Blue & Gold, Issue 8 - the International School of Belgrade

8 Entertainment
Atlantis: a myth
or a true empire?
Have you ever wondered
where the story of the legendary
lost island Atlantis came from?
How come so many of us still
search the answer to this mystery
after thousands of years?
Somehow, people can’t let
go of Atlantis, perhaps deep inside
they believe it really existed, and,
indeed, wouldn’t it be amazing to
know that somewhere deep in the
vast ocean rests a long-lost empire?
But let’s go back to the very
beginning, to the times of the one
who started this whole story, not
realizing that it would later become
such a great legend. Plato, also
known as Aristocles, described
Atlantis as an Utopian society that
valued peace, art and wisdom,
enjoyed riches beyond that of
any subsequent civilization and
possessed advanced technological
knowledge for the time. The land,
Plato stated, was very productive
with abundant animals, food,
water and nature resources.
Atlantis conquered parts of Europe
and North Africa; the empire was
almost invincible. Soon, however,
the leaders of this society became
greedy and corrupt. Just shortly
after these victories, violent,
devastating earthquakes and the
resulting floods destroyed the
entire island of Atlantis, submerging
it beneath the sea forever.
The main question that
torments scientists today is whether
Plato simply wrote a moralistic story
or if he described a true historical
event? Many scientists believe this
legend truly is just a legend and
Plato’s story is actually showing
how a perfect society can become
corrupted and later be punished.
On the other hand, others believe
that the ruins of the island are still
hidden in the depths of the Atlantic
Ocean. Some search teams have
been sent to locate the island, but
unfortunately there haven’t been
any discoveries that would prove
the existence of the legendary
island. It seems, therefore, that
the story is just a myth after all,
but that doesn’t mean we can’t
still be dreaming and hoping that
a perfect island once existed.
-- Marta Minic
25
20
15
10
5
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Do y o u
b el i ev e
A t l a n t i s
ex i s t ed ?
Yes No
Do you
believe
Atlantis
existed?
Disney makes its
animated version
Based on the legend of
Atlantis, Walt Disney made its
40th animated classic “Atlantis:
The Lost Empire”, which was
published in 2001. The movie
tells a story of an aspiring, young
explorer Milo James Thatch and his
companions as they head off on a
long and hazardous journey with
the purpose of finding the secret
location of Atlantis. They soon
learn that the city is protected by
the Heart of Atlantis, so the new
task becomes guarding the Heart
from the team commander Lyle
Rourke. Rourke’s intention is to
make fortune using the Heart, but
unbeknownst to him, without it the
city and its residents will die. This
is yet another fantastic story about
adventure, love with lots of dynamic
action, a great plot, characters and
soundtrack. Just like other Disney
movies, it will make you stay
in your seats until the very end.
InterestiNg facts
about the movie:
- The filmmakers traveled 800
feet underground in New Mexico’s
Carlsbad Caverns to observe the
subterranean trails that would
serve as the model for the approach
to Atlantis in the film
- A new language- “Atlantean”
language was invented
for movie purposes
- Atlantis was one of the last Disney
films to include a smoking character
- The film was inspired by
Jules Verne’s novel Journey
to the Center of the World
- In 2003, Disney released direct-to-video
sequel Milo’s Return.