One of the most underrated Disney movies of all time is officially getting a sequel this year. Twenty-five years after it first premiered in theaters, audiences are finally getting to return to the world of Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
Fans have been asking for a sequel to Atlantis: The Lost Empire for over two decades. Now, they’re finally getting their wish, though not in the way they might have imagined. This October, Atlantis and its iconic cast of characters officially return.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire Is Finally Getting a Sequel
Disney is officially bringing back Atlantis: The Lost Empire for a brand-new sequel in the form of a graphic novel. This October, Atlantis: The Lost Empire Vol. 1: The Curse of Kurok hits bookshelves. The comic is comes from writher Matthew Manning, known for Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures, and artist Christian Colbert with Papercutz.
The new comic book is already up for pre-order and will be available in digital format, trade paperback, or hardcover. It is confirmed to take place after the events of Atlantis: The Lost Empire, following Professor Milo Thatch and Princess Kida as they embark on another adventure. When their kingdom of Atlantis hangs in the balance, they embark on a journey that reveals new secrets about the formerly aquatic city.
This isn’t the first time that the world of Atlantis has been portrayed in comic book format. Following the 2001 film’s debut, Disney released a graphic novel adaptation. However, The Curse of Kurok is the first original story from the Atlantis franchise to be told in comic form, marking an exciting turning point for the future of its fantastical world.
Fans will note the “Vol. 1” designation on the new Atlantis: The Lost Empire graphic novel. While there has yet to be any announcements about the comic’s future, there is clearly a potential for its story to continue beyond the upcoming release. Perhaps Milo, Kida, and the rest of the Atlantis cast have many more adventures in the tank, but only if their new graphic novel performs well.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire Is Disney’s Most Underrated Movie
It’s about time that Disney finally expanded its most underrated sci-fi property. Atlantis: The Lost Empire was released in June of 2001, following the adventures of Professor Milo Thatch (Michael J. Fox), who joins a crew searching for the lost city of Atlantis. The team is shocked to discover that the legendary kingdom is still alive, but relegated to the depths of the ocean. As Milo begins to fall in love with the Atlanteans (and their Princess Kida), he discovers that the rest of his crew may have less-than-pure intentions with their new discovery.
Unfortunately, Atlantis: The Lost Empire was not appreciated in its time. The film was met with lukewarm reviews that failed to understand its strengths. The Lost Empire has an underwhelming 48% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and a 52% from users on Metacritic, who seemingly reflect the reactions of movie reviewers in the early 2000s.
Worse, Atlantis: The Lost Empire underperformed at the box office, cementing its legacy as one of Disney’s biggest flops. The film earned only $186 million on a reported budget of about $120 million, a severely underwhelming total, especially after the heights of Disney’s Renaissance. This also sealed the franchise’s fate before it ever really started, relegating Atlantis to a truncated run.
In the years after its release, Atlantis: The Lost Empire became something of a cult classic in the Disney fandom. While audiences didn’t go out to theaters to see the film when it first came out, many kids grew up watching it on VHS. Today, the film has undergone a massive cultural re-evaluation, to the point where it is hailed as a forgotten gem that is in many ways ahead of its time.
Atlantis‘s fans point out its stunning visuals, which includes a groundbreaking final shot that pushed the boundaries of what was thought to be possible with hand-drawn animation. It also features one of the most fun voice casts of this era of Disney movies, including talented stars like Michael J. Fox, James Garner, John Mahoney, Leonard Nimoy, and Claudia Christian.
It’s terrific that Disney is finally seeing a way to capitalize on Atlantis: The Lost Empire‘s cult classic status. It may be twenty-five years late, but fans can at least take solace to know that their favorite underrated classic isn’t entirely forgotten. With any luck, this could lead to another cultural resurgence that could revive the late Atlantis franchise.
Will There Ever Be More Atlantis Movies?
It may surprise longtime Disney fans to know that there is already a sequel to Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Before the original film came out, Disney was confident in its potential to become a full-fledged franchise and was already deep in the planning stage for a sequel, tentatively titled Atlantis II. Unlike most other sequels to Disney’s animated projects, this film would have been released theatrically and continued the main story from the original.
While Atlantis II was quickly cancelled after the first film flopped, co-director Kurt Wise opened up about some of the story details in a 2020 interview. According to him, the film would have featured the return of Helga Sinclar (Claudia Christian), one of the first movie’s main villains who was thought to have died in the final battle. Atlantis II would have revived Sinclair with new cyborg body parts before having her lead a new team of mercenaries against her old foes.
A television series was also in the works for after Atlantis II. This spinoff, titled Team Atlantis, would have looped in other legendary locations and peoples, including the Loch Ness Monster and the fairy Puck. Unfortunately, this also was cancelled following the first film’s failure.
While these projects were all cancelled, Atlantis finally got a sequel in the form of a direct-to-video movie titled Milo’s Return. Released in 2003, the film is a composite of several episodes of Team Atlantis, stitched together in an attempt to create a cohesive storyline. The film was not well-received and, unlike its predecessor, is largely forgotten by Disney fans today.
Still, the legacy of Atlantis is alive and well more than two decades after its last cinematic installment. Fans still hope for a continuation on the big screen, though the upcoming graphic novel will have to hold them over for now. So far, Disney has yet to announce any new films in the Atlantis franchise, though there is always hope that this could chance.
Some fans are eager to see the story remade in a live-action reboot. As Disney runs out of its more popular titles to reimagine in live-action, an underrated classic like Atlantis: The Lost Empire could be an intriguing choice. Fans would love to see the film finally get the attention it deserves, even if it has to be in live-action format. While there have been rumblings that Disney could be developing such a project, nothing official has been confirmed.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire is finally coming back in the form of a new comic book. While it isn’t the direct sequel that fans had hoped for, it’s a great first step.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire is available to stream on Disney+.
- Release Date
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June 2, 2001
- Runtime
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95minutes
- Director
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Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
