20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film)

In 1868, rumors spread of a sea monster attacking ships in the Pacific Ocean. Professor Aronnax and his assistant, Conseil, are asked to investigate, and board a U.S. Navy frigate. They are joined by master harpooner Ned Land.

After months of patrolling, the monster is spotted. The frigate's guncrew open fire, but the monster rams the warship. Ned, Conseil, and Aronnax are thrown overboard while the disabled frigate drifts away. While clinging to wreckage, Aronnax and Conseil come upon a metal vessel and realize the monster is a man-made "submerging boat" that appears deserted. Below decks, Aronnax finds a large viewport and witnesses an underwater funeral, while Ned arrives on an overturned longboat from their ship. Spotted by the divers, Ned, Aronnax, and Conseil attempt to leave in the longboat, but they are captured. The vessel's captain introduces himself as Captain Nemo, master of the Nautilus. He returns Ned and Conseil to the deck while offering Aronnax, whose name he recognizes, the chance to stay. After Aronnax proves willing to die with his companions as the ship submerges, Nemo allows Ned and Conseil to remain aboard.

Nemo takes Nautilus to a penal colony island, where the prisoners are loading a munitions ship. Nemo, once a prisoner there as were many of his crew, rams the steamer, destroying it and its crew. Nemo tells Aronnax that he has just saved thousands from death in war, and that "this hated nation" tortured his wife and son to death while attempting to force him to reveal his discoveries. In Nemo's cabin, Ned and Conseil discover the map coordinates of Nemo's secret island base, Vulcania, where Nautilus is now heading. Ned throws messages with Vulcania's coordinates overboard in bottles in the hope of being rescued.

Off the coast of New Guinea, Nautilus becomes stranded on a reef. Nemo allows Ned to go ashore with Conseil, ostensibly to collect specimens, while admonishing them to stay on the beach. Ned instead goes exploring for avenues of escape, and finds human skulls posted on stakes. Ned runs back to Conseil, and they row away pursued by cannibals. Aboard Nautilus, the cannibals are repelled by electrical charges sent through its hull, and Nemo confines Ned for disobeying orders.

A warship fires upon Nautilus, which descends into the depths, attracting a giant squid. After an electric charge fails to repel the creature, Nemo and his men surface during a storm to dislodge it. Nemo is caught by one of its long tentacles, and Ned, having escaped from captivity, fatally harpoons the squid, and saves Nemo when he is pulled into the sea. Having had a change of heart, Nemo decides to make amends with the world.

As Nautilus nears Vulcania, Nemo finds the island surrounded by warships, with marines having disembarked. The Nautilus enters his base through an underwater passage, and surfaces within its extinct volcano lagoon. Nemo rushes ashore to activate a time bomb in order to destroy any evidence of his discoveries but is shot and mortally wounded as he returns onboard. Navigating the submarine to a safe distance from Vulcania, Nemo announces that he will be "taking the Nautilus down for the last time". His crew declare that they will accompany their captain in death.

Aronnax, Conseil, and Ned are confined to their cabins, while Nautilus's crew retreat to their own at Nemo's instructions. Ned, refusing to be part of the suicide pact, escapes and surfaces the submarine, striking a reef in the process, causing Nautilus to flood. Nemo dies while viewing his beloved undersea domain through the hull's viewport.

Aronnax tries retrieving his journal, but the urgency of their escape obliges Ned to knock him unconscious and carry him out. Aboard Nautilus's skiff, the three companions, along with Esmeralda, Nemo’s pet sea lion, witness Vulcania explode. A large, billowing mushroom cloud rises above the island's destruction. Ned apologizes to Aronnax for striking him, but Aronnax concedes that the loss of his journal might have been for the best. As Nautilus sinks, Nemo's last words to Aronnax echo: "There is hope for the future. And when the world is ready for a new and better life, all this will someday come to pass... in God's good time."

File:20000leaguescast.jpg, Kirk Douglas, Peter Lorre, and Paul Lukas.]]

• Kirk Douglas as Ned Land
• James Mason as Captain Nemo
• Paul Lukas as Professor Pierre Aronnax
• Peter Lorre as Conseil
• Robert J. Wilke as Nautilus{{'s}} First Mate
• Ted de Corsia as Captain Farragut
• Carleton Young as John Howard
• J. M. Kerrigan as Billy
• Percy Helton as Coach driver
• Ted Cooper as Abraham Lincoln{{'s}} First Mate
• Fred Graham as Casey (uncredited stuntman){{cite book |last=Freese |first=Gene Scott |title=Hollywood Stunt Performers, 1910s–1970s: A Biographical Dictionary |edition=Second |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-786-47643-5 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=10dXAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA111 111]|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|publisher=McFarland & Company}}
• Laurie Mitchell as Hooker (uncredited debut){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/laurie-mitchell-obit-8476488/|title=Laurie Mitchell, Villainess in 'Queen of Outer Space,' Dies at 90|magazine=Billboard|date=24 September 2018}}

Walt Disney first expressed interest in an adaptation of Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas after seeing some marine footage and storyboards created by Harper Goff during the production of the True-Life Adventures series. At the time, the film rights were owned by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and King Brothers Productions.{{Cite web|title=20,000 Leagues Under the Sea|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/51389-20000-LEAGUESUNDERTHESEA?sid=6d02b02d-d0ae-4e42-bdf6-c4af98dbe8f4&sr=14.847143&cp=1&pos=0|access-date=2022-02-09|website=AFI Catalog of Feature Films|publisher=American Film Institute}} In November 1950, film producer Sid Rogell announced he had acquired the screen rights to the novel, as well as a film adaptation prepared by Robert L. Lippert's production company. He had planned to start filming within a year at the General Service Studios.{{cite news|last=Brady|first=Thomas F.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/11/25/archives/court-dismisses-film-unions-suit-47000000-antitrust-action-against.html|title=Court Dismisses Film Unions' Work|url-access=subscription|newspaper=The New York Times|page=11|date=November 25, 1950}} However, in December 1951, it was reported that Disney had purchased the film rights from Rogell.{{cite news |last=Schallert |first=Edwin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/381065575/ |title=Neff Picked for 'Snows;' Caron, Angeli To Team; Disney to do Verne Film |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |at=Part I, p. 13 |date=December 28, 1951 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription}} Goff's storyboards and art designs formed the film's basis, but he was not credited because he was not a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was filmed at various locations in The Bahamas and Jamaica, with the cave scenes filmed beneath what is now the Xtabi Resort on the cliffs of Negril. Other scenes were photographed in Nassau, Lyford Cay, and Death Valley. Filming took place between January 11 and June 19, 1954.{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Dave |author-link=Dave Smith (archivist) |title=In a league of its own |url=http://d23.disney.go.com/articles/120309_NF_FEAT_20000LeaguesDaveSmithD23.html |website=D23 |date=December 3, 2009 |access-date=January 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100906042231/http://d23.disney.go.com/articles/120309_NF_FEAT_20000LeaguesDaveSmithD23.html |archive-date=September 6, 2010 |url-status=dead}} According to the two-disc DVD documentary, the scenes in San Francisco at the beginning were filmed at Universal Studios while most of the modeling shots were done at 20th Century Fox. Some of the location filming sequences were so complex that they required a technical crew of more than 400 people. The production presented many other challenges, as well. The famous giant squid attack sequence had to be entirely re-shot, as it was originally filmed as taking place at dusk and in a calm sea.{{YouTube|Pf_acgvdKmE|Sunset Squid Fight– 20,000 Leagues – unused monster sequence}}{{#tag:ref|Footage of the original, rejected giant squid attack sequence shows details of the filming.|group=Note}} The sequence was filmed again, this time taking place at twilight and during a humongous thunderstorm, both to increase the drama and to better hide the cables and other mechanical workings of the Animatronic squid.Bourne, Mark. [http://www.dvdjournal.com/reviews/00/20000leagues.shtml "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Special Edition DVD."] The DVD Journal, 2003. Retrieved: January 9, 2015.

With a total (and deeply over-run) production cost of $9 million,[http://www.the-reel-thing.co/the-reel-thing-xxvii-program-abstracts/ "The Reel Thing XXVII: Program Abstracts"] Reel Thing, July 8, 2011. Retrieved: April 4, 2018. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was the most expensive and ambitious production in Hollywood up to that time.

The film was praised as faithfully adapting the novel. James W. Maertens writes that while this is true, "Close comparison of the novel and film reveals many changes, omissions, even reversals, which affect the story's fundamental concern (besides scientific education), a representation of class and gender, specifically masculinity, in the industrial age." Nemo's submarine, battery-powered in the novel, is powered by atomic energy in the film. The novel's submarine is also a "streamlined, cigar shaped sub" while the film's is "a more ornate vessel". The film's director and screenwriter extracted "the most memorable scenes from the novel and freely reordered them under the assumption that viewers would not remember the novel's order of events." Goff and Disney based the Nautilus's design in the film on the interior of the Forth Bridge. In the novel, Nemo orders parts from various industries, secretly shipping them to an island for assembly, whom Maertens labeled "a logistical genius at manipulating Industrial Age manufacturing".{{cite book | last=Maertens | first=James W. | chapter=Brains, Brawn, and Masculine Desire in Walt Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | editor1-last= Brode | editor1-first=Douglas | editor2-last=Brode | editor2-first=Shea T. | year=2016 | title=Debating Disney: Pedagogical Perspectives on Commercial Cinema | publisher=Rowman & Littlefield | isbn=978-1-4422-6609-4 | pages=19–32 }}

Rather than an authentic soundtrack recording of the film's score or dialogue, two vinyl studio cast record albums were released to coincide with the film's first two releases (1954 and 1963). Both albums contained condensed and heavily altered versions of the film's script without the usage of any of the film's cast for character voices. In addition, both albums were narrated by Ned Land as opposed to Aronnax, who narrated the film and the original novel. Neither album mentioned Nemo as actually being "cracked" (i.e. insane), as the film does, and considerably sanitized the character by omitting any mention of him killing anyone. The albums also had Nemo surviving at the end and releasing Ned, Arronax, and Conseil out of gratitude for their saving his life.{{YouTube|ex89G23PnbM}} In this version, Ned, Aronnax and Conseil were not shipwrecked because the Nautilus rammed the ship they were on, but because a hurricane came up.[http://www.kiddierecords.com/mgac/index_2.htm "More Golden Age Classics: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea."] Kidde Records, July 15, 2011. Retrieved: May 31, 2013.

The first album was issued in 1954 in conjunction with the film's original release, and starred William Redfield as the voice of Ned. This album, a book-and-record set, was issued as part of RCA Victor's Little Nipper series on two 45-RPM records.[https://www.amazon.com/Disneys-Leagues-Under-Little-Nipper/dp/B00198VIO4 "Walt Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Little Nipper Story Book Album)."] Amazon. Retrieved: January 9, 2015.{{Better source needed|date=October 2018}} The second album, released by Disneyland Records in 1963 in conjunction with the film's first re-release,[http://rateyourmusic.com/label/disneyland_records "Label: Disneyland Records."] Rate Your Music. Retrieved: January 9, 2015.{{deprecated source|certain=y|date=November 2024}} was issued on one 33{{fraction|1|3}} RPM 12-inch LP with no accompanying booklet and no liner notes – the usual practice with most Disneyland label albums. It contained much more of the film's plot, but with many of the same alterations as the first album, so this recording was technically a remake of the earlier one. The cast for the 1963 album was uncredited. Neither album listed the film's credits or made any mention of the film's cast.

{{anchor|A Whale of a Tale}}A single for the film's most memorable song "A Whale of a Tale", written by Norman Gimbel and Al Hoffman and sung by Kirk Douglas, was also released in 1954 under the Decca Children's Series label. According to Douglas, the recording was "very popular at the time".{{Cite book |last=Douglas |first=Kirk |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780470376171 |title=Let's Face It: 90 Years of Living, Loving, and Learning |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |year=2007 |isbn=9780470376171 |location=Hoboke, New Jersey |pages=89 |language=en |chapter=A Whale of a Tale}} The song "And the Moon Grew Brighter and Brighter", which Douglas had sung in the movie Man Without a Star (written by Lou Singer and Jimmy Kennedy), was the B-side. Both songs can be found on the 2008 digital release of the film's soundtrack.[http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/catalog/soundtrackdetail.php?movieid=16545 "Soundtrack Details: '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'."] Soundtrack Collector. Retrieved: January 9, 2015. In the film, Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor is played by Nemo on the Nautilus's organ, but James Mason's playing is actually dubbed by an anonymous organist.

On January 29, 2008, Walt Disney Records released a 26-track digital album containing the music of Paul Smith's original soundtrack score to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, plus both sides of the "A Whale of a Tale" single, as well as a digital booklet companion that explores the music of the film. This was the first official release of the film score and was initially available only through the iTunes Store.[https://music.apple.com/us/album/20-000-leagues-under-sea-soundtrack/272257616 "Soundtrack: '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' by Various Artists."] iTunes Store. Retrieved: January 9, 2015. Intrada released the same soundtrack on CD in 2011.[http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.7230/.f "Soundtrack Details: '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'."] Intrada. Retrieved: January 9, 2015. The music for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was composed by Paul Smith, with Joseph Dubin acting as the orchestrator.

On September 15, 1954, Variety reported that Disney and RKO Pictures had begun discussions on the distribution plans for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/variety195-1954-09/page/n170/mode/1up|title='Leagues' Distrib Selling Plans To Be Set This Week|magazine=Variety|page=5|date=September 15, 1954|access-date=May 22, 2024|via=Internet Archive}} A week later, it was reported that Disney decided to end his 17-year association with RKO, choosing instead to release the film through his newly formed distribution arm, Buena Vista Distribution. Overseas, the film was distributed by Walt Disney British Films Ltd, a studio-owned subsidiary in the UK, and other local distributors in international territories.{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/variety195-1954-09/page/n238/mode/1up|title=Disney 100% Out of RKO|magazine=Variety|page=7|date=September 22, 1954|access-date=May 22, 2024|via=Internet Archive}}

On December 23, 1954, the film premiered at the Astor Theatre. It was released in 65 key cities across the United States two days later, on Christmas Day.{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/variety196-1954-12/page/n17/mode/1up|title='League' Hits 65 Keys for Holiday|magazine=Variety|page=18|date=December 1, 1954|access-date=May 22, 2024|via=Internet Archive}} The film was re-released in theaters in 1963 and 1971.

In September 1980, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was made available for purchase or rental on videocassette, among other Disney films.{{cite news |title=Movies: Disney on cassettes |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76873031/the-philadelphia-inquirer/ |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |page=2-C |date=June 24, 1980 |access-date=May 22, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} In 1992, Scott MacQueen, then-senior manager of Disney's library restoration, did an extensive digital restoration for the film's videocassette release.

On May 20, 2003, the film was released on a two-disc DVD set with supplemental features, including an audio commentary, deleted scenes (including the original squid fight albeit without sound), and an extensive making-of documentary. On the same day, the film was screened at the El Capitan Theatre, with Richard Fleischer introducing the film.{{cite news |last=King |first=Susan |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-may-20-et-king20-story.html |title='20,000 Leagues' resurfaces on DVD |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=May 20, 2003 |access-date=May 22, 2024 |url-access=limited}} A 1080p HD version from a 4K restoration was released on iTunes in 2014.{{cite web|url=http://notonbluray.com/blog/20000-leagues-under-the-sea-itunes-hd-review/ |title=20,000 Leagues Under The Sea – iTunes HD Review |website=Not on Blu-ray |date=March 17, 2014 }} In 2019, the film was released on Blu-ray via the Disney Movie Club. The film was made available to stream on Disney+ when the service launched on November 12, 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://attractionsmagazine.com/disney-plus-day-one-list/|title=Every Disney movie, TV show available day one on Disney+|date=14 October 2019|website=Attractions Magazine}}

During its opening weekend, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea opened in second place at the box office behind There's No Business Like Show Business (1954).{{cite magazine|title=National Boxoffice Survey|date=December 29, 1954|page=3|url=https://archive.org/details/variety196-1954-12/page/n282/mode/1up|magazine=Variety|access-date=May 22, 2024|via=Internet Archive}} On its third weekend, the film became the number-one box office film in the United States, displacing Vera Cruz (1954).{{cite magazine|title=National Boxoffice Survey|date=January 12, 1955|page=3|url=https://archive.org/details/variety197-1955-01-12/page/n2/mode/1up|magazine=Variety|access-date=May 22, 2024|via=Internet Archive.org}} It was dethroned by Vera Cruz on its fourth weekend, but the film reclaimed the number-one position on its fifth weekend.{{cite magazine|title=National Boxoffice Survey|date=January 26, 1955|page=3|url=https://archive.org/details/variety197-1955-01-26/page/n2/mode/1up|magazine=Variety|access-date=May 22, 2024|via=Internet Archive}} By January 1956, the film had earned $8 million in distributor rentals at the box office from the United States and Canada,{{cite news|url=https://archive.org/details/variety201-1956-01/page/n83/mode/2up/|title=All Time Top Money Films|work=Variety|date=January 4, 1956|page=84|via=Internet Archive}} becoming the third highest-grossing film of 1954. (Another account put its initial rentals in the US and Canada at $6,607,000.{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|url=https://archive.org/details/variety221-1961-01/page/n360/mode/1up?|title=$16,700,000 Invested in Disney's Line up|page=3|date=18 January 1961|access-date=9 August 2024}}

Bosley Crowther of The New York Times stated that, "As fabulous and fantastic as anything he has ever done in cartoons is Walt Disney's 'live action' movie made from Jules Verne's '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.' Turned out in CinemaScope and color, it is as broad, fictitiously, as it is long (128 minutes), and should prove a sensation—at least with the kids."{{cite news|last=Crowther|first=Bosley|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/12/24/archives/the-screen-in-review-20000-leagues-in-128-fantastic-minutes.html|title=The Screen in Review; '20,000 Leagues' in 128 Fantastic Minutes|newspaper=The New York Times|page=7|date=December 24, 1954}} Gene Arneel of Variety praised the film as "a special kind of picture making, combining photographic ingenuity, imaginative story telling and fiscal daring." He felt "Richard Fleischer's direction keeps the Disney epic moving at a smart clip, picking up interest right from the start and deftly developing each of the many tense moments ... Earl Fenton's screenplay looks to be a combination of the best in the Verne original and new material to suit the screen form. It's a fine job of writing stimulating pic fare. Technical credits — underline the water photography — are excellent."{{cite magazine|last=Arneel|first=Gene|url=https://archive.org/details/variety196-1954-12/page/n149/mode/1up|title=Film Reviews: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea|magazine=Variety|page=6|date=December 15, 1954|access-date=June 13, 2020|via=Internet Archive}} Kate Cameron of the New York Daily News praised the film as a "thrilling and absorbing adaptation"; she further wrote: "Richard Fleischer handled the direction of the film with vivid imagination. The underwater scenes are fascinating in their eerie beauty and the interesting glimpses they contain of marine life."{{cite news |last=Cameron |first=Kate |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-kate-camerons-review-of-20/147889373/ |title=20,000 Leagues On Screen at Astor Theatre |newspaper=New York Daily News |page=13C |date=December 24, 1954 |access-date=May 22, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}

Philip K. Scheuer, reviewing for the Los Angeles Times, wrote: "Technically the film is a marvel itself, with actual underwater shot made in the Bahamas alternating with surface scale models that defy detection as such." He also praised Mason's performance, claiming "he lends depth and dimension to the stock figure of the 'mad genius.' The proof: he sometimes seems more pitied than scorned."{{cite news |last=Scheuer |first=Philip K. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-philip-k-scheuer/147888492/ |title='20,000 Leagues' Top Adventure Film of the Year |date=December 27, 1954 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |at=Part III, p. 9 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} Harrison's Reports wrote: "Expertly utilizing the CinemaScope medium and Technicolor photography, he [Walt Disney] and his staff have fashioned a picture that is not only a masterpiece from the production point of view but also a great entertainment, the kind that should go over in a big way with all types of audiences."{{cite news|url=https://archive.org/details/harrisonsreports00harr_2/page/n237/mode/2up/|title='20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' with Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas and Peter Lorre|work=Harrison's Reports|page=203|date=December 18, 1954|access-date=June 13, 2020|via=Internet Archive}} A review in the Chicago Tribune wrote, "Produced with care, in handsome color and peppered with humor, it's a nicely balanced dose of old supposition and modern fact."{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune/147888957/ |title=Disney Puts Lots of Verve in Verne Tale |newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune |at=Part 2, p. 5 |date=December 30, 1954 |access-date=May 22, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}

Contemporary film critic Steve Biodrowski said that the film is "far superior to the majority of genre efforts from the period (or any period, for that matter), with production design and technical effects that have dated hardly at all." Biodrowski also added that the film "may occasionally succumb to some of the problems inherent in the source material (the episodic nature does slow the pace), but the strengths far outweigh the weaknesses, making this one of the greatest science-fiction films ever made."{{cite web|last=Biodrowski|first=Steve|url=http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/2007/08/25/hollywood-gothique-captain-nemo-double-bill/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025195455/http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/2007/08/25/hollywood-gothique-captain-nemo-double-bill/|title=Hollywood Gothique: Captain Nemo Double Bill|work=Cinefantastique|archive-date=October 25, 2007|date=August 25, 2007}} On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 91% based on 32 reviews, with an average rating of 7.70/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "One of Disney's finest live-action adventures, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea brings Jules Verne's classic sci-fi tale to vivid life, and features an awesome giant squid."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1000079-20000_leagues_under_the_sea/|title=20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=March 25, 2024}}

The film's primary art director Harper Goff, who designed the fictitious Nautilus submarine, was not a member of the Art Directors Union. Therefore, under a bylaw within the Academy of Motion Pictures, he was unable to receive his Academy Award for Art Direction.[https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/152601 "Spotlight: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea."] Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: January 9, 2015.

File:20000 Leagues Ride 1979.jpg at Walt Disney World in 1979]]

Disneyland used the original sets as a walk-through attraction from 1955 to 1966. Walt Disney World Resort's Magic Kingdom also had a dark ride named 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage from 1971 to 1994 which consisted of a submarine ride, complete with the giant squid attack, and an arrangement of the main theme from the 1954 film playing on Captain Nemo's organ in the background. For this ride, voice artist Peter Renaday stood in for James Mason in the role of Captain Nemo.{{cite web |url=http://www.20kride.com/photos_below.html |title=20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. |work=20K Ride |access-date=January 9, 2015}} In 1994, a walkthrough attraction at Disneyland Paris, named Les Mystères du Nautilus, opened,{{cite web |url=http://www.photosmagiques.com/gallery/disneyland-park/discoveryland/les-mysteres-du-nautilus/ |title=Les Mystères du Nautilus. |work=Photos Magiques |date=September 29, 2011 |access-date=January 9, 2015}} and a dark ride at Tokyo DisneySea was created in 2001.{{cite web |last=Wilson |first=Shellie |url=http://notcraft.craftgossip.com/review-tokyo-disneyland-and-disneysea-part-2-tokyo-disneysea/2012/06/10/ |title=Review: Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea – Part 2: Tokyo DisneySea. |work=Craft Gossip |date=June 10, 2012 |access-date=January 9, 2015}} The exterior to The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure contains a silhouette of the Nautilus in a rock wall{{cite web |url=https://touringplans.com/blog/2016/04/20/walt-disney-world-relics-tributes-magic-kingdom/ |title=Walt Disney World Relics and Tributes: The Magic Kingdom |first=Savannah |last=Sanders |work=TouringPlans.com |date=April 20, 2016 |access-date=24 February 2019}} and the tiki bar Trader Sam's Grog Grotto at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort serves a cocktail called the "Nautilus"{{cite web |url=https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/polynesian-resort/trader-sams-grog-grotto/menus/ |title=Trader Sam's Grog Grotto menu |access-date=24 February 2019 |work=Disney World |publisher=Disney}} which is itself served in a stylized drinking vessel resembling the submarine,{{cite web |url=https://secure.cdn1.wdpromedia.com/resize/mwImage/1/640/360/75/dam/wdpro-assets/gallery/dining/resort-dining/polynesian-resort/trader-sams-grog-grotto/trader-sams-grog-grotto-gallery05.jpg |title=Trader Sam's Nautilus cocktail vessel |work=secure.cdn1.wdpromedia.com}} and features a dive helmet and a mechanical squid tentacle that pours liquor behind the bar.{{cite web |url=https://cflas.org/2015/03/29/trader-sams-grog-grotto-a-true-dive-bar/ |title=Trader Sam's Grog Grotto: Drinking You 20,000 Leagues Under The Table |first=Travis |last=Fillmen |work=Central Florida Aquarium Society |date=March 29, 2015 |access-date=24 February 2019}}

• Dell Four Color #614 (February 1955){{Grand Comics Database issue|id=12145|title=Dell Four Color #614}}{{Comic Book DB|type=issue|id=193573|title=Dell Four Color #614}}

On January 6, 2009, Variety reported that a live-action remake titled 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo was being planned with Joseph McGinty Nichol (professionally known as McG) attached to direct. The film served as an origin story for Captain Nemo, as he builds his warship, the Nautilus.{{cite news|last=Fleming|first=Michael|url=https://variety.com/2009/film/news/mcg-to-direct-disney-s-leagues-1117998080/|title=McG to direct Disney's 'Leagues'|work=Variety|date=January 6, 2009|access-date=January 9, 2015}} McG had remarked that it would be "much more in keeping with the spirit of the novel" than Richard Fleischer's film, in which it would reveal "what Aronnax is up to and the becoming of Captain Nemo, and how the man became at war with war itself". It was written by Bill Marsilli, with Justin Marks and Randall Wallace brought in to do rewrites.{{cite news|url=https://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=56966|title=Randall Wallace to Rewrite 'Captain Nemo'|website=ComingSoon.net|date=July 8, 2009|access-date=January 9, 2015|archive-date=September 30, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930194857/http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=56966|url-status=dead}} The film was to be produced by Sean Bailey with McG's Wonderland Sound and Vision.{{cite news|last=Graser|first=Marc|url=https://variety.com/2009/film/news/justin-marks-rewriting-nemo-1118000058/|title=Justin Marks rewriting 'Nemo'|work=Variety|date=February 11, 2009|access-date=January 9, 2015}}

McG once suggested that he wanted Will Smith as Captain Nemo, but he reportedly turned down the part.{{cite news|last=Vejvoda|first=Jim|url=http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/945/945281p1.html|title=Finding McG's Nemo|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221090207/http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/945/945281p1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 21, 2009|work=IGN|date=January 15, 2009|access-date=January 9, 2015}}{{cite news|last=Morris|first=Clint|url=http://www.moviehole.net/200920432-exclusive-sam-on-nemo|title=Exclusive: Sam downplays 'Nemo'|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100626010420/http://www.moviehole.net/200920432-exclusive-sam-on-nemo |url-status=dead|archive-date=June 26, 2010|website=Moviehole.net|date=August 21, 2009|access-date=January 9, 2015}} As a second possible choice, McG had mentioned Sam Worthington, with whom he worked on Terminator Salvation (2009), though they did not hold serious discussions. In November 2009, the project was shelved by then-Walt Disney Pictures chairman Rich Ross, after $10 million had been spent on pre-production work. Prior to the announcement, McG and Bailey had been notified of the project's cancellation.{{cite news|last1=Eller|first1=Claudia|last2=Chimelewksi|first2=Dawn C.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-nov-18-et-nemo18-story.html|title=Disney sinks 'Captain Nemo'|work=Los Angeles Times|date=November 18, 2009|access-date=June 2, 2020}}

During the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con, director David Fincher announced plans of directing 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea for Walt Disney Pictures based on a script by Scott Z. Burns.{{cite news|last=Rosenberg|first=Adam|url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2010/07/28/exclusive-david-fincher-confirms-that-work-continues-on-20000-leagues-under-the-sea/|title=Exclusive: David Fincher Confirms That Work Continues On '20,000 Leagues Under The Sea'|work=MTV Movies Blog|url-status=dead|date=July 28, 2010|archive-date=September 9, 2015|access-date=January 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909035751/http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2010/07/28/exclusive-david-fincher-confirms-that-work-continues-on-20000-leagues-under-the-sea/}} While Fincher was wrapping up The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), it was speculated that 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea would enter principal photography by late 2012.{{cite news|last=Davis|first=Edward|url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/sony-officially-planning-to-make-dragon-tattoo-sequels-but-david-fincher-is-looking-to-direct-20-000-leagues-instead|title=Sony Officially Plans To Make 'Dragon Tattoo' Sequels, But David Fincher Is Looking To Direct '20,000 Leagues' Instead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605141056/http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/sony-officially-planning-to-make-dragon-tattoo-sequels-but-david-fincher-is-looking-to-direct-20-000-leagues-instead|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 5, 2013|work=IndieWire|date=January 9, 2012|access-date=January 9, 2015}} In the meantime, Fincher began courting Brad Pitt to play the role of Ned Land while the film was kept on hold.{{cite news|last=Sneider|first=Jeff|url=https://variety.com/2012/film/news/fincher-scopes-out-brad-pitt-for-20-000-leagues-1118060967/|title=Director courts frequent collaborator for role of harpoonist Ned Land.|work=Variety|date=October 18, 2012|access-date=January 9, 2015}} However, in February 2013, it was announced that Pitt had officially turned down the role.{{cite news|last=Dibdin|first=Emma|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a460011/brad-pitt-turns-down-david-finchers-20000-leagues-under-the-sea.html|title=Brad Pitt 'turns down David Fincher's '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea|work=Digital Spy|date=February 12, 2013|access-date=January 9, 2015}}

In April 2013, it was announced that the Australian government would provide a one-off incentive of $20 million in order to secure the production.{{cite news|last=Bullbeck|first=Pip|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-s-20000-leagues-under-432259|title=Disney's '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' Confirmed For Australia Shoot'|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=April 2, 2013|access-date=January 9, 2015}} Despite this, the film was put on hold again the following month due to complications in casting a lead.{{cite news|last=Child|first=Ben|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/may/20/brad-pitt-passes-20000-leagues-under-the-sea|title=20,000 Leagues Under the Sea remake put on hold|work=The Guardian|date=May 20, 2013|access-date=January 9, 2015}} On July 17, 2013, Fincher dropped out to direct the film adaptation of Gone Girl.{{cite news|last=Davis|first=Edward|url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/exclusive-andrew-kevin-walker-rewriting-dragon-tattoo-sequel-david-finchers-20-000-leagues-is-dead-20130717|title=Exclusive: Andrew Kevin Walker Rewriting 'Dragon Tattoo' Sequel; David Fincher's '20,000 Leagues' Is Dead|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130720030024/http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/exclusive-andrew-kevin-walker-rewriting-dragon-tattoo-sequel-david-finchers-20-000-leagues-is-dead-20130717|archive-date=July 20, 2013|work=IndieWire|date=July 17, 2013|access-date=January 9, 2015}} Fincher revealed in an interview that he left the film because he wanted Channing Tatum for Ned Land, but Disney wanted Chris Hemsworth for the role.{{cite news|last=Jagernauth|first=Kevin|url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/david-fincher-says-differences-over-casting-and-disneys-corporate-culture-stalled-20-000-leagues-under-the-sea-20140915|title=David Fincher Says Differences Over Casting And Disney's Corporate Culture Stalled '20,000 Leagues Under The Sea'|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140918195018/http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/david-fincher-says-differences-over-casting-and-disneys-corporate-culture-stalled-20-000-leagues-under-the-sea-20140915 |archive-date=September 18, 2014|work=Indie Wire|date=September 15, 2014|access-date=January 9, 2015}} Additionally, the money originally allocated for the production of this film was redirected towards Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017).{{cite news|last=Child|first=Ben|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/sep/01/pirates-of-the-caribbean-5-shoot-australia/|title=Pirates of the Caribbean 5 gets green light to shoot in Australia|work=The Guardian|date=September 1, 2014|access-date=January 9, 2015}}

In February 2016, Disney announced that it was planning a live-action film titled Captain Nemo, with James Mangold directing.{{cite news |date=February 25, 2016 |last=Ford |first=Rebecca |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/wolverine-helmer-james-mangold-direct-869705 |title='Wolverine' Helmer James Mangold to Direct Disney's 'Captain Nemo' |work=The Hollywood Reporter }} Mangold left the project to instead direct Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023).{{cite web |date=29 August 2021 |last1=Williams |first1=Jordan |title=Why Disney's 20,000 Leagues Adaptation Has Taken So Long: Every Failed Version |url=https://screenrant.com/20000-leagues-under-sea-disney-movie-show-delays-cancelled/ |website=ScreenRant }}

On August 23, 2021, it was announced that a ten-episode miniseries titled Nautilus was in development. The series will be an origin story about Captain Nemo and will be written by James Dormer, who will co-produce with Johanna Devereaux.{{cite web |date=23 August 2021 |last1=Ritman |first1=Alex |title=Disney+ Orders 'Nautilus' Series Based on Jules Verne Classic '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/disney-nautilus-20000-leagues-under-sea-adaptation-1235001471/ |website=The Hollywood Reporter }} On November 12, 2021, Shazad Latif was cast in the lead role while Michael Matthews will direct the series.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/11/shazad-latif-captain-nemo-disney-nautilus-michael-matthews-1234872277/|title=Shazad Latif Tapped To Play Captain Nemo In Disney+ Series 'Nautilus', Michael Matthews On Board To Direct|website=Deadline|last=Kroll|first=Justin|date=November 12, 2021|access-date=November 12, 2021}} However, in August 2023, Disney pulled out from the project due to its cost-reduction strategy to its streaming platforms.{{Cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=August 27, 2023 |title=Disney+ Not Going Forward With 'Nautilus' UK Series As Part Of Cost-Cutting Content Removal |url=https://deadline.com/2023/08/nautilus-canceled-disney-plus-uk-series-cost-cutting-content-removal-1235529143/ |access-date=May 22, 2024 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}} In October of the same year, the AMC television channel acquired the series, with plans to air it in 2024.{{cite web |last=White |first=Peter |url=https://deadline.com/2023/10/nautilus-amc-disney-1235587237/ |title=Captain Nemo Series 'Nautilus' Docks At AMC After Disney+ UK Cancelation |website=Deadline |date=October 30, 2023 |access-date=May 22, 2024}}

• List of underwater science fiction works
• Mysterious Island, a 1961 film by Columbia Pictures, based on Verne's 1874 novel The Mysterious Island, which was a sequel to two of Verne's earlier novels: In Search of the Castaways (also known as Captain Grant's Children) (1867) and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870)
• In Search of the Castaways, a 1962 Disney film based on Verne's 1867 novel In Search of the Castaways (a.k.a. Captain Grant's Children)
• Atlantis: The Lost Empire, a 2001 Disney animated film that would share much of the same design language as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

;Notes

{{Reflist|group=Note}}

;References

{{Reflist}}

;Bibliography

• {{cite book |last=Douglas |first=Kirk |title=The Ragman's Son: An Autobiography |url=https://archive.org/details/ragmanssonaut00doug_0/ |year=1989 |location=New York |publisher=Pocket Books |isbn=0-671-63718-5 |url-access=registration}}
• {{cite book |last=Schickel |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Schickel |title=The Disney Version: The Life, Times, Art and Commerce of Walt Disney |url=https://archive.org/details/disneyversionlif00schi_0 |location=Chicago |publisher=Ivan R. Dee |orig-year=1968 |year=1997 |edition=Third |isbn=978-1-56663-158-7 |url-access=registration}}
• {{cite book |last=Warren |first=Bill |author-link=Bill Warren (film historian and critic) |title=Keep Watching the Skies: American Science Fiction Films of the Fifties |url=https://archive.org/details/keepwatchingskie00iiwarr |edition=21st Century |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=McFarland & Company |orig-year=1982 |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-89950-032-4 |url-access=registration}}

{{commons category}}

{{wikiquote}}

• {{IMDb title|id=0046672}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20150402112559/http://www.dbcult.com/movie-database/20000-leagues-under-the-sea-1954/ 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea] at [http://www.dbcult.com/ DBCult Film Institute]
• {{TCMDb title|20642|20,000 Leagues Under the Sea}}

{{Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea}}

{{Richard Fleischer}}

{{Jules Verne}}

{{Authority control}}

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