A trouble-shooting 19th century seaman is trying to discover why so many whaling ships have been disappearing of late. Teaming with a scientist and a diver, they set sail to investigate. They are promptly captured by the megalomaniac Captain Nemo, who skippers a lavish, scientifically advanced submarine.
MPAA rating: G.
Walt Disney Pictures ; producer, Walt Disney ; screenplay by Earl Felton ; directed by Richard Fleischer.
Widescreen presentation.
Originally released as a motion picture in 1954.
Based on the novel "Vignt Mille lieues sous les mers" by Jules Verne.
Special features: all-new audio commentaries with director Richard Fleischer and classic film historian and author, Rudy Behlmer; original 1954 theatrical radio spots; Peter Lorre's ADR tracks - a glimpse into the process of dialogue replacement before final edit; Captain Nemo's organ music; "The making of 20,000 leagues under the sea" featurette; "Jules Verne & Walt Disney - explorers of the imagination" behind-the-scenes featurette; "The Humboltsquid: real sea monster!"; "Touring the Nautilius"; "Monsters of the deep"; "Nemo's death" script excerpt; "The musical legacy of Paul Smith"; "Lost treasure: the sunset squid sequence"; "Grand Canyonscope"; theatrical trailer; storyboard-to-scene comparison & unused animation.
Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas, Peter Lorre, Robert J. Wilke, Ted de Corsia, J.M. Kerrigan.
Director of photography, Franz Planer ; art director, John Meehan ; editor, Elmo Williams ; costume designer, Norman Martien.
DVD; Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, THX certified.
Closed-captioned.
Academy Awards, USA, 1955: Oscar - Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color (John Meehan, Emile Kuri); Best Effects, Special Effects.
