bit rushed despite a well-paced build-up. And while I understand that it’s targeted toward children, I wouldn’t have complained had their been a few more action sequences or a bit more "meat" to this fascinating legend.

Atlantis is a bit more conservative in its look when compared to other animated films like Shrek and Final Fantasy. Despite these artistic differences, the animated frames are rich in color and detail. My only real criticism is why Disney felt compelled to use a 2.35:1 aspect ratio when many currently animated films stick with 1.85:1?

Since I didn’t have the Collectors Edition, my audio choices were restricted to a well-produced but pretty run-of-the-mill Dolby Digital soundtrack. It’s not as impressive as Final Fantasy, but it’s still better than average. I should also point out that despite reports citing playback problems on the Dolby Digital track, the Marantz SR7200 I was using did not experience any drop-outs decoding Atlantis.

Avid collectors of Disney films might do well to opt for the Collectors Edition of Atlantis. Barring the commentary by its producer and co-directors, there was little about this "standard" version’s features that excited me. Upon closer inspection it was apparent that features like "How to Speak Atlantian" included on the disc and a CD-ROM addendum was directed more toward kids, not behind-the-scenes-hungry videophiles like myself.