25 Years Later, a Criminally Underrated Disney Movie is Returning with a New Sequel Release

May 31, 2026, 5:17pm

All of a sudden, Disney fans have another reason to be excited, thanks to the surprise reveal of a belated sequel to an underappreciated cult animated movie from the early 2000s. While there is often a consensus that the “Bronze Age” of 1960-1988 was the lowest period for the House of Mouse, the so-called “Experimental Era” – otherwise known as the Post-Renaissance Period of 1999-2008 fairs no better. And often worse. But time has been a lot kinder on some of those movies than their contemporary reviews may have suggested. The Emperor’s New Groove has grown massively in stature, and Treasure Planet is easily the most overlooked gem in Disney history.

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There are other gems in there, too, but it is fair to say that it was a bit of a comparatively slow period for a studio so well-versed in back-to-back hits. While not as underrated as Treasure Planet, Atlantis: The Lost Empire is another animated movie that was cast off way too easily. And now, as the release celebrates its 25th anniversary, a new sequel has been revealed for later in 2026. The graphic novel, Atlantis: The Lost Empire Vol. 1 – The Curse of Kurok, will release in October from Disney and Papercutz. It’s an exciting and unexpected revelation for anyone who similarly believes Atlantis deserves a reappraisal.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire Was Unfairly Underrated (& It Killed Great Plans)

Criminally, Atlantis: The Lost Empire currently sits on only 48%, thanks to critics’ reviews at the time of release, with a slightly higher 55% audience score. As a Disney fan, I have always maintained that both are unfairly low, and were more a reflection of audience expectations being badly tuned. Disney was suffering from something of an identity crisis, still shackled to its enduring image as a purveyor of fairy tales, and an animated sci-fi leaning more into traditional action was just too challenging. Without this first step into sci-fi for Disney, there would be no Treasure Planet and no Lilo & Stitch, but audiences just weren’t ready.

Thankfully, the graphic novel will serve as a direct sequel to the original. Papercutz’s listing reveals the synopsis: “Taking place after the movie, Milo and Kida team together to protect the world of Atlantis… When Milo and Kida discover a brand-new monstrous threat below the kingdom of Atlantis, it’s going to take all of their bravery and ingenuity to find the secrets below the waves, and how to surpass a strange new challenge. And they’ll also need to discover what ancient fables from Atlantis’s past are the key to unlocking the safety of their future! When a giant monstrous threat bubbles up from the lost past of Atlantis, Milo and Kida will need to save Atlanteans while also protecting the natural world around them.”

This isn’t, though, the first sequel. Disney initially planned to release a spinoff series, titled Team Atlantis, that was pitched as a “steampunk X-Files” and would have crossed over with 1990s classic Gargoyles. There were also theme park plans, but when the movie became a critical and commercial failure, the brakes were put on both. But in 2003, Disney released a forgotten direct-to-video sequel, Atlantis: Milo’s Return, which retooled three episodes of the planned series. Presumably, the graphic novel will skip that sequel, as even some Disney collectors did.

And if you’re wondering if there’s an audience for this, look no further than the Atlantis fan community who helped put on the 5-hour YouTube livestream for the 20th anniversary 5 years ago. This has been a long time coming for those fans.

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