Atlantis: The Lost Empire puts story first, with diverse characters serving natural roles within the adventure. There’s little sense that representation outweighs narrative or realism. While the cast is eclectic, identities aren’t shoehorned in; character competence and flaws are well balanced throughout. If only modern blockbusters remembered how to do subtlety this well.

Traditional masculinity (Milo’s character arc), family, and even the mystical aspects of Atlantis are treated with a sense of wonder rather than mockery. There is no heavy-handed subversion of gender roles or anti-religious sentiment. The movie respects both heritage and the thrill of discovery, rather than rewriting culture for ideology.

Alternative viewpoints are present and given room: greedy explorers, idealists, skeptics, and believers all get their say. The film gives us moral ambiguity without cartoon villains representing “bad opinions.” There’s a bit of 2000s-era optimism about multiculturalism, but it’s not forced or preachy.