D Couples: Milo and Kida

I decided to start a series of analyzing the DP Couples in depth (and later, the other Disney Couples) after I got bored one day, and wanted to write a series of articles. I will first explain my overall statement about the couples in a paragraph, and then I will analyze each scene to look at the inner and outer feelings of the characters individually and the couple itself. I also have a request, just for a little while; please do not recommend a Disney Renaissance couple? I say this because I have gone through half of them, and I want to even out through some of the eras. At least for 1 analysis.

Here is the first DP Couple Analysis: Pocahontas and John Smith
Here is the fourth DP Couple Analysis: Ariel and Eric

First thoughts right after watching the Movie
My thoughts after watching Atlantis: The Lost Empire is not a good one, so if you do not want to hear me say a lot of negative things about these two, than click off the article. This couple is one of the most contrived, underdeveloped, and ridiculous couples to ever surface media. Why do I say this? Everything I said about, Pocahontas and John Smith is even worse here. We do not know why they like one another, most of their conversations are about the Atlantians, and he chooses to stay with her less than a day after meeting her. I find the development of these two absurd, since Kida is inactive for half of her screen time. They come off as friends instead of lovers. Disney could have done a lot better.

Summary

Okay so the group find a resting spot, and Milo goes out. He accidentally starts a fire, practically burning down the camp and tents. They all gather their things and leave the site. He ends up running on foot and gets injured. A disguised group of people approach him and examine him. One of them (Kida) takes off her mask, pulls down his shirt to see the cut, and uses her light that contains power to heal his cut. They stare one another for a bit and then she takes off with her people. He follows them as he is interested in them, but he ends up at an ocean view with no masked people to be found with the crew member behind him on the hole digger.

As the entire crew look at the ocean view, Kida and her masked comrades approach behind them, and apparently starts to talk to Milo in Atlantean. He starts talking back, though we have no idea what they are saying. He says that their language must be some sort of mixed dialects. He then asks her in French if she can say french, and she says Oui. Both groups interact and greet one another in interest, and Kida welcomes them to Atlantis. She says that they must meet her father, and she grabs Milo to come with her. So at this point, they are INTERESTED in one another, but are barely introduced to one another. There is not much for me to analyse here.

This part gives me more to work with. Kida is talking to her father in Atlantean about letting the crew stay. After her father tells them to leave, both Milo and Kida share a disappointed gaze at one another (this could possibly be because they had a small crush on each other). After they leave the King’s quarters, they all tell Milo that he has to talk to her to get the secrets about Atlantis out of her because she seems to like and is engaged in him. He ends up back at the quarters and practices what he has to say, so he can sound intimidating. He spotted her earlier, but after practicing ” I have questions and I am not leaving until I get them”. He could not spot her afterwards because she snuck up behind him. She grabbed him and said exactly what he was practicing to say to her. This is failed humor.

They go to a secluded area in Atlantis and she says that there is so much to talk about, since she has so many questions. She grabs his glasses and puts them on to see what is the big deal. Milo says that he has some questions as well, and tells her that they should ask one question each and then let the other ask, and so on, while getting his glasses back. He asks how Atlantis got underwater, she tells him about what happens in the prologue, including how it took her mother. He says he knows how he feels, since he lost his parents too. I am sorry, but I am getting more irritated as I write this. This is a nice moment, I give them that, and this is the most they know about one another’s lives in the entire movie. He then recalled back to when she said “from what I remember”, since the event took place thousands ago.

She says she is 8500 years old, and he tries to flirt like a charmer, saying she looks good. How in the hell would their relationship even work? He would age so quick, and she will still look the same. She then asks him how him and his crew found Atlantis, and he says it was not easy and got there because of the book he used as a guide. She grabs the book and tries to reads it, and starts to yell in frustration that he could read this, since no one in Atlantis can. He says he can just like any other Atlantean, not realizing that they cannot until later. He helped her read a passage in the book which says “Follow the path and then you will find the fifth marker”. She then asks him about helping her read the instructions to a fish-looking vehicle that she showed him, saying that she tried to get it to work, but can’t. He tells her she forgot to do a step, and says that she is lucky to get as far as she did, slightly offending her. They get it to work, but it crashes. He asks if anyone is hungry; (sighs) the humor is bad.

So they climb this statue and look at the view. He says they have never been introduced properly, and he give her a nickname because her name was too confusing. He is thrilled of the view but is sad because his grandfather could not witness it. They tour around Atlantis, and he is thrilled by it. He starts to tell her about who is who in his crew. So, they constantly talk about the history of Atlantis and their people, little to no interaction about themselves, almost no indication of them liking one another other than a subtle stare and a bad attempt at humor. At least Pocahontas and John Smith had chemistry, obvious signs of attraction, and seemed like more than friends. This couple is minor friends at best.

So some time has passed since they were eating at someone’s house?, and they are back at the secluded area. Milo is going on and on about how fascinating Atlantis is now that he saw the people live, and how they are thriving, which she disagrees about because their culture is dying, and they are barely making ends meet, and she came here to ask him for his help. He agrees to do so, but gets nervous as she takes off her skirt. She asks if he swims, since he is going to need to, to help her. He takes off his shirt and shorts, and they swim. They go over the water so she can as him if he is okay. He says yes, and they swim to read the script on the side of the ocean. They go over water again, and he tells her it is the history of Atlantis, and about how the blue power is the power source for Atlantis.

They swim back to the secluded area, and sees his crew there, loaded with guns and materials. Rourke asks him about what he found, and Milo realizes that he has been tricked, since they are going after the power source/crystal. When Kida swims up, they grab her and hold her for hostage. They go to her father and asks where he is, but Rourke figures it out, and him the couple and Helga go underground to where the crystal is. The crystal calls Kida and as she goes forth, Milo tries to stop her, but Rourke stops him from doing so. She merges with the crystal and is trapped in the metal contraption. What is there to analyse here? Nothing. I could say he liked how she looked without her skirt, and they are interested about Atlantis’ history. This is a mild friendship, but we are supposed to believe that they are hopelessly in love? Oh my goodness.

So Milo decides to play hero and convinces his crew members (minus Helga and Rourke) to do the right thing. They all go on the fish-looking machine to save her. After Rourke and Helga are defeated, he cuts the metal box she is in from the ship, and drags it with him. When he cracks the box open, the power from Kida is used to create a shield and fix Atlantis somehow. She comes from the air and he catches her. She moans his name in a tired tone, and shows him the bracelet her mother took from her when she was sacrificed. They hug each other in happiness and exhaustion. They go to look at the surface, and holds hands. As his crew members are about to leave, they ask him if he still wants to go back home with him, he says no. WHAT. What reason would he have to stay other than the fact that he is in “love” with her? I guess he could teach the Atlanteans about how to read again, but he is holding her hand while saying this, signifying that it is for his interest in her.

They knew each other for less than a day, and now he is willing to give up his career, home, and everything he ever knew about Earth to live with a girl he met and saved less than a day prior? If this is not contrived, that I don’t know what is. In the epilogue, the new Queen Kida, and most likely King Milo set up a rock into the air, and climb up the same statue they did before to watch the rock float, holding hands.

Final Thoughts

After analyzing them, my final thoughts is that they are probably the most underdeveloped, contrived, ridiculous couple who do not know crap about one another, but are willing to live the rest of their lives together after knowing one another for less than 24 hours. It would be one thing if it was in older times (like the Renaissance, Dark Ages, etc), but no; this is 1914. What do they like about one another? Let me guess. He likes that Kida cares about her culture, which he is fascinated by, and is passionate I guess, and she likes that he is obsessed with Atlantis and smart? Other than that (which is a stretch), nothing. This has been the most frustrating analysis I ever did. I am sorry I was extremely harsh with these two, but I did not want to half-ass my feelings about this quarter-assed couple. Thank you for reading if you managed to read all the way through.

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