Pan's Labyrinth is a film that tells the story of Ofelia, a young girl, who is lead to a land of fairytales. Alantis: The Lost Empire is an animated film that follows Milo Thatch, a cartographer and linguist who hopes to find The Shepard's Journal, an ancient manuscript showing where Alantis (island) is located. Pan's Labyrinth and Alantis: The Lost Empire use incorporate magical elements, special effects, and mythic stories about the underworld to represent themes of discovery and returning home.

Discovery is a theme director Guillermo del Torro portrays with amazing style. The protagonist Ofelia is drawn to a world of fantasy after she finds a insect which leads her to a stone labyrinth. Ofelia thinks she has discovered a amazing, fantastical, world; she meets a faun who calls her Princess Moanna. Ofelia does not realize her connection to the underworld or that her is king of it.

Kida is another main character in Alantis: The Lost Empire who does not realize her connection to the underworld. Kida meets Milo when Ulysses, the submarine he is on is attacked, and Milo ends up outside the border of the city of Alantis. Kida does not know that her mother, The Queen, left her behind after The Queen became entranced by a blue light; this caused The Queen to remain safe, but her daughter to disappear along with the empire as Alantis, the island was submerged underwater.


The special effects in both Pan's Labyrinth and Alantis: The Lost Empire are equally impressive. Del Toro used a combination of make-up and computer generation to create the scenes and characters. The use of special effects extends to the scenes in the film when Ofelia is back in the mortal realm including the graphic scene when The general sows his mouth shut. Alantis: The Lost Empire used a more traditional form of special effects animation. Although director Gary Trousdale effectively used color and variations in tone to help set the scene and emotions with the film. Comparing the use of special effects in both films, Alantis uses effects that are more realistic in general, while  Pan's Labyrinth uses effects that are more magical.

Discovering the lost island of Alantis remains a quest throughout the entire film just like Ofelia prove to the faun that she is worthy of reuniting with her father by getting the golden key, retrieving the golden dagger, and sacrificing herself for the greater good. The quest to find Alantis and the quest to receive eternal life and to be a princess illustrates the broader theme of  these films. The most valuable possession individuals can have in life is not an object, like an island or the promise of royalty and eternal life but the connections and relationships we have with people.
This theme does not prominently appear within the films, but Milo's willingness to leave his life behind to be with Princess Kida and Ofelia's willingness to sacrifice herself for her brother illustrate the most important possession individuals have in life is their relationships with people.