am2xAnimated Movies was launched by Olivier Mouroux in 1999. In addition to a daily news report, he also created a database of information about past, current, and upcoming films. In 2003, he took a job in the industry and had to give up his work on the site. Several fans of Animated Movies decided to take on the task of keeping the news portion of his site going, and founded what is now Animated Views.

As AV turns 15, let's take a look back at the site we descended from. Below you can explore the database Olivier compiled at Animated Movies during its existence, as it last appeared online in October 2003.

ATLANTIS vs NADIA

Introduction  * Illustration of the similarities  * But what about the plot?




INTRODUCTION

You might have heard comparisons between Atlantis - The Lost Empire and a 1991 Japanese series called Nadia - The secret of blue water.

This page, created by mhayden@silverhammer.org, highlights the similarities between these two projects.  Quite amazing!
 


“Never heard of Nadia till it was mentioned in this NG.
Long after we’d finished production, I might add.”
— Kirk Wise, the director of Atlantis: The Lost Empire




ILLUSTRATION OF THE SIMILARITIES
 

Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water

Produced by Gainax, released in 1990

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Produced by Disney, released in 2001

Our hero, Jean, a nerdy yet sweet inventor who gets caught up in a quest to find Atlantis. Along the way he falls in love with a girl unlike anyone he’s ever met before. Accessories: big round glasses, red bow tie, assorted charts and scientific equipment. Our hero, Milo, a nerdy yet sweet scholar who gets caught up in a quest to find Atlantis. Along the way he falls in love with a girl unlike anyone he’s ever met before. Accessories: big round glasses, red bow tie, assorted charts and scientific equipment.
The heroine, Nadia, an exotic young woman who turns out to be a princess of the lost kingdom of Atlantis. To save her kingdom from invaders, she must unleash her hidden power. Accessories: blue crystal pendant, skimpy bikini 'n' sarong costume, gold armband and hoop earings. The heroine, Kida, an exotic young woman who turns out to be a princess of the lost kingdom of Atlantis. To save her kingdom from invaders, she must unleash her hidden power. Accessories: blue crystal pendant, skimpy bikini 'n' sarong costume, gold armband and hoop earings.

Nadia’s pendant

Kida’s pendant

The Nautilus, a high-tech submarine with an international crew.

The Ulysses, a high-tech submarine with an international crew.

The first officer

The first officer

The ship’s doctor

The ship’s doctor

The gunnery sergeant / helmsman

The gunnery sergeant / helmsman

An underwater battle!

An underwater battle!

A mysterious crystal power source

A mysterious crystal power source

To save Atlantis,
the heroine activates her pendant…

To save Atlantis,
the heroine activates her pendant…

…and merges with the power source!

…and merges with the power source!

 
 

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PLOT?

Surely the plot is different, and that’s what counts, right?
 

Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

The story begins in… France, 1889 America, 1914
Where our hero, who is… A sandy-haired boy with round, oversized eyeglasses and a red bow tie A sandy-haired man with round, oversized eyeglasses and a red bow tie
Runs into… A beautiful, hot-blooded mercenary named Grandis A beautiful, cold-blooded mercenary named Helga
They wind up together… On board a high-tech submarine with an international crew On board a high-tech submarine with an international crew
Engaged in battle with… Scary, otherworldly villains A scary, otherworldly giant lobster
After many adventures 1
they find…
An underwater crevasse An underwater crevasse
Which leads to… A chamber filled with strange bones A chamber filled with strange carvings
From which the crew… Heads for open space, then holds a memorial for those who died along the way Holds a memorial for those who died along the way, then heads for open space
They end up in… Atlantis Atlantis
Which is… A dead civilization A living civilization
At the center of which lies… A massive crystalline structure A massive crystalline structure
Which is linked to… A small blue jewel worn as a pendant A small blue jewel worn as a pendant
Around the neck of… The heroine, who doesn’t fully understand what it’s for The heroine, who doesn’t fully understand what it’s for
Because as a child, she… Lost her family Lost her mother
But she discovers that… These crystals are the power source for Atlantis These crystals are the power source for Atlantis
Which explains why… The bad guys are so interested in Atlantis The bad guys are so interested in Atlantis
So they can… Capture and use the power source Capture and sell the power source
While the rest of the world… Plunges headlong into war with a secret society Plunges headlong into war with Germany
But the heroine stops them by… Using her pendant to merge with and control the power source Using her pendant to merge with and control the power source
And when it’s all over… They fall in love and live happily ever after They fall in love and live happily ever after

1Keep in mind that we’re comparing a 39-episode television series with a 90-minute movie.
 



Animated Movies original content © Olivier Mouroux