20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

1954 "The mightiest motion picture of them all!"
7.2| 2h7m| G| en| More Info
Released: 23 December 1954 Released
Producted By: Walt Disney Productions
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
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A ship sent to investigate a wave of mysterious sinkings encounters the advanced submarine, the Nautilus, commanded by Captain Nemo.

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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) is now streaming with subscription on Disney+

Director

Richard Fleischer

Production Companies

Walt Disney Productions

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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Audience Reviews

Steineded How sad is this?
Limerculer A waste of 90 minutes of my life
Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.
Matt Otter James Mason was great in this, most of the sets and effects were also wonderful, even hold today, unfortunately this movie is just sunk (no pun) by Douglas and Lorre and.....the seal.I mean, sure, any movie needs a little bit of comic relief, but 2 problems here: 1st, they tried to put in way too much comedy and 2nd, none of it was even remotely funny, I didn't even know half the time I was supposed to be seeing something funny, that's how bad they miss the mark.The Professor was at least likable and had some relevance to the story, and I could even have stomached Lorre, but Douglas is just plain terrible, he's not funny, he's not thrilling, he's not much of a hero, and quite frankly I found myself over and over again rooting for Nemo which I know is the opposite of what they were going for.This movie completely failed to make any sort of moral dilemma, it was just "Nemo bad". Why? Don't people sink enemy ships in a war? Was Nemo not allowed to make war? If not, why? Who decides when it's OK to make war, to take life? Well, don't get any hope you'll find these questions debated in this film.This movie is worth a watch, but as a whole it offers nothing to really make you want to watch it again.
Idiot-Deluxe 12/9/2016 - Happy 100th Birthday Old Man Douglas!Walt Disney's grandiose production of Jules Vern's novel "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" has withstood well the passage of time and still proves to be an arresting experience to the senses. Obviously the cast was as close to perfect as it gets and they have much to tell by movies end, it's as rousing a tale on the high sea's that's ever been told; filled with action, intrigue and humor from both man and beast. This timeless nautical adventure comes with a wealth of wonder and imagination, boasting many extraordinary action set pieces often being set in exotic locales and what's more this classic film sounds every bit as grand as it looks; featuring a phenomenally effective musical score by veteran composer Paul Smith. At the heart of the film is the Nautilus (of course) and Nemo's creation has to be the most artful and elegant looking of designs that there's ever as been and a first-rate effects crew brings it to gloriously life in many clever guises, (full scale set or scale-size miniature) which is still every bit as effective as it was then. And of course all of it's visual splendor was lensed in such a way, making full use of the newly invented Cinema-Scope process, framed at the ratio of 2.55.1, which is wide-wide-screen essentially. Cinema-Scope was the perfect option for large-scale action films. The Player's: Kirk Douglas, Peter Lorre, James Mason and Paul Lukas, these four actors were perfectly cast for their respective roles and they make the most of it from start to finish - none more so than Kirk Douglas, as the swaggering seaman Ned Land. In this film Douglas gives a spectacularly high-spirited performance, one which surely rates as one of cinema's all-time most lively performances. While Lukas and especially Mason give performances that exude an air of high-sophistication (no more so than when Nemo's sporting that AWESOME smoking jacket - one must give high praise to the wardrobe department), where as Peter Lorre's character, often seems to be the odd man, he falls somewhere in between them and the free-spirited nature of Douglas' character. From what I've heard the two of them got along famously during filming. Ultimately these four fine actors create the core of one of the best casts that's ever been assembled for any movie. And the varying moods that rise up between them makes for an interesting and wide-ranging atmosphere, one that fluctuates from annoyance to hospitality, from curiosity to incarceration. I can't say enough about how great Kirk Douglas' acting is in this, such energy!From a purely visual stand-point 20,000's is a remarkable achievement, from the amazingly vivid underwater photography to it's striking submarine effects, this is a film, grand in every way, that's bound to leave a lasting imprint on your memory. Some highlights worth mentioning (and there are several) range from, the Oscar-winning giant squid sequence, the underwater harvest/treasure hunting/shark attack sequence, an "electrifing" boarding by unfriendly natives, a singing/cigar-eating seal named Isme, 19th century prostitutes dressed-up in lace and feathered hats, impassioned pipe organ-bashing Bach-infused jam sessions, a state-of-the-art "volcanic" submarine base, underwater burials, thundering cannon fire, explosive high-speed ship collisions, Ned Land's "Whale of a Tale" (the best damn sailor's ditty ever) and for your dining pleasure there's "Saute of Unborn Octopus" as well as a entire table full of curious cuisine from the sea, oh - and a nuclear explosion to cap things off. There truly is never a dull moment in this legendary classic of cinema - and just why is it that they can't make movies like THIS anymore????Ready, Maestro?! The remarkable music of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea's is of particular note - it's grand, large-scale, orchestral score is utterly magnificent and 62 years after the fact it remains one of Hollywoods greatest musical achievements. Brought to life by the baton of a Disney maestro - Paul J. Smith, a composer who, unfortunately, was effectively pigeon-holed for the majority of his career, typically being stuck with the chore of writing music for many a Disney cartoon and other various feather-weight features. Smith was never the most well-known or vocal composers, but by the sound of it, his music does his talking for him, as he clearly had a field-day with this is opulent big-budget assignment - a dream project for any film composer. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea would definitely not be as exciting without the inspired music of Paul Smith. Believe that.Typical for a Disney feature, this classic film is family-friendly and suitable for any age and being such an exciting and well-acted movie it's no surprise that it possess a high replay value and it's one of those classic's that's great to re-experience each and every year. It belongs to that rare breed of classic films that never seem to lose their luster, that never accumulate the slightest layer dust and is immune to time. In the 60 + years since it's release 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea remains a grand and rousing spectacle of adventure and intrigue, a unique creation, one of high artistry and pure Cinema-Scope magic. A grand relic of another time.Oh yeah, some trivia, the Nautilus's "nuclear furnace" was created by a combination of plastic salad bowls and large rotating color-wheels. The ill-fated "Sunset Squid Sequence" nearly sank Disney as a studio and Paul Lukas was a real prick to work with and he threatened to sue numerous people involved in the picture - swell guy.
SnoopyStyle It's 1868. Ships are being lost and rumors of a sea monster spread. Professor Pierre M. Aronnax (Paul Lukas) and his assistant Conseil (Peter Lorre) are heading to the orients. They along with whaler Ned Land (Kirk Douglas) join an expedition which is destroyed by the armored submarine the Nautilus. They escape on a lifeboat which is picked up by Captain Nemo (James Mason). Nemo takes in Aronnax and his companions showing them new worlds and the powers of the universe. He continues his rampage as he reveals his reasons.This is a classic live action Disney film. The Nautilus is ahead of its times and also has cool looking old-fashion style. It's got great actors. James Mason is brilliant and so are the rest of the leads. It has taken the classic Jules Verne novel and given it real life. The giant squid is terrific. It is great old fashion adventure. Where else are you going to see Kirk Douglas singing to his sidekick seal?
richieandsam 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEAI was disappointed with this movie. I did like it, but it was not what I was expecting at all.The movie starts with a town being scared to go out in their boats due to a sea monster that is terrorising the area by destroying ships and sinking them. When a group of sailors go out there looking for the monster they find exactly what they are looking for. The only thing is the monster they have found is not a monster, it is a submarine that is attacking and blowing up ships. 3 people enter the submarine when they find it and get held against their will by the captain as the sub goes on terrorising everyone.The book for this story is a classic novel, but I have never read it. I didn't know much else about this film apart from there was a giant squid in it somewhere. That is the main thing this movie is famous for. So going on that, I was expecting a great fantasy movie full of underwater wonder. Instead I got a submarine prison movie. It is a good story and the movie is good, but the squid just seems little out of place as the rest of the film is just an adventure film and not really fantasy.The effects are not great, but then the film was made in 1954. For it's time the effects are very impressive. The giant squid even looks good. I really like the submarine they used. The design of it looks spooky and goes along very well with everyone thinking it is some kind of monster.The movie is made by Disney so as you can imagine, it has that classic Disney feel to it. You can tell this film is Disney and that is a good thing. I am a Disney fan and love most of their films, but this is nowhere near their best.Kirk Douglas takes the lead as Ned Land. A sailor that goes on the hunt for the dreaded monster. Kirk does a great job and his character is very likable. I can see when he was so popular back in his heyday. James Mason for me is the star of the movie. James plays Captain Nemo, the captain and leader of the mischievous submarine. James plays the character so straight laced and so calm as if he was an evil mastermind. His character made this movie and I think James deserved a lot of praise for this film. Other cast members were Paul Lukas & Peter Lorre. All in all the acting was above par, especially for a classic movie like this where generally there is a lot of over acting. Yes there were a few scenes where the acting was over the top, but not to the extent where it was too much.The film is a lot of fun to watch on a rainy, cold Sunday afternoon but I would not really watch it with the kids. I can imagine them getting pretty bored quickly through it.I will give this film 6 out of 10."The natives over there are cannibals. They eat liars with the same enthusiasm as they eat honest men."For more reviews, please like my Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ordinary-Person-Movie- Reviews/456572047728204?ref=hl