HOME   News   Reviews   Adv Search   Features   My DVD   About   Apps   Stats     Search:
  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 1.66:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
  • Dual Layer ( )
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • French: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  Subtitles
    English, French, English - Hearing Impaired
  Extras
  • Deleted scenes
  • Interactive game

Atlantis II - Milo's Return

Disney/Buena Vista . R4 . COLOR . 77 mins . PG . PAL

  Feature
Contract

The title is a little misleading for a start and from here there are all sorts of little things like that that add up to one unspecial sequel. Milo is living in Atlantis after Atlantis - The Lost Empire saw him save them from final annihilation. Enter the adventurers from last film (surprisingly, mostly voiced by the same cast) to tell him they need an Atlantean expert to help beat a mechanical monster (called Kraken) similar to the Atlanteans' Leviathan that guards the underwater city. With Kida - former princess, now city leader – they head off to beat the Kraken and educate Kida on the ways of the upper world.

Naturally, this film is full of laughs and lessons, but it falls way short of the quality of the original, obviously being made for DVD and video only. In this regard, it resembles a cheap Disney television program designed for maximum speed at minimum cost. Full length Disney features rarely use cycles and rarely ‘layer’ characters, rather drawing the whole character instead. This isn’t the case with this movie. Farming it out to a studio called Toon City, it has been directed by no less than three people and features some very sub-par animation and digital effects.

The real disappointment, in my mind, is Disney’s betrayal of their original screenplays for a quick buck. While Atlantis as a film wasn’t one of their more popular full-length features, it was still way better than any sequel they have brought out to date. It certainly makes you wonder about the commitment to animation they sport on one hand and their commitment to making money on the other. I wonder which weighs heavier upon them?

  Video
Contract

At least there’s a shallow attempt at looking like they pulled this down from the big screen. The 16:9 transfer is nice, giving us the film with a 1.66:1 ratio. I’m told they use this ratio on all their old films mostly, and pretty much no one else bothers to use it anymore. Well, be that as it may, it still works too well for them. The excellence of a Buena Vista transfer brings out the detail that makes this film look like it was rushed through to fill a TV spot. Maybe it was, I dunno. At any rate, the vision is too sharp, causing way too much aliasing throughout and a distinctive shimmer around certain objects. While the backgrounds are good, they also look like they’ve been painted for a TV show. There are also troubles concerning blacks and shadows – at the 11:51 mark the deep black of an underwater cavern gets some heavy duty greenism. And it doesn’t look like it’s meant to be there, either. Generally speaking, colours are mostly okay as is usually the case with scanned linework these days. It’s just such a shame the rest of the show looks so cheap.

  Audio
Contract

Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound has been well employed here, giving us some nice underwater effects. The rest of the sound effects are alright, for the most part, but they do suffer a little at times from being ‘TV cheesy’, if you follow my meaning. Disney features usually have a majority basis in ‘reality’; while these sound effects are a bit ‘surreal sitcom’. While I’m on that subject, the dialogue, whilst well delivered and crisp (including various different accents) is a bit hammy. It certainly sounds aimed at a particular market, though I’m trying to figure out what that exact market is - probably anyone from one to 12 years of age. Apart from this flaw, the sound is mostly a well-balanced and well levelled surround experience. Definitely the highlight of this whole product, without doubt.

  Extras
Contract

Oh boy. Bad. There’s one 30 second Deleted Scene that sounds way cool on the back: Kraken Baby Sequence but is a bust when we see it. The only other extra is the Game, which I couldn’t even get to work using my remote. I tried it like, eight times too, just to be sure, but nup. No go. And the fact I tried it eight times makes me feel like a loser. That’s depressing.

  Overall  
Contract

Just after I put this in the DVD player, a trailer for Return to Neverland came on and played of its own accord. This was before I’d even got to the main menu. Now what does this tell us about the aforementioned hand committed to money?

This isn’t really a film animation fans will elbow each other out of the way to own. In fact, it’s probably not even one they’ll admit they bought. The kids will get a kick out of it, because most kids don’t care about value for money or a standard in animation not being met. They like the funny lines and colourful characters, and so in this regard they will be well rewarded. For the rest of us, (those who must pay for the DVD for the benefit of those kids) it isn’t very good. Like Atlantis of old, this DVD is sinking fast. Abandon ship!


  • LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=2686
  • Send to a friend.

    Cast your vote here: You must enable cookies to vote.
  •   
      And I quote...
    "Like Atlantis of old, this DVD is sinking fast. Abandon ship!"
    - Jules Faber
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Nintaus DVD-N9901
    • TV:
          Sony 51cm
    • Receiver:
          Diamond
    • Speakers:
          Diamond
    • Surrounds:
          No Name
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard Optical
    • Video Cables:
          Standard Component RCA
      Recent Reviews:
    by Jules Faber

    Narrow Margin
    "Gene Hackman as an action star? It happened… "

    A King in New York: SE
    "Taking a poke at too many demons makes this film a little stilted and not among his best works"

    A Zed and Two Noughts
    "Is it art or is it pornography? Who cares? Both are good."

    Blake's 7 - The Complete Series One
    "Performances are fine, but the flimsy sets, the crappy props and the undisguisable late 70s hairdos are just too much."

    Heavens Above
    "While not amongst some of Sellers’ more confident roles, this one is still up there amidst the more subtle of them…"

      Related Links
      None listed

     

    Search for Title/Actor/Director:
    Google Web dvd.net.au
       Copyright © DVDnet. All rights reserved. Site Design by RED 5   
    rss