Feats N' Faults, Disney: Atlantis
Why Not Make This Live Action?
Welcome back to Feats N’ Faults, where we use our Tiered Point System to rank and record our favorite characters based on their achievements and deeds. For a more in depth look on how points are awarded, please check the About page. Below is our Tier System for quick reference.
Atlantis was one of my favorite Disney movies growing up. It had just the right amount of exploration, adventure, and plot twists to keep me properly intrigued and entertained. What better way to bring Disney into Feats N’ Faults! For those new to the feed, now is your chance to play along at home. Grab a piece of paper or open the notes app and list, from least to greatest, how you think these characters did. Remember, it is not about who is strongest but how well they perform. Today, we have the privilege of analyzing Milo, Audrey, Kida, Mole, Dr. Sweet, Obby, Commander Rourke, Helga, and Vinny. Let me know in the comments how you did, and don’t be afraid of that like button!
Let’s Get Started!
Disney: Atlantis
In Last Place we have Obby. I see you over there scratching your heads. “Who the hell is that guy?” No need to fear; you are not losing your mind. This lovely little lava dog is from the second straight-to-VHS movie, so I do not blame you if you’ve never seen it. We will get into it in the review section, but spoiler: it isn’t very good.
In 8th Place we have Doctor Sweet with 3 FN’F Score. The main problem with this series is that there are so many characters, and they only have two movies to try to prove themselves. Sharing the screen makes it difficult to earn FN’F Score. While he is a fun and memorable character, he could only do two things. That’s one Feat each movie! That’s just embarrassing.
In 7th Place we have Audrey with 4 FN’F Score. Again, when it comes to these shorter series, you really have to make yourself known. You need to do something very impactful with every action you get. Unfortunately, Audrey just was not able to stand out. She talks a big game about fixing machines, but in the series, we never actually see her fix anything! The one machine she starts to fix Milo beats her to it.
In 6th Place is the main antagonist, Commander Rourke, with 5 FN’F Score. His placement is pretty impressive. Yes, I know he is only in 6th place, but he was not in the second movie. He only had one film score, and he did not start scoring until the final climax of that film. When he finally revealed himself as the villain, he got straight to work. Saving his men and immediately taking out the king of Atlantis. He made his presence known. There is also a certain scene that has always stuck with me. When he is driven mad and goes after Milo. The background is filled with a dark red and covers him in shadow. His eyes were pure white, bugging out and just leaping off the screen. It was a scary scene for a little kid! A true depiction of madness.
We have a surprising 5th Place finish with Milo Thatch at 6 FN’F Score. It is rare to see a main character this low in his own series. Milo is our vehicle to see the world but rarely does anything of true impact. He reads and translates the language, but that is about it. Milo is a fun protagonist. Not the strongest or the bravest but he always stands up for what is right. He is the leader that these mercenaries needed to realize the errors of their ways.
Tied with Milo in 4th Place is Helga. Having zero faults barely pushed her ahead of Milo. She is a no-nonsense badass who has her eyes set on one goal: money! One of the best fighters in the group, she could hold her own and, in the end, was the true hero. Even if her motives were not aligned with the rest of the mercenaries, she was the one who shot down the balloon and saved Kida. She just wanted to get back at Rourke, but it still had that effect. I would not recommend getting on her bad side.
Digging into 3rd Place is the Mole with 12 FN’F Score! Our first score in the double digits from the most memorable character in the series. This rock-obsessed eccentric did a lot of the heavy lifting for the group. Constantly burrowing to overcome obstacles and keeping the group alive. He might be a bit crazy, but he knew exactly how to play this game. Utilizing every moment he could to score and never getting a fault.
With an explosive showing, we have Vinny in 2nd Place with 13 FN’F Score. This guy blew up the Kraken! What a great feat to have on your resume. Nothing got under his skin or shocked him. He used a totally cool head to blow up all the obstacles in his way. I hope he finally got his flower shop and managed not to blow it up this time.
In 1st Place we have the ruler of Atlantis, Kida Nedakh, with 26 FN’F Score. This was the first truly respectable score of this series. Boy, did she deserve it too! She saved the entire planet in the second film and saved the city of Atlantis on two separate occasions. She truly is the greatest ruler that Atlantis has ever seen. She is an often overlooked Disney princess, but that’s ok. She is better than all of them anyway. She is not a Disney princess. She is a Disney Queen!
Review: 6/10
Atlantis is a fun adventure film for the kids. Indiana Jones mixed with an Oceans 11 movie. It's a great ensemble with the perfect amount of twists with an air of discovery. It really is a hidden gem in the Disney library. What I don’t understand is why this film does not get any more love. A lot of people around my age have super fond memories of this film. Yet, it did not perform super well when it was released and did not lead to any successful spin-offs. This is the perfect type of movie that would benefit from a live-action version. Disney keeps recreating classics that do not need to be reinvented or revisited. It is movies like this or Treasure Planet that deserve this live-action treatment. The movies that have a cult following that never reached the heights they deserved. They would actually benefit from the live-action. It would make the action have more impact, and current CGI would make Atlantis and its tech look amazing. Nostalgic for older viewers and new for the younger audience. Come on, Disney, let’s see it!
Unfortunately, now it is time to talk about the sequel, Milo Returns. It does not even feel like a movie. It feels like they made three pilots for a TV show and then just crammed them together to make a movie. It’s basically Scooby-Doo. The gang gets together and starts to investigate mysteries around the world. We fight the Kraken, Dust coyotes, and Elemental Giants. They save the town and then move on. Even though there are three separate acts, it still feels like we spend too much time in each area. It is not even a long movie. It is just a bit boring and the animation is just of a lesser quality. Not an awful film but not one I would ever recommend. A perfect example of a 5/5 score. It's not offensive but nothing of import either. This film brings the franchise's score down, which is why the total is a 6/10. It's not an awful score, but it's not a fantastic one either.
Recommendation: Enjoy the first, let the second sink to the bottom
Thanks for joining us on today’s feed! All the support is really appreciated, so please do not forget to subscribe and tell a friend! Let me know in the comments how you did with your own rankings and what other Disney IPs I should do for Feats N’ Faults. Also do not forget we are getting close to our 100 Sub Special! Let’s see how fast we can get there. It is a fun one and, surprisingly, will impact our top-tier list for a long time. I hope you all have a fantastic week! See you all next Thursday.
Until Next Time!