Editing Tino Tonitini Goes to Atlantis: The Lost Empire (section)

==Plot==
A large tidal wave, triggered by a distant explosion, threatens to drown the island of Atlantis. In the midst of an evacuation from the capital city, the Queen of Atlantis is caught by a strange, hypnotic blue light and lifted up into the "Heart of Atlantis", a powerful crystal protecting the city. The crystal consumes her and creates a dome barrier that protects the city's innermost district. She leaves behind a young daughter, Princess Kida (Cree Summer), and husband, King Kashekim Nedakh (Leonard Nimoy), as the island sinks beneath the ocean.

Nearly nine thousand years later in 1914, Milo Thatch (Michael J. Fox)—a cartographer and linguist at the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smithsonian_Institution Smithsonian Institution] who is marginalized for his research on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantis Atlantis]—believes that he has found the location of ''The Shepherd's Journal'', an ancient manuscript allegedly containing directions to the lost island. After his proposal to search for the ''Journal''is rejected by the museum board, a mysterious woman, Helga Sinclair (Claudia Christian), introduces Milo to Preston B. Whitmore (John Mahoney), an eccentric millionaire. Whitmore has already funded a successful effort to retrieve the ''Journal'' as repayment of a debt to Milo's grandfather, and recruits Milo to join an expedition to Atlantis as soon as he deciphers it.

The expedition departs with a team of specialists led by Commander Rourke (James Garner), who also led the ''Journal'' recovery expedition. The crew includes Vinny (Don Novello), a demolitions expert; Mole (Corey Burton), a geologist; Dr. Sweet (Phil Morris), a medical officer; Mrs. Packard (Florence Stanley), a radio operator; Audrey (Jacqueline Obradors), a mechanic; and Cookie (Jim Varney), a mess cook. They set out in the ''Ulysses'', a massive submarine, but are soon attacked by the monstrous [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leviathan Leviathan], a robotic lobster-like creature that guards Atlantis' entrance. The ''Ulysses'' is destroyed, but Milo, Rourke, and part of the crew escape and make their way to an underground cavern described in the''Journal'' as the entrance to Atlantis.

After traveling through a network of caves and a dormant [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcano volcano], the team reaches Atlantis. They are greeted by Kida — who, despite her age, resembles a woman in her early 20s — and discover that the Atlantean language is the basis of many existing languages which allows the Atlanteans to understand English. Kida enlists Milo's aid in deciphering the Atlantean written language, long forgotten by the natives. By swimming deep within the city's submerged ruins and translating underwater murals, Milo helps Kida uncover the nature of the Heart of Atlantis: it supplies the Atlanteans with power and longevity through the crystals worn around their necks. He is surprised this is not mentioned in the ''Journal'', but upon examination realizes a page is missing.

Returning to the surface with Kida, Milo discovers Rourke has the missing page. Rourke and the crew intend to bring the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal Crystal] to the surface and sell it. They offer Milo a chance to join them, which he rejects. Rourke mortally wounds the King of Atlantis while trying to extract information about the crystal's location, but finds its location for himself hidden beneath the King's throne room. The crystal detects a threat and merges with Kida. Rourke and the mercenaries lock Kida in a crate and prepare to leave the city. Knowing that when the crystal is gone the Atlanteans will die, Milo berates his friends for betraying their consciences and ultimately convinces them to leave Rourke and remain in Atlantis. The King explains to Milo that the crystal has developed a consciousness; it will find a royal host when Atlantis is in danger. He admits that he tried to use it as a weapon, but the crystal's powers were too great to control, thus leading to the tidal wave that destroyed the city. This lead to his decision to hide it as a precaution to ensure history would not repeat itself, and prevent Kida from meeting the same fate as her mother. He warns Milo that if Kida remains bonded to the Heart of Atlantis, she will be lost to it forever. As he dies, he gives his crystal to Milo, telling him to save Kida and Atlantis. Encouraged by Sweet, Milo rallies the crew and the Atlanteans to stop Rourke.

In a battle inside the volcano, Milo and the crew fight and defeat Rourke's remaining mercenaries. Helga is killed when Rourke throws her from his air ship in an attempt to lighten the load and escape, but manages to fire a signal flare that destroys the ships engine before expiring. Rourke is killed when Milo slashes his arm with a crystal shard (which gradually turns him to crystal), and then collides with his air ship's propellers, breaking him into pieces of crystal. As Milo and the others fly the crystal back to the city, the volcano erupts. With lava flowing towards the city, Kida (in her crystal form) rises into the air and releases the crystals energy that revives the giant statues that once protected Atlantis, which form a massive energy shield. The lava breaks away harmlessly, showing a restored Atlantis, and the crystal returns Kida to Milo. The surviving crew members return to the surface and promise to keep the discovery of Atlantis a secret. Milo, having fallen in love with Kida, stays behind to help her rebuild the lost empire.