Fun Fact: The voice actor for Rourke (James Garner) is actually my grandma's cousin. I'm dead serious (although I've been told he wasn't very nice to my grandma when they met in the past, but lets not dwell on that fact too much). In Fact, 18th President; Ulysses S. Grant, happens to be my great great great great (possibly another great in there) grandfather. Yes, I'm also dead serious about that too. Naturally my branch of the family got cut off from any and all wealth that these people knew, because... you know... TYPICAL. But just thought I'd bring up these interesting family relations I have discovered in recent years, cause... you know... WHY NOT?!
The scene where Rourke figures out where the heart of Atlantis is, just right before he kills the king, is one of the most underrated scenes in the movie. It shows that he is smart and not a one-note villain consumed by greed. And it also shows he has SOME humanity and doesn’t just kill everyone to get his way as shown when he leaves the king alive.
He doesn’t waste a potentially useful bargaining chip out of sheer malice, that’s what a chaotic evil character would do. Rourke is likely neutral evil.
My thoughts on Rourke's death is it's poetic justice. After treating other people like objects and things to be used, discarded, and forgotten he himself becomes and object that is broken, becomes discarded, and is forgotten.
The thing is, Rourke's not just a jerk (like Hans for example) after he's revealed as the main villain. He kills TWO DAMN people with his BARE HANDS, and just continues to act casually. That's the mark of true villainy right there.
@@sarafontanini7051 Yes! I love the little bits and pieces they leave behind for rewatches such as "This will be enriching for all of us" or "Commander there wasn't supposed to be people down here, this changes everything!" In response Rourke says "This changes nothing." I also like how he doesn't change his whole personality after the reveal, he's still casual, snarky, and at times stoic.
@@Sillylittleman44567Also if you look closely, he’s the first guy to board the escape pods. In real life captains go on last, so if it sinks they do down with the ship.
Considering Atlantis was directed by the same guys as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, it's not surprising that we'd get another phenomenal villain from them.
Something I've noticed with "bad" disney twist villains and "good" ones, is that the poorly made ones, while physically in the plot, are pretty much just side characters until the third act says "by the way, this is the bad guy all along" with the barest of hints beforehand (if any) that require scrutiny upon rewatches to notice if there's anything at all, while the better ones are either already antagonistic towards the main characters but the full context isn't revealed until the twist, or otherwise there are enough tells given and logical conclusions to their actions and words that may be figured out if you're paying attention, but at least work in both the beforehand and the aftermath of the twist - in one way, is the twist villain still the same character before and after, or are they different characters in the same body that swap places at the twist?
Yeah, he's such a criminally underrated villain! I actually liked his characterization in addition to his narcissistic nature and greedy based motives. And of course, his big reveal to be a baddie was solidely built up from his first appearence.
I think the symbolism of Rourke’s defeat is that he became what he wanted to sell (the crystal). He objectified the Atlanteans, and so became an object himself. And then exploded.
@marcusblackwell2372 oh trust me, I'm gonna get to it soon-ish, probably next year for sure, that is a guarantee I can't usually give. But it has been on my high priority videos list, a good one to do while I'm also multi-tasking with big rankings and such
@@Rockotarthepurplehatguy I think an interesting detail about Rourke is that he wears his military uniform for the whole journey until they arrived in Atlantis, and he doesn't wear it again like he is already taking off his honorable facade.
So glad you did this! Atlantis: The Lost Empire is such an underrated film! In regards to Rourke's defeat, my personal take on it is that: 1. He didn't respect the Atlantean culture so it's ironic that something from Atlantis, a piece of the Heart, a part of the civilization's mysticism and culture was what did him in. 2. Rourke was solely motivated by greed. Earlier, Milo told him that he only saw the Heart as a diamond, a shiny thing, so it's fitting that he was ultimately turned into a shiny thing and shattered into pieces--like diamonds. 3. By becoming a soulless, greedy individual that thought he was smarter than everyone else, Rourke essentially lost his humanity and when he was slashed with a piece of the Heart, he was transformed into a soulless, mindless inhuman being. 4. He was shattered by the balloon's propellers, so this meant that he was ultimately killed by one of his own machines
What makes Rourke one of the most real Disney villains, is the fact there were real people like him in the past, and unfortunately, into our present. This has always been the downside of discovery and commerce, and given Atlantis the Lost Empire was set in 1914, this was the peak of the age of empires, and all those empires would soon be embroiled in the First World War, where pride and prejudice led to the costly and frightening toll on human life. This is what make Rourke one of the most relatable Disney villains, he was not just a villain on his own, he represented a piece of the mosaic built from pain and destruction, imagine all the real Rourkes who existed, making a killing by killing. Rourke is very much the symbol of human avarice, it's quite profound a villain like this could come from Disney, nowadays, the corporation would probably write a redemption arc for Rourke, that he was a sympathetic character, that he went about gaining wealth the wrong way, then gaslight the audience into forgiving Rourke's motives. Rourke is one of the most compelling villains to have existed, he is a major step up from Radcliff from Pocahantas, who was written to be an obvious villain, Rourke is a reminder that we have the potential be like him, ambition to gain wealth at the cost of your own soul.
I'm so glad you brought up WW1, because I did a whole personal analysis about related themes in this movie. For instance, I don't recall exactly when, but at some point Milo even directly mentions Kaiser Wilhelm II (quoted as "...the German Kaiser") as a person who would very much like to get their hands on the Atlantean technology for military purposes. I also think the crew being of many different nationalities was a really important aspect of the movie. I like to think that the creators of the movie were hoping to show solidarity in the face of adversity through a number of different ways, and given the setting in history as well as the racial and nationalistic tensions of said time period, I don't think it's a stretch to tie the nationalities of the characters to that message. Totally got away from Rourke so my bad haha, but I got excited and wanted to share my thoughts.
WW1 was due to a series of entangling alliances. It only showed how having too many peacetime treaties with countries can end up being a monkey's paw. Diversity really destroyed the world for 4 years and it took a Serb to reveal it.
hell, the amjaority of the cast were willing followers of his so they too also play into that idea by also almost becoming like him, but the difference was they were clearly uncomfortable with outright genocide and murder, while rourke didn't see it as a concern at all.
17:11 I felt that the symbolism here was that his own greed for money (that’s what the Atlantis Crystal would’ve given him if his plan worked) turned him into a Monster, both physically and literally!!
Totally agree and good points. The clips were funny. Rourke is one of my favorite villains along with Helga. I like that Helga is not your typical villain henchmen who are usually dumb or not as bad or reform because of remorse or because they realize there boss is a jerk. While she was implied to have some concern for the Atlantans, she still let greed get to her and probably also because Rourke kept reminding her. She even had a few opportunities to switch sides. Why is which it makes her death still deserved. It’s also unique how she wasn’t rescued and reformed afterwards.
Yet it is interesting that it is Helga not Milo that ensures Rourke's defeat. Even if Rouke killed Milo it wouldn't matter since Helga destroyed his only way of getting the crystal to the Surface. And that is if Rourke didn't get killed by the erupting volcano
@ Totally agree. It’s also interesting how it doesn’t mean she’s the good guy now. She’s still defeated since she had a few opportunities to redeem herself and since it was likely she shoot the balloon just to get back at Rourke, not to help them.
@@Koopalingfanyou can also add The Gang greengang helping the Powerpuff Girls defeat Sedusa when she double crosses them and the Delighted children helping Numbuh 1 and 360 find Father as they too cant stand eating broccoli. In both cases the villain group dont regorm but the evil their "Boss" was doing was too much for them.
For me Rourke is an example of a Disney twist villian done well. He's not too obvious to make the twist predictable, but there's just enough hints that it comes out of nowhere as well as his personality not doing a complete 180 after his true colours are revealed But I think what makes the twist work is that it isn’t Rourke being revealed to be a villian, it's the fact that the crew that we've grown attached to were actually fully on his side. But again not only did it not come out of nowhere since the crew had said before they were only on this trip for the money, but there are also hints that they aren't as willing to put others in risk like Rourke (like how Sweet immediately turns against Rourke when he hurts the king and we even see him take care of him before he dies) so it makes their change of heart more believable It kills me that Atlantis isn't really talked about like Treasure Planet, because it really does deserve a lot of love
hell during the scene where they mourne the dead members of the expedition everyone looks genuinely sad, except Rourke who is clearly maintaining a stern and stoic expression. THough this could be a reach. also the fact everyone else gets clsoe to milo, gets to act goofy and share their backstory and interests with him...while rourke does not, in fact he maintains his distance from Milo. Its why we know so little about him compared to the others.
@@sarafontanini7051during that scene i think that Rourke is truly sad about the deaths of his men but he is also a proffesional, the risk of dieing is part of the job, his men knew that, as the leader of the expedition Rourke must keep moving everyone forward because they have a job to do
I think gaston and ursla and maleficent are interesting because they are one of a few villains whose henchmen doesn't betray them and gaston is a very good leader in the original since no one ever turns on him or thinks about it
YES!!! IVE BEEN WAITING YEARS FOR YOU TO MAKE A REVIEW OF THIS MOVIE!!! (Now I just have to wait for Treasure Planet review…) Atlantis was THAT movie for me as a kid. For years we couldn’t find it anywhere to stream, until Disney plus was created. I have watched this movie at least once every few months just for the nostalgia alone Okay so in the “boss fight” between Milo and Rourke, I always thought that him turning into crystal was like a cruel irony. He had spent years of his life searching for this thing, and ultimately, it was his own downfall (hence him turning into crystal) the crystal was what he valued most in that moment, and boy did he get it
Rourke to me is what the makers of Pocahontas wanted Ratcliffe to be, since they have a very similar motivation. It's part of why I like treating Atlantis as a whole as being something of a redemption for Pocahontas even though it wasn't as successful- and this is coming from someone that likes Pocahontas and finds it to be incredibly overhated.
@@tonypringles2285 Maybe "hate" might have been a strong word to use there, but a large portion of people find it to be one of the lesser if not one of the worst Disney movies, and I don't really agree with that.
These are one of the types of movies that should get a life action reboot. Anyway, I really enjoyed the video and your deep dive into the characters, viewpoints and motivations.
Congratulations Rockotar as Rourke puts it "You just won the Solid gold cupi doll" for this incredible well put together video, still enjoying it after rewatch, keep up the good work 👏🏅
17:05 Rourke said earlier "It's big, it's shiny, and it's gonna make us all rich." He turns into something big and shiny, essentially a sentient diamond
Love this movie, can watch it over and over. God tier compared to the other joke movies they've made the last few years (besides encanto) glad people are loving it nowadays. Gotta do a villain ranking. Love ranking vids
🧐 I am surprised Rockotar didn’t mention Rourke’s biggest failing of all (which is also extremely relevant), that of being only concerned with the biggest source of immediate value when a better solution was right under his nose. As many have pointed out, the movie very clearly shows at the end that they could have taken literally ANYTHING from Atlantis and had riches to spare without hurting anyone. But of course, Rourke has to go for the most valuable item (which theoretically translates to greatest monetary value) in all of Atlantis, regardless of who he has to hurt along the way, a decision equally motivated by greed and pride. In the end, not only does he fail to get any monetary value from his actions, but he ends up being responsible for the death of many people (including himself) and those that knew to quit before they went too far ended up inheriting everything.
Rourke also considers Life to be a zero-sum game; the only way for him to gain money is for someone else to lose it. That's why he never considers taking just part of Atlantis, even if that would be a favorable outcome for everyone; he does not and cannot conceptualize the world that way.
This is a very well-worded and thought-provoking analysis of Rourke. 👏🧐 While I respectfully disagree with his final statement about Rourke being “underrated” and “one of the greatest” Disney villains, I definitely agree with the title of this video (that he is one of the most relevant Disney villains) and most of the observations contained therein.
Why don’t you have more subs yet?? This is a great analysis we have here. I like Atlantis: The Lost Empire and have always wondered why other people didn’t, so I’m glad to know I’m not alone.
I feel that Rourke's change into the crystal monster not only stripped away his outward human shell and showed the true villain from within, but also was a clever way to show Rourke's greed was in fact self-destructive. By being turned into the creature made of crystal that he viewed as just a big diamond, something that his unquenchable greed wanted, along with his dehumanizing of people, he was in turn made into the very thing that he coveted.
17:05 I mean, there's the whole "turned into the very thing he was pursuing which was a direct cause of his death" thing. It's not quite as straight-forward as I'm phrasing it here, but that is a top tier ending. Even Fullmetal Alchemist uses it.
Another interesting fact here is that as the leader of the expedition and giant Submarine as the CAPTIAN he is expected BY MARITIME LAW to be the last to leave to ensure that everyone that can leave has. And if you notice he is one of the very first guys to bolt for the escape/sub fighters? idk lol. But regardless this shows immediately that while he is cool headed about the situation and is making solid decisions for the most part, he is looking out for number one, himself.
Rourke was such a well done character. I'd love to see a prequel type movie about him-- especially if it would explore his relationship with Helga. I always thought there was something.....more between those two.
The situation with the Internet Archive is actually _even more ridiculous_ than you may have thought - there isn't even any effect on the publisher's profits.
I love realistic villains. Real-world evil is not glowing eyes, hatemongering and violence. Real villains can walk by and seem like a regular, even "good" person. So fictional villains need not be caricaturized, they need to exibit the same subtle hints of narcissism and selfishness that real-world villains let through their masks.
That's why I love this movie so much. Rourke is easily what twist villain should be. First at the start decent and somewhat nice until over time in the middle parts of the story does he truly reveal his plans and no longer around the nice persona to reach his true baddest goals of gaining wealth and power from Atlantis.
and of course his grouchiness could be exused at just being comedically annoyed by milo...until the reveal and you realise that, no, he jsut dislikes milo cause he's an asshole
This is honestly the best character analysis on why Rourke works as a villain for the movie. It really makes me smile to see people making analysis focusing on this movie and it's becoming one of my favorite Disney movies. The themes of greed, politics and anti-capitalism applying to him as a villain really are trying to get to me, but this video really helped. I'd love to see more people to character analysis on every significant character in Atlantis The Lost Empire. Such as why Milo chose to believe in his morals and beliefs and not let anything change him.
You forgot to mention though that Dr. Sweet actually turned on Rourke eariler when Rourke mortally wounded the king. That really says something there if you ask me. Because it shows that as a medic physically hurting people is not something he likes doing and refusing to do that is more important than money to him.
Dr. Sweet's heritage may also have played a role in his decision. He's Black, *and* of an American Indian nation. He's not just seen the results of colonial violence, he's probably lived it.
@ Possibly although nothing in his backstory says he witnessed it but he might have since he was born in 1872. Additionally while I am not normal one to say something like this, he is also notably a example of a diverse character done right since not only is his mix heritage realistic for the time period but he isn’t diverse just for the sake of being diverse, there is more to his character then just him being diverse as well. Many companies these days especially Disney ironically should have used this film as a study on how you write a diverse character well but sadly they don’t with one of the reasons clearly being that this film bombed at the box office even though not all films that bomb at the box office are bad.
It's should be noted how Rourke contrasts with milo, being taller and more muscular compared to milo's shroter, lankier frame, as wella s beign clearly older, and he has a lot of loyal followers while milo has no friends at all let alone employees. Milo's goofy while rourke's more serious if initially personable, and milo's super awkward while rourke is always careful about what he says and does and is constant control. Hell one could even reach for the fact that Milo is drawn in a more cartoonier manner comapred to rourke. all this to say we're given visual contrasts between the two to visually compare them as characters from the outset, which becomes important as it becomes clear that rourke is not only the villain of the movie but Milo's nemesis specifically. We were shown from the start that these two men were different and were opposing each other.
I think my favorite thing about Rourke is that he comes across as competent and that if you removed the scenes from him being the villain onwards and the two small "something is not right" scenes before it, his outward presentation is so good that you could have had him as a slightly grumpy but competent and arguably admirable expedition leader without changing anything else. You could literally tell a completely different story from the point they found Atlantis onwards with no prior changes and have Rourke not be the villain. At the same time nothing earlier feels contradictory to him being the villain, unlike, say Hans, in Frozen. That to me is the sign of an excellently written twist villain.
What's fun about him is that you never feel like you're being preached to. He's A CHARACTER with an opinion, and sure, the other characters disagree, but how hard is it to believe that most people aren't particularly skippy with genocide? The man is voiced by a classic Western actor, who did regular westerns as well as comedy westerns, and he played in a great comedy western with Mel Gibson called "Maverick." HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. This movie, too. It better get a 4k release, by golly!
Awesome video analysis on Disney's most underrated and best twist villain. Like none of their other twist villains came close to the same level of good writing ever since.
Ooh I have something embarrassing to tell you. I've never watched Atlantis, which, if you say the villain, there is good. I mean, if he is, I might watch It. Should I watch this movie
It's on Disney plus, or you could buy it on disc (though if you haven't seen it, buying it without knowing for sure if you like it could be a risk). Don't know where else.
I saw this film recently and ADORED it. Just- wow. Lyle took me by surprise ngl, the writing is just- wow. He’s scarily realistic as a villain, but that’s WHY he works so well.
I love how he gets turned into a crystal elemental, as if his greed itself had transformed him into not only a monster, but one made of what he valued over human life.
Great observations and analysis! It makes me appreciate the writing of Atlantis even more. I thought Rourke was scary because he feels realistic and seems reasonable much of the time. His villainous acts hit harder that way.
I’m curious, and I have a question, what are your thoughts on The Polar Express? Since the movie turns 20 on November 10th. I’m curious as to what your thoughts are and where it would rank in a tier (S to F)
he's soo callous that he tosses his girlfriend like she's nothing another thing about him is he's super super realistic over history this is soo true like with Colombus and with what happened to Egypt it's interesting to see how a fictional antagonist can be this realistic
I'm getting the feeling you don't actually know anything about Columbus in writing this. Actually, I know you don't. Greed was so far from the guy's mind in his first expedition it's a sign of ignorance to claim otherwise. Some actions like not paying a bonus to the lookout for spotting land and claiming he saw it first or at the same time was a bit greedy and a sign of having a bit of an ego, but the whole reason he went on the expedition was wanting to fund a new Crusade against the Muslims invading eastern Europe and to retake what in now Israel. Literally everything from modern Morocco to Turkey along the Mediterranean used to be Christian until invaded by Arab and Turkish armies. You can agree or disagree with his motives, but to claim the man's main motivation was greed shows a poorer understanding of him than even a basic cultural osmosis should create.
@John-fk2ky your inventing your own narrative that was columbus quest to make as much money as possible and it's correct he wanted to fund more expeditions but he tricked the native Americans, befriended them, then took all their gold and land for himself just like Rorhk
and this can also be used for Disney themselves these days, considering of how they care more about money than their loyal fanbase, and how little they care about us
Excellent video. I really appreciate the love for Rourke as a villain, since he often gets called a basic, money-loving bad guy with no depth. He does a lot with his wit and manipulation skills. One thing I don’t see enough people talk about is that how Rourke isn’t really a twist villain; the actual twist is that the rest of the crew is in on it as well. Rourke does come off as pretty shady throughout the movie, and there are multiple clues to his true nature (his face is covered up on his file, he’s the first one off the sub despite being its captain, etc.). The crew (or at least the named ones) mostly come off as likable and relatable, and eventually gain respect for Milo as they travel to Atlantis. When Rourke and the crew confront Milo and Kida, it hurts to see all of them silently standing behind Rourke, reduced from real characters down to just grunts for an obviously evil guy. While it’s not surprising that they eventually go back to Milo’s side, it is still satisfying to see them come to their senses. They crucially go back to being themselves and therefore return to being much more likable, and instantly redeem themselves by following Milo in the effort to save Kida. This all works so well because they have an obviously evil character in Rourke to contrast them against.
Rourke's death was always fairly simple in its message to me. He risked life and limb both during the expedition and over the years to find this crystal, motivated by a pure sense of greed. In the end, the object of that very greed is precisely what killed him.
Honestly, I was terrified of crystallized Rourke as I was a child. But now, I see it as a symbol of him getting what he wanted - just not in the way he expected.
I suppose the symbolism of Rourke's death is that A: Rourke finally loses his cool. You mention throughout the video that he maintains his composure throughout the movie... EXCEPT for when Milo fights him, where he actively admits Milo has gotten under his skin and eventually tries to kill him with an axe where he visibly looks crazy, and B: (for the record this is a MASSIVE stretch), Rourke is literally consumed by his desire for power. The crystal serves as a powersource, the thing Rourke wants most, and by his end, he is literally a powerful monster, with no humanity left. That last part is a bit of a stretch though.
one could also see it as a karmic transformation as its essentially what happened to Kiva and he ends up transformed into the very thing he was trying to steal for himself
I might need to check the movie on my own! Also 12:20 BASED SHARK TALE REFERENCE!!! All jokes aside, though, Shark Tale really isn't THAT bad. Okay, that might be overblowing it, since the movie isn't THAT good either objectively... I kind of like it... But it's not *atrocious* either. Though, whether i'd worship it as a "masterpiece" (in the same way some people do) would be another question entirely, since for me, the movie would be... okay/fine, from an objective standpoint...: I also just realised that my current persona for the month fits this video and villain's themes of greed (look at my current pfp for the month lol).
![Why Judge Claude Frollo is the Best Disney Villain [The Hunchback of Notre Dame]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/fGwrZEMi05o/mqdefault.jpg)
![Why Judge Claude Frollo is the Best Disney Villain [The Hunchback of Notre Dame]](/img/tr.png)
![Why Lotso is a Terrifying Villain [Toy Story 3]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nArpkxLf_dw/mqdefault.jpg)
Fun Fact: The voice actor for Rourke (James Garner) is actually my grandma's cousin. I'm dead serious (although I've been told he wasn't very nice to my grandma when they met in the past, but lets not dwell on that fact too much).
In Fact, 18th President; Ulysses S. Grant, happens to be my great great great great (possibly another great in there) grandfather. Yes, I'm also dead serious about that too. Naturally my branch of the family got cut off from any and all wealth that these people knew, because... you know... TYPICAL. But just thought I'd bring up these interesting family relations I have discovered in recent years, cause... you know... WHY NOT?!
OMG, your family tree are all stars!
Family lore is always crazy
That’s cool you discovered that part of your family tree. I never thought about that 😎😎
whoa lucky and cool family tree
Woah-you got quite the family history!
The scene where Rourke figures out where the heart of Atlantis is, just right before he kills the king, is one of the most underrated scenes in the movie.
It shows that he is smart and not a one-note villain consumed by greed. And it also shows he has SOME humanity and doesn’t just kill everyone to get his way as shown when he leaves the king alive.
Totally agree.
Well alive is a great word because he still die anyway , he was probably to old to begin with to sustain injury.
RIP James Garner.
@@sinjoh53He’s several thousand years old, and looks that way. Was gonna happen anyways, sooner or later.
He doesn’t waste a potentially useful bargaining chip out of sheer malice, that’s what a chaotic evil character would do. Rourke is likely neutral evil.
My thoughts on Rourke's death is it's poetic justice. After treating other people like objects and things to be used, discarded, and forgotten he himself becomes and object that is broken, becomes discarded, and is forgotten.
Good point.
Literally consumed by his obsession.
True and becoming a crystal makes it easier for them to show an on screen death for an all ages movie.
plus he is transformed into a twsited mirror of the very thing he was trying to steal in the first place
Similar thought: Crystals are very valuable. He became the very thing he was hoping to gain; money.
The thing is, Rourke's not just a jerk (like Hans for example) after he's revealed as the main villain. He kills TWO DAMN people with his BARE HANDS, and just continues to act casually. That's the mark of true villainy right there.
plus unlike Hans his villainy is built up and set up early on and in fact knowing he's the villains changes a lot about he is portrayed upon rewatch
@@sarafontanini7051 Yes! I love the little bits and pieces they leave behind for rewatches such as "This will be enriching for all of us" or "Commander there wasn't supposed to be people down here, this changes everything!" In response Rourke says "This changes nothing." I also like how he doesn't change his whole personality after the reveal, he's still casual, snarky, and at times stoic.
@@Sillylittleman44567Also if you look closely, he’s the first guy to board the escape pods. In real life captains go on last, so if it sinks they do down with the ship.
Considering Atlantis was directed by the same guys as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, it's not surprising that we'd get another phenomenal villain from them.
Interesting
That makes sense why both movies were so great
They certainly have a knack for making disturbingly realistic villains. I love both films partly for that reason alone.
I didn’t know that, thanks. That is interesting.
They also directed Beauty and the Beast
4:27 A time when twist villains were actually well thought out and not too obvious
as well as being genuinely great villains regardless
Something I've noticed with "bad" disney twist villains and "good" ones, is that the poorly made ones, while physically in the plot, are pretty much just side characters until the third act says "by the way, this is the bad guy all along" with the barest of hints beforehand (if any) that require scrutiny upon rewatches to notice if there's anything at all, while the better ones are either already antagonistic towards the main characters but the full context isn't revealed until the twist, or otherwise there are enough tells given and logical conclusions to their actions and words that may be figured out if you're paying attention, but at least work in both the beforehand and the aftermath of the twist - in one way, is the twist villain still the same character before and after, or are they different characters in the same body that swap places at the twist?
Yeah, he's such a criminally underrated villain! I actually liked his characterization in addition to his narcissistic nature and greedy based motives. And of course, his big reveal to be a baddie was solidely built up from his first appearence.
I think the symbolism of Rourke’s defeat is that he became what he wanted to sell (the crystal). He objectified the Atlanteans, and so became an object himself.
And then exploded.
3:52 Love the little detail of Milo bowing to the King the same way Kida does 😊 such cultural respect
@@sparxstreak02 Totally. While Rourke and Helga weren’t.
Atlantis, my beloved.
Treasure Planet video when?
@marcusblackwell2372 oh trust me, I'm gonna get to it soon-ish, probably next year for sure, that is a guarantee I can't usually give. But it has been on my high priority videos list, a good one to do while I'm also multi-tasking with big rankings and such
@@Rockotarthepurplehatguy I think an interesting detail about Rourke is that he wears his military uniform for the whole journey until they arrived in Atlantis, and he doesn't wear it again like he is already taking off his honorable facade.
Casting James Garner in this role was a smart move since he was known for charming leads so people wouldn’t be as suspicious
So glad you did this! Atlantis: The Lost Empire is such an underrated film! In regards to Rourke's defeat, my personal take on it is that:
1. He didn't respect the Atlantean culture so it's ironic that something from Atlantis, a piece of the Heart, a part of the civilization's mysticism and culture was what did him in.
2. Rourke was solely motivated by greed. Earlier, Milo told him that he only saw the Heart as a diamond, a shiny thing, so it's fitting that he was ultimately turned into a shiny thing and shattered into pieces--like diamonds.
3. By becoming a soulless, greedy individual that thought he was smarter than everyone else, Rourke essentially lost his humanity and when he was slashed with a piece of the Heart, he was transformed into a soulless, mindless inhuman being.
4. He was shattered by the balloon's propellers, so this meant that he was ultimately killed by one of his own machines
What makes Rourke one of the most real Disney villains, is the fact there were real people like him in the past, and unfortunately, into our present. This has always been the downside of discovery and commerce, and given Atlantis the Lost Empire was set in 1914, this was the peak of the age of empires, and all those empires would soon be embroiled in the First World War, where pride and prejudice led to the costly and frightening toll on human life. This is what make Rourke one of the most relatable Disney villains, he was not just a villain on his own, he represented a piece of the mosaic built from pain and destruction, imagine all the real Rourkes who existed, making a killing by killing. Rourke is very much the symbol of human avarice, it's quite profound a villain like this could come from Disney, nowadays, the corporation would probably write a redemption arc for Rourke, that he was a sympathetic character, that he went about gaining wealth the wrong way, then gaslight the audience into forgiving Rourke's motives. Rourke is one of the most compelling villains to have existed, he is a major step up from Radcliff from Pocahantas, who was written to be an obvious villain, Rourke is a reminder that we have the potential be like him, ambition to gain wealth at the cost of your own soul.
I'm so glad you brought up WW1, because I did a whole personal analysis about related themes in this movie. For instance, I don't recall exactly when, but at some point Milo even directly mentions Kaiser Wilhelm II (quoted as "...the German Kaiser") as a person who would very much like to get their hands on the Atlantean technology for military purposes. I also think the crew being of many different nationalities was a really important aspect of the movie. I like to think that the creators of the movie were hoping to show solidarity in the face of adversity through a number of different ways, and given the setting in history as well as the racial and nationalistic tensions of said time period, I don't think it's a stretch to tie the nationalities of the characters to that message. Totally got away from Rourke so my bad haha, but I got excited and wanted to share my thoughts.
WW1 was due to a series of entangling alliances. It only showed how having too many peacetime treaties with countries can end up being a monkey's paw. Diversity really destroyed the world for 4 years and it took a Serb to reveal it.
I don't think the World Wars occured in this movie series
By understanding and improving Atlantean tech Humanity can colonize space much sooner
Or look at Trump and Elon but without the smarts and out of shape but all talk with better acting
hell, the amjaority of the cast were willing followers of his so they too also play into that idea by also almost becoming like him, but the difference was they were clearly uncomfortable with outright genocide and murder, while rourke didn't see it as a concern at all.
Rourke really should be the new Disney Mascot.
That would be too on the nose for them.
or america's
@@leebulger7112 Oy Vey
17:11 I felt that the symbolism here was that his own greed for money (that’s what the Atlantis Crystal would’ve given him if his plan worked) turned him into a Monster, both physically and literally!!
Totally agree and good points. The clips were funny. Rourke is one of my favorite villains along with Helga. I like that Helga is not your typical villain henchmen who are usually dumb or not as bad or reform because of remorse or because they realize there boss is a jerk. While she was implied to have some concern for the Atlantans, she still let greed get to her and probably also because Rourke kept reminding her. She even had a few opportunities to switch sides. Why is which it makes her death still deserved. It’s also unique how she wasn’t rescued and reformed afterwards.
Yet it is interesting that it is Helga not Milo that ensures Rourke's defeat. Even if Rouke killed Milo it wouldn't matter since Helga destroyed his only way of getting the crystal to the Surface. And that is if Rourke didn't get killed by the erupting volcano
@ Totally agree. It’s also interesting how it doesn’t mean she’s the good guy now. She’s still defeated since she had a few opportunities to redeem herself and since it was likely she shoot the balloon just to get back at Rourke, not to help them.
@@Koopalingfan Sorta like the Hyeans when they kill Scar as there not reformed per say
@@nicholassims9837 That’s true.
@@Koopalingfanyou can also add The Gang greengang helping the Powerpuff Girls defeat Sedusa when she double crosses them and the Delighted children helping Numbuh 1 and 360 find Father as they too cant stand eating broccoli.
In both cases the villain group dont regorm but the evil their "Boss" was doing was too much for them.
Rourke is basically Bob Iger. The only difference is that Rouke has the balls to do his shady shit in person instead of using shields like Bob Chapek.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 incredibly well said.
For me Rourke is an example of a Disney twist villian done well. He's not too obvious to make the twist predictable, but there's just enough hints that it comes out of nowhere as well as his personality not doing a complete 180 after his true colours are revealed
But I think what makes the twist work is that it isn’t Rourke being revealed to be a villian, it's the fact that the crew that we've grown attached to were actually fully on his side. But again not only did it not come out of nowhere since the crew had said before they were only on this trip for the money, but there are also hints that they aren't as willing to put others in risk like Rourke (like how Sweet immediately turns against Rourke when he hurts the king and we even see him take care of him before he dies) so it makes their change of heart more believable
It kills me that Atlantis isn't really talked about like Treasure Planet, because it really does deserve a lot of love
hell during the scene where they mourne the dead members of the expedition everyone looks genuinely sad, except Rourke who is clearly maintaining a stern and stoic expression. THough this could be a reach.
also the fact everyone else gets clsoe to milo, gets to act goofy and share their backstory and interests with him...while rourke does not, in fact he maintains his distance from Milo. Its why we know so little about him compared to the others.
@@sarafontanini7051during that scene i think that Rourke is truly sad about the deaths of his men but he is also a proffesional, the risk of dieing is part of the job, his men knew that, as the leader of the expedition Rourke must keep moving everyone forward because they have a job to do
I think gaston and ursla and maleficent are interesting because they are one of a few villains whose henchmen doesn't betray them and gaston is a very good leader in the original since no one ever turns on him or thinks about it
Gaston is everything a person should be. Fighting furries and getting the girl. We learned the wrong lessons from the movie.
honestly the bad he does do kinda feels forced
@@dansmith1661Wasn't it that the girl turns furries into rich people? Or am I misremembering?
YES!!! IVE BEEN WAITING YEARS FOR YOU TO MAKE A REVIEW OF THIS MOVIE!!! (Now I just have to wait for Treasure Planet review…) Atlantis was THAT movie for me as a kid. For years we couldn’t find it anywhere to stream, until Disney plus was created. I have watched this movie at least once every few months just for the nostalgia alone
Okay so in the “boss fight” between Milo and Rourke, I always thought that him turning into crystal was like a cruel irony. He had spent years of his life searching for this thing, and ultimately, it was his own downfall (hence him turning into crystal) the crystal was what he valued most in that moment, and boy did he get it
17:10 well crystal is known for selling for a lot of money so i could be argued Roark was consumed by his own greed
This man is a prime Disney Villain. We need more like him in the future.
Rourke to me is what the makers of Pocahontas wanted Ratcliffe to be, since they have a very similar motivation. It's part of why I like treating Atlantis as a whole as being something of a redemption for Pocahontas even though it wasn't as successful- and this is coming from someone that likes Pocahontas and finds it to be incredibly overhated.
people hate pocahontas?
@@tonypringles2285 Maybe "hate" might have been a strong word to use there, but a large portion of people find it to be one of the lesser if not one of the worst Disney movies, and I don't really agree with that.
@@RanterInShades hm, i'd say its upper middle in my case. i think quite a few are worse than pocahontas
As a lover of this movie and villain, he's such a great villain.
These are one of the types of movies that should get a life action reboot. Anyway, I really enjoyed the video and your deep dive into the characters, viewpoints and motivations.
THing is just that Diseny sucks in making life action. Now more than ever, too.
Another spongebob scene that fits this guy is Mr. Krabs saying, "Am I really about to defile this grave for money? Of course I Am!"
Congratulations Rockotar as Rourke puts it "You just won the Solid gold cupi doll" for this incredible well put together video, still enjoying it after rewatch, keep up the good work 👏🏅
17:05 Rourke said earlier "It's big, it's shiny, and it's gonna make us all rich." He turns into something big and shiny, essentially a sentient diamond
Love this movie, can watch it over and over. God tier compared to the other joke movies they've made the last few years (besides encanto) glad people are loving it nowadays. Gotta do a villain ranking. Love ranking vids
100% agree with you!
Encanto wasn’t bad, just seen as a problem because of the writing but I think it was a good movie
🧐
I am surprised Rockotar didn’t mention Rourke’s biggest failing of all (which is also extremely relevant), that of being only concerned with the biggest source of immediate value when a better solution was right under his nose.
As many have pointed out, the movie very clearly shows at the end that they could have taken literally ANYTHING from Atlantis and had riches to spare without hurting anyone. But of course, Rourke has to go for the most valuable item (which theoretically translates to greatest monetary value) in all of Atlantis, regardless of who he has to hurt along the way, a decision equally motivated by greed and pride.
In the end, not only does he fail to get any monetary value from his actions, but he ends up being responsible for the death of many people (including himself) and those that knew to quit before they went too far ended up inheriting everything.
Rourke also considers Life to be a zero-sum game; the only way for him to gain money is for someone else to lose it. That's why he never considers taking just part of Atlantis, even if that would be a favorable outcome for everyone; he does not and cannot conceptualize the world that way.
I literally watched this movie with my grandma a couple of weeks ago. This movie is pure cinema.
This is a very well-worded and thought-provoking analysis of Rourke.
👏🧐
While I respectfully disagree with his final statement about Rourke being “underrated” and “one of the greatest” Disney villains, I definitely agree with the title of this video (that he is one of the most relevant Disney villains) and most of the observations contained therein.
Not to mention, he's got the freakin Death Korps of Krieg as a private army!
*HAPPY GAS MASK NOISES*
Or Basically TF2 Pyros
He worked in secret for the emperor all along!
@@JonathanGhost42 who do you think wanted to secure an ancient powerful weapon after all
Why don’t you have more subs yet?? This is a great analysis we have here. I like Atlantis: The Lost Empire and have always wondered why other people didn’t, so I’m glad to know I’m not alone.
A good analysis of Rourke
Well It’s Good That You’re Back From Your Peter Pan 2 Review And I Would Love To See You Review Disney’s Hercules With A UA-camr Named Mythology Guy
YES! ATLANTIS DESERVES MORE LOVE!
I feel that Rourke's change into the crystal monster not only stripped away his outward human shell and showed the true villain from within, but also was a clever way to show Rourke's greed was in fact self-destructive. By being turned into the creature made of crystal that he viewed as just a big diamond, something that his unquenchable greed wanted, along with his dehumanizing of people, he was in turn made into the very thing that he coveted.
17:05 I mean, there's the whole "turned into the very thing he was pursuing which was a direct cause of his death" thing. It's not quite as straight-forward as I'm phrasing it here, but that is a top tier ending. Even Fullmetal Alchemist uses it.
Underrated UA-camr incoming
Love your videos alot glad I caught you when you were small.
Another interesting fact here is that as the leader of the expedition and giant Submarine as the CAPTIAN he is expected BY MARITIME LAW to be the last to leave to ensure that everyone that can leave has. And if you notice he is one of the very first guys to bolt for the escape/sub fighters? idk lol. But regardless this shows immediately that while he is cool headed about the situation and is making solid decisions for the most part, he is looking out for number one, himself.
If I could like this video twice, I would
Edit: OMG I GOT HEARTED
I love the touch of the Metroid music in this video, a game that captures the sense of exploration.
Being turned into a crystal reminds me of the midas touch.
His greed destroyed em.
Rourke was such a well done character. I'd love to see a prequel type movie about him-- especially if it would explore his relationship with Helga. I always thought there was something.....more between those two.
OH THEY'RE FUCKIN
i like how you added short clips from other cartoons and films, brilliant editing
4:10 my favorite line from Doof in the entire series
Still got golden memories of this film when it came out when it was out in theatres especially with the introduction with the giant submarine & robot.
Wow this is definitely an underrated movie!
The situation with the Internet Archive is actually _even more ridiculous_ than you may have thought - there isn't even any effect on the publisher's profits.
The video game background music you included in this retrospect were all a very nice touch, especially the Metroid Prime and Dread tracks.
its because hes been searching for crystals power only to by it is symbol of his greed consuming leading to his destruction
I love realistic villains. Real-world evil is not glowing eyes, hatemongering and violence. Real villains can walk by and seem like a regular, even "good" person. So fictional villains need not be caricaturized, they need to exibit the same subtle hints of narcissism and selfishness that real-world villains let through their masks.
Technically the turning into crystal may be viewed same as in "the golden antilope". He wanted the treasure, he became that treasure.
I mean, Rourke was literally killed by the thing he tried to steal and profit from. So symbolism seems to me that he was killed by greed.
I love the detail of Rourke saying, “P.T. Barnum was right…”
The quote he’s referring to is, “there’s a sucker born every minute…”
That's why I love this movie so much. Rourke is easily what twist villain should be. First at the start decent and somewhat nice until over time in the middle parts of the story does he truly reveal his plans and no longer around the nice persona to reach his true baddest goals of gaining wealth and power from Atlantis.
and of course his grouchiness could be exused at just being comedically annoyed by milo...until the reveal and you realise that, no, he jsut dislikes milo cause he's an asshole
I love this guy. Makes me want to see you talk abt my fav villain: Johnsilver. Since ur talking abt another disney underrated feature here
This is honestly the best character analysis on why Rourke works as a villain for the movie. It really makes me smile to see people making analysis focusing on this movie and it's becoming one of my favorite Disney movies. The themes of greed, politics and anti-capitalism applying to him as a villain really are trying to get to me, but this video really helped. I'd love to see more people to character analysis on every significant character in Atlantis The Lost Empire. Such as why Milo chose to believe in his morals and beliefs and not let anything change him.
You forgot to mention though that Dr. Sweet actually turned on Rourke eariler when Rourke mortally wounded the king. That really says something there if you ask me. Because it shows that as a medic physically hurting people is not something he likes doing and refusing to do that is more important than money to him.
Dr. Sweet's heritage may also have played a role in his decision.
He's Black, *and* of an American Indian nation. He's not just seen the results of colonial violence, he's probably lived it.
@ Possibly although nothing in his backstory says he witnessed it but he might have since he was born in 1872. Additionally while I am not normal one to say something like this, he is also notably a example of a diverse character done right since not only is his mix heritage realistic for the time period but he isn’t diverse just for the sake of being diverse, there is more to his character then just him being diverse as well. Many companies these days especially Disney ironically should have used this film as a study on how you write a diverse character well but sadly they don’t with one of the reasons clearly being that this film bombed at the box office even though not all films that bomb at the box office are bad.
I still need to see this movie.
It's should be noted how Rourke contrasts with milo, being taller and more muscular compared to milo's shroter, lankier frame, as wella s beign clearly older, and he has a lot of loyal followers while milo has no friends at all let alone employees. Milo's goofy while rourke's more serious if initially personable, and milo's super awkward while rourke is always careful about what he says and does and is constant control. Hell one could even reach for the fact that Milo is drawn in a more cartoonier manner comapred to rourke.
all this to say we're given visual contrasts between the two to visually compare them as characters from the outset, which becomes important as it becomes clear that rourke is not only the villain of the movie but Milo's nemesis specifically. We were shown from the start that these two men were different and were opposing each other.
17:03 something something, King Midas getting turned into the very thing he wanted most
I blame this movie for my obsession with a pre-50’s military aesthetic
Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest heroes was an AMAZING show! I need to rewatch it sometime soon!
I think my favorite thing about Rourke is that he comes across as competent and that if you removed the scenes from him being the villain onwards and the two small "something is not right" scenes before it, his outward presentation is so good that you could have had him as a slightly grumpy but competent and arguably admirable expedition leader without changing anything else. You could literally tell a completely different story from the point they found Atlantis onwards with no prior changes and have Rourke not be the villain. At the same time nothing earlier feels contradictory to him being the villain, unlike, say Hans, in Frozen. That to me is the sign of an excellently written twist villain.
3:08 The motto of the Krusty Krab-
Rourke is so underrated as a villain
What's fun about him is that you never feel like you're being preached to. He's A CHARACTER with an opinion, and sure, the other characters disagree, but how hard is it to believe that most people aren't particularly skippy with genocide?
The man is voiced by a classic Western actor, who did regular westerns as well as comedy westerns, and he played in a great comedy western with Mel Gibson called "Maverick."
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
This movie, too. It better get a 4k release, by golly!
Awesome video analysis on Disney's most underrated and best twist villain. Like none of their other twist villains came close to the same level of good writing ever since.
Suggestion: can You do an analysis on The Lego Movie ?
Worst part about Avengers Assemble, is that they retconned Hawkeye's connection to S.H.I.E.L.D.
Ooh I have something embarrassing to tell you. I've never watched Atlantis, which, if you say the villain, there is good. I mean, if he is, I might watch It. Should I watch this movie
It's a good movie, I would recommend it.
@@Edwinaoptokay.I'll watch it, but where can I find it though?Is the question and how many are there?In fact
It's on Disney plus, or you could buy it on disc (though if you haven't seen it, buying it without knowing for sure if you like it could be a risk). Don't know where else.
ok ok fine, I'll rewatch Atlantis, you convinced me
I saw this film recently and ADORED it. Just- wow. Lyle took me by surprise ngl, the writing is just- wow. He’s scarily realistic as a villain, but that’s WHY he works so well.
I love how he gets turned into a crystal elemental, as if his greed itself had transformed him into not only a monster, but one made of what he valued over human life.
Just finished, and once again, you proved to me how important Rourke is... I don't know how you do it, sir. I love it!
Great observations and analysis! It makes me appreciate the writing of Atlantis even more.
I thought Rourke was scary because he feels realistic and seems reasonable much of the time. His villainous acts hit harder that way.
I’m curious, and I have a question, what are your thoughts on The Polar Express? Since the movie turns 20 on November 10th. I’m curious as to what your thoughts are and where it would rank in a tier (S to F)
That would be very suiting thank you for the suggestion.
epic shark tale reference 12:25
Adventure capitalist, drop one letter and you get venture capitalist!
James Garner delivers a stellar performance with Rourke. I don't think you could've gotten a better performance from another actor for this role.
he's soo callous that he tosses his girlfriend like she's nothing another thing about him is he's super super realistic over history this is soo true like with Colombus and with what happened to Egypt it's interesting to see how a fictional antagonist can be this realistic
I'm getting the feeling you don't actually know anything about Columbus in writing this. Actually, I know you don't. Greed was so far from the guy's mind in his first expedition it's a sign of ignorance to claim otherwise. Some actions like not paying a bonus to the lookout for spotting land and claiming he saw it first or at the same time was a bit greedy and a sign of having a bit of an ego, but the whole reason he went on the expedition was wanting to fund a new Crusade against the Muslims invading eastern Europe and to retake what in now Israel. Literally everything from modern Morocco to Turkey along the Mediterranean used to be Christian until invaded by Arab and Turkish armies. You can agree or disagree with his motives, but to claim the man's main motivation was greed shows a poorer understanding of him than even a basic cultural osmosis should create.
@John-fk2ky your inventing your own narrative that was columbus quest to make as much money as possible and it's correct he wanted to fund more expeditions but he tricked the native Americans, befriended them, then took all their gold and land for himself just like Rorhk
Women are just prizes throughout history after all.
and this can also be used for Disney themselves these days, considering of how they care more about money than their loyal fanbase, and how little they care about us
Can you please do a review of Brother Bear's Themes?
Excellent video. I really appreciate the love for Rourke as a villain, since he often gets called a basic, money-loving bad guy with no depth. He does a lot with his wit and manipulation skills.
One thing I don’t see enough people talk about is that how Rourke isn’t really a twist villain; the actual twist is that the rest of the crew is in on it as well. Rourke does come off as pretty shady throughout the movie, and there are multiple clues to his true nature (his face is covered up on his file, he’s the first one off the sub despite being its captain, etc.). The crew (or at least the named ones) mostly come off as likable and relatable, and eventually gain respect for Milo as they travel to Atlantis. When Rourke and the crew confront Milo and Kida, it hurts to see all of them silently standing behind Rourke, reduced from real characters down to just grunts for an obviously evil guy. While it’s not surprising that they eventually go back to Milo’s side, it is still satisfying to see them come to their senses. They crucially go back to being themselves and therefore return to being much more likable, and instantly redeem themselves by following Milo in the effort to save Kida. This all works so well because they have an obviously evil character in Rourke to contrast them against.
Rourke's death was always fairly simple in its message to me. He risked life and limb both during the expedition and over the years to find this crystal, motivated by a pure sense of greed. In the end, the object of that very greed is precisely what killed him.
Honestly, I was terrified of crystallized Rourke as I was a child. But now, I see it as a symbol of him getting what he wanted - just not in the way he expected.
There's one thing Zazlav did well... He's running WB into the ground, allowing it to be bought by a more competent studio.
Amazing video and thank you for adding the name of the song that is playing in the video
Im a Milo living in a Lyle Rourke world.
Relatable
Rouke’s death scream came from Jurassic Park 2.
I suppose the symbolism of Rourke's death is that A: Rourke finally loses his cool. You mention throughout the video that he maintains his composure throughout the movie... EXCEPT for when Milo fights him, where he actively admits Milo has gotten under his skin and eventually tries to kill him with an axe where he visibly looks crazy, and B: (for the record this is a MASSIVE stretch), Rourke is literally consumed by his desire for power. The crystal serves as a powersource, the thing Rourke wants most, and by his end, he is literally a powerful monster, with no humanity left. That last part is a bit of a stretch though.
one could also see it as a karmic transformation as its essentially what happened to Kiva and he ends up transformed into the very thing he was trying to steal for himself
Frollo, Shanyu and Lyle Rourke are the most realistic Disney villian, this shows Disney had balls back then.
I live it when the villain is essentially why the entire plot happens
God damn Zaslov ruining everything he touches like a reverse midas's touch... An excellent villain video on Rouke here Rockotar!
"Oh boy, guess what day it is, it's villain analysis day!"
>Video was posted on Election Day in the united states
I might need to check the movie on my own!
Also 12:20 BASED SHARK TALE REFERENCE!!! All jokes aside, though, Shark Tale really isn't THAT bad. Okay, that might be overblowing it, since the movie isn't THAT good either objectively... I kind of like it... But it's not *atrocious* either. Though, whether i'd worship it as a "masterpiece" (in the same way some people do) would be another question entirely, since for me, the movie would be... okay/fine, from an objective standpoint...:
I also just realised that my current persona for the month fits this video and villain's themes of greed (look at my current pfp for the month lol).
"If you returned every stolen artifact from a museum, then you'd just be left with an empty building." - Rourke