20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Play trailer

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

G

Released Dec 23, 1954

2h 7m

Kids & Family

Drama

Adventure

Fantasy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

31 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).

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

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

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

Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

It never loses its sense of spectacle during the underwater journey in CinemaScope. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 7/10

Aug 9, 2022

Full Review

Read all reviews

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

Dimitris T

An amazing film adaptation of its source material with minor but still interesting deviations in terms of plot. Perfectly designed and produced with beautiful sceneries, adventurous, dramatic, humorous and with a variety of captivating characters portrayed by some masters of the acting industry.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/27/25

Full Review

Dale R

While I have not read the book, I do feel like this was a fairly accurate depiction of it. The reason for this assumption is how the characters feel more clunky in the movie than I’m sure they do in the book. Kirk Douglas plays Ned Land, the “hero” of the story. Maybe the movie is showing its age, but I felt Ned was a jerk the whole movie. I respected the Professor, played by Paul Lukas, a lot more. James Mason did a great job as Captain Nemo and Peter Lorre is such a unique presence on screen! For the time, the special effects and the fight scene against the giant squid was great. Something worth checking out.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/07/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

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

Swiss Family Robinson

81%

78%

Swiss Family Robinson

Watchlist

Peter Pan

78%

80%

Peter Pan

Watchlist

Alice in Wonderland

84%

78%

Alice in Wonderland

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Alice in Wonderland

The Incredible Journey

89%

74%

The Incredible Journey

Watchlist

Lady and the Tramp

91%

80%

Lady and the Tramp

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Lady and the Tramp

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

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)

Most Popular at Home Now