Animated Disney films have followed the childhoods of hundreds of children for several generations. However, it is clear that some are more popular than others. Perhaps one of Disney’s most forgotten films is “Atlantis, the Lost Kingdom. ” However, Atlantis is an excellent example of artistic ability and plurality of characters.
Atlantis, The Lost Kingdom is a 2001 Disney-produced film. It was created by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, who also directed the film “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. The film features a group of incredibly varied characters, of different nationalities and The Film was inspired by the stories of Jules Verne, especially in Journey to the Center of the Earth, but Atlantis has a futuristic look and steampunk style.
- One of the protagonists is Milo Tatch.
- Linguist and historian.
- To begin the expedition in search of the city of Atlantis.
- Milo meets his fellow adventurers.
- The leader is a strong and determined man.
- Commander Rourke.
- Accompanied by the enigmatic Helga Sinclair.
- We also met Vinny Santorini.
- An Italian demolition specialist.
- Topo? A French geologist.
- Moliére.
- And Dr.
- Joshua Sweet.
- An African-American physician.
- As well as the young Audrey Ramirez.
- An adventurous whilhelmina Packard radio and mechanical.
The film begins with the collapse of the city of Atlantis, birthplace of other civilizations, in the initial scenes you can see how the queen of Atlantis is chosen as protector of the city.
Several centuries later, in 1914, Milo Tatch was a young historian passionate about his career and languages. An eccentric millionaire funds the search for the lost kingdom of Atlantis. This millionaire leads Milo to be his expert in history, myths and hieroglyphics. Translation.
Shortly after the search begins, the team encounters huge sea monsters destroying their ships, however, the group of survivors manages to find an underwater cave and follows it across the underground ocean. After traveling for a while, the expedition finally finds the lost kingdom. Here you will meet the warrior princess Kidagakash, who will try to get Milo’s help to revive the magical heart of the city.
While Milo and Kida translate the old inscriptions, Commander Rourke kills the king of Atlantis to steal the powerful crystal that keeps the city alive and once he manages to steal it, he tries to escape the city across the caves.
However, the citizens of the city of Atlantis, led by Princess Kida and accompanied by Milo’s group, fight Commander Rourke and manage to defeat him. Rourke dies after a shot by Helga Sinclair, whom he had betrayed.
Once they have managed to return the crystal to the city, Atlantis regains its splendor, Kida is crowned queen of Atlantis and Milo stays with her. The rest of the expedition decides to return to England with the fortunes bestowed by the inhabitants of Atlantis.
Atlantis is a film that breaks with the portrait that women usually have in Disney plays, until recently it was very rare to see strong and independent women as protagonists in Disney animated films.
The usual image of the Disney Princess is a thin, light-skinned woman who always wears dresses. Think of characters like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. Besides, this stereotypical Disney woman is always in a good mood. character to fill or support the true protagonist of the film: a man.
An example of this is Bela, of “Beauty and the Beast,” whose life revolves around the men of his life. Between marrying Gaston or not, saving her father, accompanying, caring for and loving the Beast. In rare cases where there is a female protagonist, as in Mulan and Pocahontas, she is the only important woman in history.
For this reason, Atlantis is a pioneer in women’s claims in the animated film for children and young people, showing several female characters playing different roles throughout the film.
In the foreground we find Kida, the warrior princess who desperately wants to save her people, but doesn’t know how to do it.
Kida intends to guide and protect her people and decides to go against her father’s will, so Kida establishes an alliance with Milo to translate the ancient prophetic texts, only then could Kida rediscover the lost splendor of Atlantis.
One of the most charismatic characters in the film is Audrey, this brave young woman will be in charge of the work traditionally associated with men: mechanics, Audrey admits that she was interested in mechanics because her father wanted sons, but she had two daughters. Audrey was not affected by social expectations. In the film, Audrey is portrayed as an enterprising woman who dreams of having her own machine shop.
We also have Helga Sinclair, an imposing and mysterious woman, focused on achieving her goals, is a woman who plays an attractive role, but only to achieve her goals, although Helga is an ally of Commander Rourke, he remains a strong character. with their own motivations. Finally, mortally wounded by Rourke himself, she shoots and kills to avenge her betrayal.
Some say that cinema is not responsible for the stereotypes that society projects for children. However, several studies have shown that there is an association between people’s adult behavior and the following patterns and examples that were exhibited as they grew up.
For this reason, it is important that girls are influenced by positive female roles in film. Girls who grow up surrounded by strong, intelligent and independent female characters are more likely to grow up and become capable and self-sufficient women.
“Our lives are remembered for the gifts we give to our children. “Preston B. Whitmore
Atlantis paved the way for a more inclusive depiction of women in animated films, was the first in a series of important works portraying women as capable, intelligent and independent individuals, and later we also had Frozen (2013) and Moana (2016). , showing that Disney’s new heroines are very different from the ones we’ve followed in the past.