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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Play trailer Poster for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea G Released Dec 23, 1954 2h 7m Kids & Family Drama Adventure Fantasy Play Trailer Watchlist
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91% Tomatometer 32 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
In 1866, Professor Pierre M. Aronnax (Paul Lukas) and his assistant Conseil (Peter Lorre), stranded in San Francisco by reports of a giant sea monster attacking ships in the Pacific Ocean, are invited to join an expedition to search for the creature. During the search, they and harpooner Ned Land (Kirk Douglas) are thrown overboard during an attack, eventually discovering that the supposed monster is actually a submarine piloted by the brilliant but haunted Captain Nemo (James Mason).
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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Critics Reviews

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Variety Staff Variety Walt Disney's production of 20000 Leagues under the Sea is very special kind of picture, combining photographic ingenuity, imaginative story telling and fiscal daring. Jun 6, 2007 Full Review Dave Kehr Chicago Reader Grandly entertaining. Jun 6, 2007 Full Review Geoff Andrew Time Out This is one of the great movie adventures, fully deserving its canonisation in Disney World. Jun 24, 2006 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy One of Walt Disney’s earliest live-action pictures still remains one of its best. Rated: 3.5/4 Jul 28, 2025 Full Review Kevin Carr Fat Guys at the Movies Visionary for the 50s, this suffers a bit from the serialized nature of the source material. Rated: 2.5/4 Mar 15, 2024 Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com ... delivers when it comes to story, dialogue, acting and overall bonhomie; it’s a cinematic game-changer of its day that still comes up fresh as paint today... Rated: 4/5 Jan 29, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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rogerio s While I always hate it when they change the ending (the fate of the Nautilus is the opposite, made to look like a classic film ending of the time, differing 180° from the book): Such a historic film, with Kirk Douglas as Ned Land, will always deserve 5 stars. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/15/25 Full Review Audience Member It was super fun and I enjoyed it a lot!! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/13/25 Full Review Wesley H. I think this is the right movie Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/18/25 Full Review thiago s Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 05/26/25 Full Review Nick S Good classic with a good cast. It has a bit of an early James Bond feel to it with props and photography. Great for its time. Not 100% accurate to the source material and much more focused on action than the soul of the original (exploration) but still worth a watch! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/05/24 Full Review Deke P ICONIC, EPIC, CLASSIC Disney movie based on the classic novel. I remember when it came out in 'my favorite year' 1954. And Disneyland featured the actual movie set of the interior of the submarine Nautilus. I don't know if it is still there. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/05/24 Full Review Read all reviews
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

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Movie Info

Synopsis In 1866, Professor Pierre M. Aronnax (Paul Lukas) and his assistant Conseil (Peter Lorre), stranded in San Francisco by reports of a giant sea monster attacking ships in the Pacific Ocean, are invited to join an expedition to search for the creature. During the search, they and harpooner Ned Land (Kirk Douglas) are thrown overboard during an attack, eventually discovering that the supposed monster is actually a submarine piloted by the brilliant but haunted Captain Nemo (James Mason).
Director
Richard Fleischer
Producer
Walt Disney
Screenwriter
Jules Verne, Earl Felton
Distributor
Abril Vídeo, Warner Home Vídeo, Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co
Walt Disney Pictures
Rating
G
Genre
Kids & Family, Drama, Adventure, Fantasy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 23, 1954, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2013
Runtime
2h 7m
Sound Mix
Stereo, Magnetic Stereo 6 Track
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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