#dinotopia: the world beneath

[godzilla-reads]

August TBR? 🦖🦕👀

[that-dinopunk-guy]

I've been expanding/replacing my Dinotopia books with the nicer newer editions, and all I still need is the first one. I ordered it a couple weeks ago, and according to the seller's delivery estimate it's supposed to arrive today. So, let's just hop onto the USPS tracking page to see...

...Oh.

Okay.

[shelleythesapphic]

[balanceoflightanddark]

"Hungry by nature, with no stomach for civilization"

What's the first thing you think of when you hear the word Dinotopia?

If your answer is the 2002 miniseries coproduced by Hallmark and Disney, I would not blame you. For the uninitiated, Dinotopia is a series that takes place on an island where dinosaurs had managed to survive the KT event that ended the Mesozoic era. The island is surrounded by a deadly reef and a turbulent storm system, so it's remained hidden for generations. Over time, countless humans have shipwrecked on its shores with almost no hope of escape due to the impassable storms and reef.

Normally, this would spell doom for the survivors, but not in this case. The dinosaurs have evolved to essentially become sapient and have taken the humans under their wing. Together, humans and dinosaurs have managed to create Dinotopia, an idealistic society where conflict is essentially a thing of the past and most inhabitants have embraced the wonders of their enlightened civilization.

Well...most anyways.

While most of the predatory dinosaurs were able to switch to either a vegetarian diet or subsist on fish, the bigger carnivores like Tyrannosaurus rex didn't make the transition to being civilized.

In the miniseries, this resulted them being depicted as bloodthirsty monsters that only want to devour humans and "good" Dinotopians.

The thing is though...their portrayal was radically different in the source material.

Dinotopia was originally an art book series written and drawn by James Gurney, a plaeoartist in his own right. The plot of the first two books follows a lot of the same story beats as the original series. A duo find themselves on Dinotopia and have to learn how to fit in, while exploring the new world they found themselves in. I highly recommend them due to the fantastic artwork and a lot of the creativity gone into bringing the aforementioned setting to life.

Special mention goes in this case to the predatory dinosaurs who are handled...substationally different than they were in the mini-series.

On paper, the basic similarities are there. The big carnivores live as their ancestors did compared to the civilized dinosaurs and will attack those who wander into their territory.

The difference here is how they're presented. Bix, a Protoceratops ambassador who befriends our heroes, explains that it's less the predators being monsters and more being...well, predators. They simply couldn't make the transition because their appetites and big bodies' high demand for meat are major roadblocks.

And they aren't above reasoning. Those who wish to venture into their territory of the Rainy Basin can offer huge piles of cooked fish and smoked eel for safe passage. The carnivores will accept the offering, and the travelers can proceed with no trouble.

While they certainly can be a threat, it doesn't mean they aren't above diplomacy. In fact, they turn out to be allies more often than not in the original trilogy. During the second book, The World Beneath, Arthur Denison (one of the shipwrecked heroes I mentioned) frees a young carnosaur from being trapped by a fallen tree.

This turns out to be a huge boon for our heroes since they proceed to get menaced by a Tyrannosaurus shortly after...before a huge Giganotosaurus comes out of the trees and gets the tyrannosaur to back down, descalating the situation.

This is Stinktooth, the overall leader of the Rainy Basin's carnosaurs and more importantly, the father of the juvenile Arthur freed. Stinktooth is grateful for the rescue of his son and permits the group safe passage to a sacred temple that the predators guard.

It's here we get a lot more development for them. As it turns out, the Rainy Basin does have a society of sorts where all predators adhere to the ruling of a leader. In this case, it's Stinktooth. They're also revealed to have a sense of duty since their initial hostility was due to the heroes trespassing on grounds they deemed sacred. Which in hindsight, they have a good reason given what comes out of the ruins that could threaten them all.

This happens to be a strider, which the villainous Lee Crab tries to use to escape Dinotopia and potentially bring ruin to all. And here's where Stinktooth helps out again. He allows Arthur to ride on his back as he swims out to sea in pursuit of the strider so the machine can be powered down to keep Dinotopia safe.

Overall, the dinosaurs of the Rainy Basin (Stinktooth in particular) prove that they can be reasonable and even heroic when the need arises.

Interestingly, the third book also shows they aren't the only ones since many other predators have found different ways to coexist with the Dinotopians. A species of red-faced Tyrannosaurs in the Blackwood Flats have learned to become obligate scavengers.

And in the borders of Chandara, there exists several monasteries that are home to an order of carnivores (implied to be Acrocanthosaurs) that have learned to become shaolin monks.

Now I'm gonna repeat that cause it bears repeating.

Shaolin. Monk.

Acrocanthosaurs.

...if that is not one of the best ideas I've heard, I don't know what is.

It also shows how the original Dinotopia books tackled the topic of sentient carnivorous dinosaurs a bit better than the miniseries did. Which is one of the things that made them special due to the creativity needed to put all of these things together and build a believable and rich setting. Again, I highly recommend the original books for both the creativity and artwork, as well as Dinotopia Lost, a spin off novel by Alan Dean Foster that goes more into detail on the Rainy Basin, and features a pair of tyrannosaurs working with the heroes to save their offspring from a band of pirates.

...that might be worth its own post actually.

[irradiate-space]

Disney's Atlantis (2001) will have no more sequels, and Intellectual Property is why.

In short: IP law. But not the "make money by writing it off" thingy.

Epistemic status: a memory of a Q&A panel from 2002.

At length:

Atlantis was released in 2001. It had a giant mechanical lobster,

and some neat steampunk submarines,

These submarines go on a neat adventure through underwater passages past shipwrecks of ages past, break through a big door, and arrive at an underground cavern filled with forgotten machines, which power up when you insert glowing crystals in them.

And that's the whole problem with Walt Disney Animated Series film 41: Atlantis: The Lost Empire, its sequel, and really the entire story and concept.

In 1992, renowned painter James Gurney released the picture-book Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time, which featured a neat little steampunk submarine, the front one in this series of maquettes by Glenn Ludgate:

In 1995, Gurney published a sequel, Dinotopia: The World Beneath, where a group of intrepid explorers use a steampunk submarine to go on an underwater excursion through the remains of wrecked ships of ages past, through a door, to a cavern full of forgotten machines which power up when you insert glowing crystals in them. Including an evil lobster.

In 1999, Gurney published the prequel, Dinotopia: First Flight, which told the story of where those sunstone-powered mechanical marvels came from: the drowned city of Poseidos. The story included a chase sequence with sunstone-powered flying trilobites.

There are, shall we say, certain parallels.

In June 2001, Disney released Atlantis: The Lost Empire. The film allegedly underperformed at the box office, taking in $186.1 million against a budget of $90-120 million. In 2003, Disney released the direct-to-video sequel Atlantis: Milo's Return, which collected content previously intended for a canceled TV series. It competed with Shrek.

During his April-September 2002 exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of National History, an audience member asked Gurney about the parallels between the recently-released Atlantis and Gurney's designs for Dinotopia. Gurney replied that he couldn't comment, but that his lawyers had reached an agreeable settlement with Disney.

Because the lawsuit was settled out of court — if it in fact existed, which is what I here allege — it left no records. I have found nothing by search; if you find any documentation of this, you're welcome to publish it. Disney acknowledges that Atlantis drew from Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. For other plagiarism allegations, you will find much more documentation of alleged parallels between Atlantis and Nadia: Secret of Blue Water and Laputa: Castle in the Sky.

In May 2002, Hallmark Entertainment and Walt Disney TV released a three-episode, four-hour Dinotopia miniseries. A sequel series of 13 episodes was released beginning in November 2002, produced by ABC and Hallmark Entertainment. An animated film was released in 2005 by Hallmark Entertainment. There were also a series of Dinotopia video games for PC/MAC GBA, and GC/Xbox in 2002 and 2003. It's this really-tight cluster of activity, right after Atlantis came out.

In 2007, Gurney published the fourth and latest Dinotopia book, Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara. It's very beautiful.

In 2013, Disney remastered and rereleased the Atlantis films in 2013.

------

These Atlantis gifs are hand-cut with ffmpeg in 720p 15fps, straight from the movie, and the Dinotopia images are sourced from James Gurney's blog, "Gurney Journey" which I highly recommend as a source of traditional-media painting advice as well as general art advice. The Dinotopia books are a joy to read, and if you want, there is a YA novel series as well as a pair of novels by Alan Dean Foster. Gurney also wrote several guides to illustration and painting, and in general is a nice old man.

Don't blame James Gurney for stealing Atlantis. Blame Disney for stealing Dinotopia.

------

Reading Comprehension Questions:

What parallels does OP see between Atlantis and Dinotopia?

What sources does OP cite for the core allegations in this essay?

What is OP's stance towards Disney? Towards James Gurney?

Who does OP blame for Atlantis being dead IP?

How would your personal stance on copyright law affect the outcome of a lawsuit between James Gurney and Disney over stolen intellectual property?

Fanfic prompt: The Atlantis expedition wash up on the shore of Dinotopia. The expedition arrives a few years after the Dennisons do, with Will and Sylvia off on their new career, and Arthur having a bit of an empty-nest syndrome. No one knows where Lee Crabb is.

[thatndginger]

9 People Tag

thank you @writeintrees and @thetruearchmagos for the tag!

I'm tagging @lynnedwardswrites @scribbledsilver @theskeletonprior @valanke @swordsoulwrites @afoolandathief @rhikasa @garthcelyn & @moonandris (no pressure, of course!)

Last song— Oh Henry by The Civil Wars

Last movie— Dinotopia

Currently watching— Bad and Crazy

Currently reading— Dinotopia: The World Beneath

Currently craving— nothing? ADHD meds are mad appetite suppressors lol

Last thing you searched for writing purposes— 'pulmonary eodema'

[calboniferous]

⭐ <3

Saturn C-ring and B-ring with many ringlets. False colour image. - The Voyager 1 (1981). Reefscape (@/doctor-fancy-pants) Winnie the Pooh – A. A. Milne The World Beneath (Dinotopia) - James Gurney Comet Halley – European Space Agency (Giotto Project) Halley’s Comet – Stanley Kunitz Acropolis - Hiroshi Yoshida (1925) Manfred – Lord Byron (1816).

[vtgbooks]

JAMESE GURNEY The WORLD BENEATH Vintage Dinotopia 1st Edition Vtg Dinosaur Book

[krakerbox]

Found 3 of the Dinotopia books (First one, World Beneath, Chandara), and I gotta say

The KT Extinction Event was a mistake.

[zargsnake]

Through a Blackened Mirror Bonuses

Answer Keys to the Illustrations and Prophecies

“Past” column: the broken lawnmower droid “Present” column: the library of Huntt’awn in the day; Maul is facing the 6th shelf; a black shadow infects the earth beneath every building “Future” column: the miserable, still-functional lawnmower droid

“Past” column: Darth Sunke; the sash is Klingon chic “Present” column: the aquarium of Naboo in a very starry night; Zaster and Maul are sitting in the tank in the lake, Zaster nearer to Sunke and Maul nearer to Sidious; the design is heavily inspired by Dinotopia: The World Beneath by James Gurney, and the fish by The Wildlife of Star Wars by Terryl Whitlatch “Future” column: Darth Sidious

“Past” column: Zaster infected by parasites; kniilwasp design inspired by M. C. Escher’s creepy-cute Wentelteefje; ouroboros inspired by the 1478 Byzantine Greek illumination by Theodoros Pelecanos that is currently the top image on the “Ouroboros” Wikipedia page; the busy chaos symbolizes how the Sith used to be “Present” column: the Palpatine estate in the day; black shadows infect the earth, especially around the secret basement; heraldry inspired by Palpatine’s red robe by Trisha Biggar; Palpatine’s kids (my OC’s) are all here: Korl looking out the tower window, D’vad sitting in the attic, Blara smoking near her gowns; Palpatine descends into the secret basement, where Maul eats a rat “Future” column: Blara’s tears, which reflect Plagueis, Sidious, and Maul; the sparseness symbolizes how the Sith currently are

“Past” column: Ashla Auditorium, 34 years before the story; a kniilwasp flies from the window; black shadows infect the area under young Sheev’s seat “Present” column: the Iridonian forest in a slightly-less-starry night; Zaster and Maul run from their campfire; there are no black shadows, but there are underground reserves of black Iridonian water “Future” column: the tallest tower of the Jedi Temple, 11 years after the story; Anakin and Obi-Wan sit on top

“Past” column: the Jedi Temple library; the labels say “Apostasy,” “Doubt,” and “Atheism;” the busts are of a human and an Akarn “Present” column: the Grinanin theme park in a much less starry night; Zaster and Maul are at the top of the Ferris wheel; the design is based on the Scooby Doo episode “Foul Play in Funland” and pictures I took of the back of Disneyland (specifically Cars Land in California Adventure) from Katella Ave; because this warm planet has a thin crust, geysers are common “Future” column: more of the same area of the Jedi Temple library; the labels say “Radicalism,” “Sith,” and “Other Heresies;” the busts are of a Zabrak and extremely ancient Jedi hottie Daegen Lok 

“Past” column: Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan arrive at Huntt’awn in an Eta-class shuttle; there are hardly any stars in the Outer Rim sky “Present” column: the Huntt’awn library in a storm; besides the destruction indoors from the fight, the tower on the left has collapsed, and there are more holes in the walls and vines growing everywhere; Palpatine is sitting in a chair, and Maul and Zaster are fighting by the lamps “Future” column: Palpatine and Maul leave in Palpatine’s shuttle, which he modified from the Eta-class to look more evil (that’s not one of mine, that’s from the cartoon)

All the Zasters:

How I got the RGB effect by hand; I also used the sharpen and clone tools on Photopea

I also drew this one on tracing paper for the soft effect, though I only put a couple lines around her elbow and fingers on the bottom layer; I made her eyes stand out against the off-white tracing paper with a white gel pen; I used a finer fabric mesh instead of the metal one from the low-res Zaster

She is wearing the “tan-colored” student robe I describe in Chapter 1 (it’s actually more yellow); it’s based on the Sith Apprentice action figure

Definitely a case of me imagining her far less creepy when I was writing than when I was drawing...

Prophecies:

Chapter 4: The Brier

Pearl Yazabi’s “most important person in the next fifty years” = Jango Fett and the clone army from Kamino

Zaster’s “curse” on Maul:

“the first time by your enemy’s hand” = when Obi-Wan "kills” Maul

“the second time by your ally’s hand” = when Sidious defeats Maul and kills Savage

“the third time by your own hand” = when Maul throws away his own chance of redemption by betraying Ezra

Anakin’s Chosen One prophecy:

“lost twin somewhere” = is Anakin really the Chosen One, or are his kids?

“Chosen One and a helper” = Anakin needs Luke’s help to finally get the courage to defeat Palpatine

“silver student who will separate once, separate twice, and then disarm” = Yoda’s Chosen One is actually his own student, Dooku, who leaves the Jedi Order, leaves the Republic, and then disarms Anakin

Chapter 5: The Prince

Zaster’s “a moon is not a moon” = the Death Star and Vader

Zaster’s “liar’s only hope” = Bodhi Rook carries Galen Erso’s message, defects from the Empire, gets tortured by Bor Gullet, outlives Jedha, and is the only member of Rogue One to die alone

Zaster’s “brave during a war” is about the three characters who die at the beginning of the second movies in each trilogy, thereby starting them off with a darker tone:

“fake woman descends a ramp” = Padme’s decoy Cordé is the first casualty of the Clone Wars

“arrogant man does not trip the beast” = Luke’s gunner Dak Ralter is killed before he can follow Luke’s plan to trip the AT-ATs on Hoth

“fainting woman drops a hundred bombs” = Paige Tico dies following Poe’s orders, which sets up the character arcs for Rose, Poe, Holdo, and Leia

Zaster’s “ugly light” = when Obi-Wan cuts Maul in half, Maul miraculously survives

Chapter 6: The Kiss

Maul’s vision: Obi-Wan (dove) kills Maul (kniilwasp), but a man (Savage) rescues Maul from Lotho Minor (the garbage); this vision of the future also reminds Maul of the last time he saw his brothers, which is when they were babies

Zaster’s final prophecy = she foresees Dooku, Anakin, and Luke, but she lies about Luke being loyal. I have a headcanon that the reason Palpatine names Anakin Vader is that, while he values Anakin for his own powers, he mostly wants him because he’s a father. Palpatine wants his Empire to be ruled by the most powerful Force-sensitive humans, preferably in a biological line, rather than keeping the Sith tradition of the “Rule of Two.” (I wrote this story before TRoS and I’m still not sure how to fit that storyline into my own interpretation, except to cynically mark the saga as a Win for good old Sheev.)

[godzilla-reads]

🦖 Dinotopia: The World Beneath by James Gurney

“Myth will never die,” said Oriana. “It is the deepest kind of understanding.”

Oh boy. I kept telling myself, “Do you really think the second book could be as good as the first one?”

I underestimated how good this one would be. We’re introduced to new characters like Oriana, Stinktooth, and more. Arthur Denison goes on an expedition into the mysterious World Beneath with untrustworthy Lee Crabb, and the confident Oriana. What they discover down there could help and hurt Dinotopia.

I totally fell in love with Oriana because she’s wise, she’s humble, she’s confident, and she’s not afraid to stand up for herself and what she believes in. Ultimately, she was a great influence on Arthur who spent most of the book being taken over by a sense of superiority. By the end of the book, he made strides to better understanding dinosaurs as equals and throwing his greed away. It was great to see his development.

One thing that set this book apart from the first one was that it was overflowing with wisdom and appreciation for the natural world. I loved it.

“But you can’t live like animals. What about the roof over your head and the shoes on your feet. Aren’t those inventions?”

“Yes, indeed, true conveniences. But for anything gained, something else is given away. I remember when I was a little barefoot girl, the day came to wear my first pair of shoes. The shoes protected my feet, but also separated me from the touch of the grass. In the same way, the roof divides us from the stars.”

[jacksonbladeranger]

Dinotopia: The Adventures Continue Recruitment and Roleplay

Hello, Everyone. And Welcome to The Recruitment of a Roleplay and the start of a Roleplay that is just as long as you want.

Dinotopia: The Adventures Continue

Plot: Join Arthur and all your Dinotopian friends in all-new adventures!

We will be recruiting and writing the adventures on this same thread.

Bring me your knowledge of Dinotopia in its book form.

Every character dead or alive in Dinotopia is welcome to be played.

I need Recruitment to play only one or two good or evil Characters.

Arthur Denison – An American scientist and the main protagonist of the books. Following the death of his wife Rachel in 1860 he and his son Will left their home Boston on a voyage of discovery. Then in 1862 they were both washed up on the island of Dinotopia after being shipwrecked.

Will Denison – The son of Arthur Denison and the second main protagonist of the books. During his time on the island he met and fell in love with local Dinotopian girl, Sylvia Romano and eventually trained to be a Skybax Rider and was partnered with a Skybax named Cirrus.

Bix – A Protoceratops multilingual who is an ambassador and the good friend and traveling partner of Arthur Denison, having accompanied him to the World Beneath and Chandara.

Sylvia Romano – A Dinotopian girl who lives in the Hatchery with her parents Giorgio and Maria. Eventually she became a Skybax Rider with Will and was partnered with a Skybax named Nimbus.

Lee Crabb – The main antagonist of the books. He was washed up on Dinotopia in 1853, however Crabb despised the island and ever since had being plotting a means of escape.

Oriana Nascava – A musician who lives in Waterfall City and accompanied Arthur during his return trip to the World Beneath. At the end of the book, she and Arthur are implied to have become romantically linked.

Nallab – The assistant librarian of the library of Waterfall City.

Brokenhorn – A well-respected Triceratops elder who is the son of the famous Greyback the Wise.

Oolu – Oolu is the chief Skybax instructor at Sky City, where he trains Skybax Riders.

Gideon Altaire – The main protagonist of the third Dinotopian book, The First Flight. He lived on the island of Poseidos during the Age of Heroes.

Original Characters are welcome as well into this as well as New Players.

Note: I am autistic, and have a hard time being good at memory. Even though I have every book in Dinotopian History.

I am still able to read whenever time allows it.

Just take it easy on me.

Dinotopia! Let The Adventures Begin!

[shadowlineswriting]

Gurney

I was all set to tell you how we’re done with the Gs and moving on the Hs when I realized I hadn’t checked our children’s literature section (is it just me, or am I getting worse at this?). 

We have only three children’s books written by a G author, and the surprising thing is that they are all my husband’s. When we got married I had probably 95% of our children’s lit collection. He brought in the other 5%. It’s not because he hates kids books--quite the contrary--it’s just that it isn’t a genre he’s explored much. However, that means when he comes across a children’s literature book that he loves enough to keep, he REALLY loves it. Case in point, he has a signed copy, plus a matching bookmark, plus a coffee mug, all of the same story. 

Such is the case with Dinotopia, The World Beneath, and Dinotopia: First Flight, all written and illustrated by the brilliant James Gurney. I’d never heard of Dinotopia prior to meeting my husband, but he said they were pretty huge, even being adapted into a miniseries at one point. It’s about a world in which dinosaurs and humans have learned to communicate and help each other out. 

I wouldn’t say I’ve ever been hugely wild about dinosaurs (not saying they aren’t cool, just that I don’t generally seek out paleontological literature) so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I began these books. However, I am here to tell you that they are stunning. The story is cute, the artwork is brilliant, the whole thing just works. I can absolutely see why my husband loved these so much and now I do, too (although I probably won’t get a Dinotopia coffee mug). 

[homoqueerjewhobbit]

Oh boy did elementary school me have a crush on Will Denison from Dinotopia. He got to fly around a socialist utopia on a giant dinosaur that was also his best friend! Anyway, I found barely anything on Tumblr's heinously bad search function (definitely none of the pics that made 8-year-old me swoon) then hyperfixated on raiding James Gurney's excellent blog for material so I could make a lil tribute post.

[irradiate-space]

"Reading comprehension"? Your sarcasm isn't appreciated, and makes it quite obvious why you don't appear to have anything going for you IRL. "Tch, this fucking peasant can't understand words like I can."

The topic at hand wasn't legal definitions and copyright, it was "who stole what ideas and concepts from who", and I am telling you, quite clearly, that it doesn't matter, because both Dinotopia and Atlantis are in the same genre, and works that share a genre are going to share tropes.

Exotic crystals and gems are a common method in fiction to grant special abilities or power enigmatic machines. Kyber crystals, the Lens of Civilization, Kryptonite, and even our own time-keeping quartz crystals come to mind.

The idea of a Hollow Earth cradling strange life and stranger secrets had existed for a loooong time before Gurney wrote his World Beneath. The Mole People, Pellucidar, and a staggering number of conspiracy theories make use of such.

Fanciful machines, as I said, are the backbone of steamcore and turn-of-the-century-setting Pulp, and unfortunately, they all tend to look the same, with bronze, brass, brown leather, and sweeping angles with fins and trusses and bulbous windows and viewports.

You said yourself that you can't definitively prove a lawsuit and settlement occurred, only allege it, let alone prove that it went in Gurney's favour or that the judge didn't see enough difference between the two.

It's the same story with the other two works you mentioned. Fushigi no Umi no Nadia I pointed out myself in a post that the similarities were superficial on the same genre-based grounds and that the stories were different enough to not be a 'rip-off'. Castle in the Sky meanwhile has a similarly genre-inspired plot ("army looking to steal ancient technology"), and the designs of both come from two groups of creatives using the architecture of SEA as inspiration.

James gurney himself said in interviews he borrowed a lot from other works in the genre when constructing his world. He designed Waterfall City first as an archetypal lost civilization, itself inspired by the ruins and old cities he drew for National Geographic, before populating it with dinotopians and creating a greater lost world. A lot of his conceptual influences for such strange worlds out of time stem from people who were previously embedded in the Pulp genre, like Frank Frazetta, who he worked with on Bakshi's Fire And Ice.

"If Disney stole from Gurney then Gurney stole from Verne" is to point out the fallacy of claiming ideas are stolen when those ideas are just things that anyone can come up with or borrow from older works. I'm not literally claiming that Gurney copied things from Verne.

It's not sarcasm. In included the Reading Comprehension Questions in the original post in the hopes that they would forestall discussions like this. Alas.

You write, "The topic at hand wasn't legal definitions and copyright," but the original post was about legal definitions and copyright, and how those led to a lawsuit that has encumbered the Atlantis IP. The lawsuit was over copyright infringement. Copyright is a socially-constructed legal concept with specific definitions. The things you claim that Gurney admitted to do not constitute copyright infringement.

Crystals as power sources, shared tropes, underground civilizations, the mythological Atlantis: these are not copyrightable. They are also not the similarities I allege in the original post. It's not about individual elements, either, but the shape drawn by many elements in context with each other.

Reading Comprehension Question 1 reminds the reader of the similarities I do point out: aquatic-animal-shaped flying craft which glow blue, used in a chase sequence, in the context of an Atlantean civilization? Crystal-powered animal-shaped machines from an Atlantean civilization, discovered by a white man who figures out how to use the machines? The parallels become great enough to make lawyers ask strong questions of their clients, like "are you really sure you didn't use his art as inspiration?"

Whether or not Disney's concept artist room actually used Gurney's art as inspiration, Disney's lawyers likely looked at the parallels described in my original post, taken together as one pattern of concepts and images, and then the lawyers determined that they would lose the case in either court or the court of public opinion. From that probable loss, they decided to settle.

Future development of the Atlantis IP remains encumbered by the terms of the settlement. Disney isn't going to touch that. They're going to go off and build new IP, which, lacking the settlement's encumbrances, will be more profitable than Atlantis.

That's why there will be no more Atlantis.

[mirbisduschoen]

Made this after re-reading The World Beneath for the first time in years (via Custom Image)