The waves churn with beauty and power, with grace and a mystical quality. But below even the most glorious of waves lies a treasure, be it mineral or biological. Thus it is so with the story of Walt Disney Picture's "Atlantis: the Lost Empire." Many symbols and literary devices are used in the film that one would never notice, not thinking to look below the water's surface, for below it, is the heart of the story like the Heart of Atlantis. Take these as simply one interpretation, not necessarily what was intended.

There are the obvious symbols and devices, the ones mentioned by the producers themselves. The harshness of Rourke's crystalline form compared to the beauty of Kida's, the bracelet bringing parallel structure to the tale, the layers of clothes lessened representing the characters showing their true selves, and, most obvious, Rourke crushing Milo's dreams as he did the picture frame of the scholar's grandfather, Thaddeus. However, this is not a deep dive, so to speak. Dive, as Milo and Kida did, and one learns more.

Milo seems to take phrases literally. From when Milo throws himself on Harcourt's car to when he throws himself at Rourke in the final clash he obviously takes the phrase "throwing yourself into everything" and personifies it. When the erudite man wakes up in the night shortly before the "firefly" attack he is "caught with his pants down." Depending on the interpretation, Milo and Kida are married by the end of the movie. Kida, representing the head of Milo's great obsession, Atlantis, means he is "married to his work."

One might say Milo's glasses are symbolic, as ridiculous as it may sound. However, the spectacles are cleaned, interestingly enough, shortly before or during enlightenment. The first is shortly before Kida relates what she remembered of her history, not only conferring the past, but the longevity and illiteracy of the people, and that she had also lost family. This one is primarily due to Milo's curiosity and actions, but this is not so in the second example. Rourke cleans the linguist's glasses after they went flying after the punch. The former action fits the commander's deceptively fatherly mannerisms, but represents the final blow that showed the trusting Milo that not all people are white, but a shade of gray, and that dreams must be worked for. Harcourt was the first to start making such impressions. As for the dream, though he was working for it, it was essentially "served up on a silver platter" by Whitmore, independent of the scholar's toil. Only when Milo takes control and goes after Rourke is his dream of finding a glorious Atlantis is ultimately achieved. Fascinatingly, Milo's dream could be compared to the feel of the dream of the title character of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, in that the dreams are pure and are pursued so persistently that they cannot fall to corruption, as one sees as Milo cares not about fame or money when it would mean the destruction of an entire civilization.

To continue with the symbolism of inanimate objects, one can address the pith helmet of Thaddeus Thatch. Even as a young child Milo wanted to wear it, and even at the age of 32 it was still is too big. The man wanted to stand beside his grandfather as one of the greatest explorers in history. However, as hard as he tried, Milo was only fitting the role as well as the helmet fit him. One will note Kida's doll was caught in the light of one of the red search beams. This foreshadows and symbolizes Kida's future involvement with the crystal.

Colors also play a role. Obviously the colors of the crystal, red for danger and sensing corruption, and blue for purity and goodness, is an example. However, there is a need to address the clothing of the characters again. The explorers wear the dull-colored clothes of the World War II era, an age of dust, death and corruption. Compare this with the bright colors of the Atlanteans, which Milo later adopts as he severs his links with the warring outer world. These colors are full of vitality. Be it noted that the other characters, too, adopt "nicer," more noble looking clothing at the movie's finale. One other symbol relates to the bracelet. (One will also note the colors of the beads are switched between the prologue and the sequence when Kida returns.) If one looks at the colors, you see white, pink and blue. In the later sequence, the order of the beads is "blue, pink, blue." Examine the crowns of the queens. The "crest" for lack of a better word, is also "blue, pink, blue," as it sits upon the white hair of the queens. As Kida looses the bracelet, it represents the leaving of a queen. The return of the jewelry is when Atlantis receives a queen anew.

The story of Atlantis: the Lost Empire includes parallels. For instance, as the health of the king declines, so did the culture. The city was literally languishing when the king died. The postures of Princess Kida also are parallels. In the presence of the Heart of Atlantis, a force she did not understand, and in the presence of her mother, Kida, as a child, fell to her knees, prostrate, as she called to her mother to return. As an adult, and once again in the mysterious presence of the Crystal, and, spiritually, her mother, she fell to her knees, this time in prayer to the spirits of Atlantis. Even the angles at which these scenes are viewed during this action are very similar.

As great storytellers, the people of the Disney Company also use the same images repeatedly. It was even stated by the directors and producers that if one wants the audience to remember something, it needs to be shown three times, the example being Kida's childhood bracelet. However, there is another bit of imagery repeated three times. It is the need for an accepting, helping hand. It is easy to overlook the first time, as Milo steps onto the bridge of the Ulysses and holds out his hand, clearly expecting Rourke to take it as he stumbles slightly. The next is obvious. As the crew traverses the landscape of the caverns, and Dr. Sweet helps up everyone but Milo, to who he looks back at distastefully as he turns, the physician leaves the linguist to climb alone. The last set of hands was offered not only willingly, but also without Milo holding out his hand in request. The linguist's kindred spirit, Kida, helps him onto a part of the stone giant as they gaze upon the grandeur of a city where Milo would be accepted.

Perhaps these insights have revealed a greater Atlantis. However, remember that there are always more interpretations, and even at the end of the film portions of Atlantis were still submerged. More meanings are surely hidden, just below the surface of the waves that lap the moorages and coastlines of the lost empire. In the pursuit of a greater understanding we must, like Milo and Kida, dive beneath the crests to make our discoveries.