Atlantis, A Precious Source Of Inspiration For Girls

Disney animated films have followed the childhoods of hundreds of children over several generations. However, it is clear that some are more popular than others. Perhaps one of Disney’s most overlooked movies is ‘Atlantis, The Lost Kingdom’. However, Atlantis is an excellent example of artistic skill and plurality of characters.

‘Atlantis, The Lost Kingdom’ is a 2001 film produced by Disney. It was created by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, who also directed the film ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’. The film introduces us to an incredibly diverse group of characters, from different nationalities and from different cultural backgrounds. The film was inspired by Jules Verne’s stories, particularly 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. There’s Gaëtan “Mole” Molière, a French geologist, and Dr. Joshua Sweet, an African-American physician, as well as young Audrey Ramirez, an adventurous mechanic, and radio operator Whilhelmina Packard.

About Atlantis, an adventure film

The film begins with the collapse of the city of Atlantis, cradle of other civilizations. In the opening scenes you can see how the Queen of Atlantis is chosen protector of the city.

Many centuries later, in 1914, Milo Tatch is a young historian passionate about his career and languages. An eccentric millionaire is funding research to find the lost kingdom of Atlantis. This millionaire brings Milo to be his expert on history, myths and hieroglyphic translation.

Right after starting the research, the team encounters huge sea monsters that destroy their boats. However, the group of survivors manages to find an underwater cave and follow it through the underground ocean. After traveling for some time, the expedition finally finds the lost kingdom of Atlantis. Here you will meet the warrior princess Kidagakash, who will try to enlist Milo’s help to revive the magical heart of the city.

While Milo and Kida translate the ancient inscriptions, Commander Rourke kills the king of Atlantis to steal the powerful crystal that keeps the city alive. Once he manages to steal it, he tries to escape the city by going through 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 being shot by Helga Sinclair, whom he had betrayed.

Once they manage to return the crystal to the city, Atlantis regains its splendor. Kida is crowned Queen of Atlantis and Milo keeps her. The rest of the expedition decided to return to England with the fortunes bestowed by the people of Atlantis.

The role of women in Disney movies

Atlantis is a film that breaks with the portrayal that women often have in Disney’s works. Until recently, it was very rare to see strong, independent women as protagonists in Disney animated films.

Disney Princess ‘s usual image is a thin, light-skinned woman who always wears dresses. Think of characters like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. Plus, this stereotypical Disney woman is always in a good mood. It is also, in general, a character to fill in or support the film’s true protagonist: a man.

An example of this is Bela, from ‘The Beauty and the Beast’, whose life revolves around the men in her life. Between marrying or not marrying Gaston, saving his father, accompanying, caring for and loving the Beast. In the few cases where there is a female protagonist, as in Mulan and Pocahontas, she is the only important woman in the story.

For this reason, Atlantis is a pioneer of women’s claim in children’s and youth animated film. Atlantis features several female characters who play different roles throughout the film.

Women in Atlantis

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 is destined to guide and protect his people and decides to go against his father’s wishes. Thus, Kida forms an alliance with Milo to translate the ancient prophetic texts. Only in this way could Kida regain the lost splendor of Atlantis.

One of the most charismatic characters in the film is Audrey.  This brave young woman will be responsible for the work traditionally associated with men: mechanics. Audrey admits that she was interested in mechanics because her father wanted kids but had two girls. However, Audrey was not harmed by social expectations. In the film, Audrey is presented 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. She is a woman who plays a seductive role, if only to achieve her goals. Although Helga is allied with Commander Rourke, he is still a strong character with his own motivations. Finally, mortally wounded by Rourke himself, she shoots and kills to avenge his betrayal.

The following examples for girls and young people

Some say that movies are not responsible for the stereotypes that society projects to children. However, several studies have shown that there is an association between people’s adult behavior and the following role models and examples they were exposed to while growing up.

For this reason, it is important for girls to be 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 to be capable and autonomous women.

Atlantis paved the way for a more inclusive representation of women in animated films. It was the first in a series of important works that portray women as capable, intelligent and independent individuals. Later we also had Frozen (2013) and Moana (2016), showing that Disney’s new heroines are very different than those we used to follow in the past.