20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

G

1954

2h 7m

Kids & Family

Drama

Adventure

Fantasy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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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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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Variety Staff

Variety

06/06/2007

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.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

06/06/2007

Grandly entertaining.

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

06/24/2006

This is one of the great movie adventures, fully deserving its canonisation in Disney World.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Jul 28

3.5/4

One of Walt Disney’s earliest live-action pictures still remains one of its best.

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Kevin Carr

Fat Guys at the Movies

03/15/2024

2.5/4

Visionary for the 50s, this suffers a bit from the serialized nature of the source material.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

01/29/2024

4/5

... 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...

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Mark L.

@Peabsrt May 7

I saw this movie when I was a boy and loved it. I just watched it again and very happy I did. It's a great story with a terrific cast. In my opinion is one of Disney's best movies that they've made. This is a great family movie for kids and parents to watch together. James Mason was terrific as the captain and Kirk Douglas was very entertaining as a harpoon sailor.

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rogerio s

@Roger31416 Aug 15

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.

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Henry T

@RT79168412 Aug 12

It was super fun and I enjoyed it a lot!!

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Wesley H.

@historynerdnumber1 Jul 18

I think this is the right movie

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thiago s

@Thiagostone 05/26/2025

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.

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Nick S

@NickSpecter 10/05/2024

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!

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Richard Fleischer

Director

Kirk Douglas

Ned Land

James Mason

Capt. Nemo

Paul Lukas

Prof. Pierre Arronax

Peter Lorre

Conseil

Robert J. Wilke

First Mate of the Nautilus

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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)