20000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Jules Verne (novel)
Earl Felton (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 December 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Walt Disney's Mighty, Magnificent, Memorable 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea!

Plot:

A ship sent to investigate a wave of mysterious sinkings encounters the advanced submarine, the Nautilus, commanded by Captain Nemo.

Plot Keywords:

Submarine | Ocean | Captain | Captain Nemo | Atlantis

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Kirk Douglas	...	Ned Land
James Mason	...	Captain Nemo
Paul Lukas	...	Prof. Pierre Arronax
Peter Lorre	...	Conseil
Robert J. Wilke	...	First Mate of the Nautilus
Ted de Corsia	...	Capt. Farragut
Carleton Young	...	John Howard
J.M. Kerrigan	...	Old Billy
Percy Helton	...	Coach Driver
Ted Cooper	...	Mate on 'Lincoln'

Also Known As:

Jules Verne's 20000 Leagues Under the Sea (USA) (complete title)
Walt Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

127 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Portugal:M/6 | Iceland:L | Finland:K-12 (1955) | Finland:K-8 (1976) | Canada:G (video rating) | New Zealand:G | Australia:PG | Canada:F (Ontario) | France:U | Norway:11 | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #17073) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | USA:G (re-rating) (1970) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

This was the first new full-length Disney film released by Buena Vista, Disney's new in-house distributor. Previous Disney films had been released by RKO, and re-releases of old Disney films were handled by Buena Vista from 1954 onwards.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the Captain Nemo and the Professor returns from the mines, the skiff is heading in one direction and the sea moves in the opposite direction.

Quotes:

Captain Nemo: Ah, we're almost at the island of Crespo. All this was once an island. Although it is now sunk, it is nevertheless fertile. We do our hunting and farming here.
Professor Pierre Aronnax, narrator: Underwater?
Captain Nemo: The sea supplies all my wants.

Movie Connections:

Edited into "Disneyland: 20000 Leagues Under the Sea (#23.5)" (1976)

Soundtrack:

Toccata and Fugue in D Minor

Great DVD Makes This Fun Again

One of the first movies, along with "Shane," that I ever saw as a young kid that I still watch and enjoy today is this one. One of the reasons I still enjoy it is the wonderful restoration job someone did in the latest DVD that was released in 2004.

Of course, it's not as exciting as seeing this on the big screen as a youngster, but it's still entertaining thanks to the intelligent dialog of James Mason, the humor (believe it or not) of Peter Lorre and the good special effects. The submarine is still neat to watch, particularly at night with the green glow to it. I haven't seen anything like it since. I haven't seen a giant squid attacking a boat, either, come to think of it. That still is pretty cool.

I don't find this movie "spectacular" as its reputation but it's still a very worthy addition to any movie buff's collection. It's one of the classics of the '50s that has been revived with this great-looking DVD which also has some interesting extra features.