Rating: 
Summary: Great Extras
Review: Wow! Great treatment of this classic. The extra's DVD has behind the scenes footage of the making of the film from the 50's. The footage is lengthy and not like some "token" behind the scenes DVD teasers out today. Well worth buying.
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Summary: All this will one day come to pass...
Review: "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" is, IMHO, one of the greatest Science Fantasy's ever brought to the silver screen, and the one true unquestionable masterpiece from the "House of Mouse!" Being the wrong side of 40, "20,000 Leagues" is one of my earliest cinematic memories, and watching this superb Disney DVD - in wide screen for only the first time since I saw it as a child! - brought the magic of those long ago years flooding back in an instant!The Amazon review above will give you the bare bones of the story; a terrible "sea monster" - all glowing eyes and "breath like a furnace!" - is sinking ships just after the end of the American Civil War. Things have gotten so bad that maritime trade is being crippled; ships can't sail without a crew, the crews themselves having deserted in fear of the "monster." Almost in desperation, the authorities organize a hunt for the creature, and invite the famed oceanographer, "Professor Arronax," and his research assistant "Conseil," along, on a US warship, to lend the expedition scientific gravitas. Also along for the ride is a fearless harpooner, "Ned Land," looking for adventure, and the rewards of being the man who kills the "monster." After more than a month at sea, and with no sighting of anything unusual, they are about to head for home when they see a ship, some miles distant, explode with enormous force. They race to the spot and arrive in time to see the vessel slipping beneath the waves with all hands. A lookout sees the creature in the distance, moving away from the area; they fire on it and it turns towards them. Slicing through the waves, the creature races towards its attackers with a hellish shriek, its eyes alight, just as the stories said, with an unearthly glow. Panic ensues on the ship, the gunner's fire repeatedly, but cannot find their range; the creature is covering the distance between them at incredible speed! The resulting impact is shattering; Arronax, Conseil, and Land, are hurled into the sea, where they are separated. Arronax and Conseil watch helplessly as the crippled warship limps away into the distance, listing badly. After hours in the water, and completely lost in a fogbank, Arronax and Conseil come across the "monster" floating on the surface. They soon discover that what they thought was a supernatural beast, is, in fact, a fantastic vessel, a "sub-marine boat," capable of travel beneath the surface of the sea. Seemingly deserted, they enter the ship and start to explore, soon to be joined by Ned Land, who paddles into view on an upturned skiff. From a massive view port, they see the crew outside the ship working on the seabed; once the crew returns, the three friends are quickly apprehended... now their adventure, and ours, is about to REALLY begin! The ship they are on is called the "Nautilus," a technological wonderland, it's commanded by "Captain Nemo;" his crew, all of them to a man, absolutely loyal. The Captain has scant time for Conseil, and even less for Land, but he is pleased to meet the renowned Pierre Arronax, a man he sees, at least as far as their mutual fascination for the sea is concerned, as a kindred spirit. Nemo takes Arronax under his wing, slowly revealing to him the secrets of the deep through which they travel, and the fantastical secrets of the Nautilus itself. Nemo also shares his own terrible secrets with the oceanographer, experiences that have shaped him, and driven both him, and his crew, to disown any allegiances to any and all terrestrial governments and flags. Nemo is portrayed by James Mason in a magnificently layered, complex performance. At first cold, austere, dark, and brooding, Mason slowly reveals the tortured soul of the man, driven by his own demons to do what he knows are terrible things, for, he hopes, the betterment of mankind. Neither hero nor villain, Mason's performance is beautifully nuanced, and his final scenes are especially moving. The three other central characters are also played to perfection, Kirk Douglas, especially, has a blast with Ned Land, one moment slap-sticking his way through his song, "A Whale of a Tale," the next butting heads with Nemo, and plotting escape. Peter Lorre, as Conseil, is the perfect foil to Douglas' larger than life character, and the two of them seemed to have formed a genuine friendship on the set, something which shows through in the "hair" scenes... you'll know them when you see them! Paul Lukas is pitch perfect as Professor Arronax, all at once in thrall to Nemo's genius, but at the same time horrified by the terrible deeds he's capable of. And a final word has to go to the 'biggest' character of all, the Nautilus itself; a gothic masterpiece, it's quite simply the greatest fantasy vehicle ever created for the silver screen... EVER! The Nautilus departs quite extensively from Verne's description, but, just like the film itself, it's completely within the spirit of the original story, more so than just about any film adaptation of classic Science Fantasy that I can think of! One minor gripe, Nemo, as I have said before, is an incredibly complex character, so I was saddened to see on the back of the DVD case, the following; "...can the captive crew (Arronax etc) expose his (Nemo's) evil plan before he destroys the world?" After all that Disney has done to make this a landmark release, with hours of extras, including an incredible 90 minute(!) "making of" featurette, it's such a shame that Nemo is misrepresented so crudely. Almost half a century(!) later, this is still Disney's crowning glory, and a glowing testament to visionary film making... HIGHLY recommended!!!
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Summary: OLD FASHIONED BIG SCREEN ADVENTURE
Review: 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA - Special Edition is the last of the classic Disney films in the vault and it is a special event that this beloved adventure is finally available in a lavish two-disc DVD special edition with dozens of actually watchable extras. Released in 1954, Jules Verne's swashbuckling sci-fi epic got the super widescreen (2.55:1) treatment with Walt's legendary hands on touch finessing many of the details and some of the action sequences including the now iconic giant squid battle at night during a storm. Climb aboard the Nautilus and descend into a strange undersea universe and remember what it was like to be a kid at the movies where story itself matters. Kirk Douglas and Peter Lorre are in fine form as shipwrecked sailors taken captive cryptic Captain Nemo. James Mason's Nemo wonderfully wavers between madman and genius as he pursues a deadly crusade across the seven seas. Can the captive crew defeat Nemo's plan before he destroys the world?
The digital transfer is stunning and the hours of extras are too many to detail. I especially liked the behind the scenes featurette that compares Jules Verne and Walt Disney as "Explorers of the Imagination." This must-have family film is a basic element of any digital library. Highest recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: Disney's 20,000 Leagues is better than ever!
Review: If you're as big a fan of Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea as I am then you'll consider this DVD money well spent. This DVD is worth every penny and more considering all the extras Disney included. First off- this is the best print I've ever seen- Disney has remastered the film and it looks brand-new. Vivid colors, sharp details, deep blacks-the film never looked better. The sound is remastered too- the improvements are subtle, but very good. The real meat though is the extras- Disney has found footage that was thought lost forever- and it's a joy to behold. The legendary original "Sunset Squid" fight is here, edited to the film's music to suggest how it might have looked if used. You get a terrific documentary on the making of the film (And I'm not talking about the "Operation Undersea" tv show either. A tour of the Nautilus, Nemo's Organ Music, a Cinemascope cartoon, a documentary on real squids, and lots more. Commentary by the director, film historians and collectors is great too. The only quibble is the box could have looked better- but that's nitpicking of the first order considering what's here. You will be pleased- this is the way DVD's were meant to be.
Rating: 
Summary: Divers down
Review: The lengthy and often talky "20,000 Leagues" probably won't thrill kids fresh from "The Matrix Reloaded," but they may be interested to know that the Verne film was the effects marvel of its day. Parents raised in the wonder years will feel the rush of pure nostalgia. The acting of James Mason and Kirk Douglas should be a revelation to those who remember the film as an effects vehicle. This rousing package will keep the film's legend (and the nostalgia) alive, while hauling in yet another load of "20,000" treasure for Disney. The movie, one of the earliest to be shot in Cinemascope, comes only in the original aspect ratio of 2.55:1. The radical crop yields dramatic visuals, especially on screens designed for widescreen. The Technicolor images sparkle. There are few signs of damage, especially considering the film is a half-century old. Audio, in Dolby Digital 5.1, is adequate, heavily front-biased with limited effects routed to rear speakers. But for a minute, when Capt. Nemo plays Bach on his golden pipe organ, the rear channels spring magnificently to life. Too bad there aren't more moments like this. The DVDs' generous collection of extras covers the many effects' creation, with insights from many of the surviving craftsmen. The making-of featurette is packed with great tales and color production footage. Too much of the material in the extras is repeated on the director's feature-length commentary, in which director Richard Fleischer tells his well-worn stories to a slow-talking film historian. Disc 2 includes a quartet of well-made new featurettes. One must-see extra unspools (16mm) footage of the original squid attack. (We're talking "Mystery Science Theater" here.) The extras repeatedly pay tribute to production designer Harper Goff, who built the Nautilus, basing it on the bodies of sharks and alligators (Jules Verne's sub was smooth and futuristic.) Goff "had an extraordinary ability to put himself in Victorian times," one coworker says. Goff discusses his concepts on old videotape. Also justly celebrated are set decorator Emile Kuri and matte master Peter Ellenshaw. In a nice touch, a featurette covers music man Paul Smith, a gifted but low-profile Disney lifer best known for "Pinocchio." The featurette "Explorers of the Imagination" makes the case for Verne and Disney as visionary brethren. Another examines the real giant squid, found in the Pacific off Mexico (yes, they will eat you). Disc 1 kicks off with "Grand Canyonscope," the original Donald Duck cartoon that preceded "20,000 Leagues." Menus are fairly simple, an improvement on the time-wasting guides Disney seems fond of these days.
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Summary: New 20K DVD is STUNNING !!
Review: This new "20,000 Leagues" DVD is everything I'd hoped it would be, and I've been "hoping" for quite a long time!! It looks just like a new film! Total restoration of both picture and sound. The colors are rich and vivid with beautiful contrasts and clarity. The aspect ratio is 2.55:1, which means it's as wide as "Doctor Zhivago"...and that's W-I-D-E. Paul Smith's music is wonderfully realized -- now you can really enjoy the Debussy "La Mer" references in the underwater farming scene. And speaking of which, that scene itself is a marvel. It's almost as though they'd sneaked a miniature "True Life Adventure" right into the middle of the picture -- such a deal ! I've hardly even begun making my way through the hours of extra stuff... Okay folks, I'm sure this disc will set a new home video standard, so if you happen to own "20,000 Leagues" in any other format, even the widescreen laserdisc, JUNK it and pick up this DVD. (I usually don't rave on mindlessly about anything, but in this instance, I think I'm entitled !!)
Rating:
Summary: 20,000 stars above excellent!
Review: Kirk Douglas (and his teeth) star in this Classic Disney movie of Jules Verne's famous novel. Not only was Verne ahead of his time, but Disney too. A thrilling graphic story of the hunt for a mysterious sea monster which turns out to be a submarine. Uncut! Digitally restored! Digitally enhanced with THX sound!
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Summary: DISNEY DVD BACK IN FORM WITH 20,000 LEAGUES
Review: Based on the immortal book by Jules Verne, "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" is the tale of three castaways, (a stuffy professor {Paul Lukas}, his meager assistant {Peter Lorre} and a salty harpooner {Kirk Douglas})who stumble across the Nautilus, a revolutionary submarine operated under the deadly influences of Captain Nemo (James Mason). This was Walt Disney's first extremely expensive, Cinemascope, live action feature film and with its launch, the Disney Studio legacy would never be the same. The special effects are masterfully undertaken, for the most part, holding their own with the best done today, and there is much to be admired in the noble handling of the subject and charaters. This is, in point of fact, a children's classic made more for adults than children, with that added magical spark destined to ignite the child within us all.
THE TRANSFER: The staff at Disney ought to give each other a well deserved pat on the back. This DVD is simply gorgeous. Yes, the color scheme is muted, with flesh tones that appear rather on the bland side, but these are shortcomings based in the original color negative and should not be criticized on this DVD.
The image quality throughout is smooth and textured with fine details and wonderfully strong contrast and black levels. Edge enhancement and pixelization are non-existent. Shimmering is only a minor concern and infrequent. Film grain is practically non-existent. The 5.1 remastered audio effort astounds in both its clarity and spread.
EXTRAS: Where to begin. Blow me down, there's just too, too many to talk about. Here are the highlights: a very fine making-of documentary, the original octopus fight sequence against a sunset, some wonderful out-takes and a really fine gallery of stills. As I say, these are just highlights. There's plenty more to shiver your timbers on this 2-disc set.
BOTTOM LINE: Don't walk - run to your video retailer and snatch up this classic film. It's absolutely essential to the library of any one calling themselves a film buff.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent DVD release -- widescreen plus extras!
Review: Disney has given this film the deluxe DVD treatment, and fans should be very appreciative. Like last year's "Vault Disney" releases of Pollyannna, Parent Trap, Swiss Family Robinson, and Old Yeller, this DVD offers interesting extras and - most importantly - the film in its original theatrical ratios (widescreen). Now if only Disney would release ALL its films in this format -- we were especially disappointed that The Moonspinners, Snowball Express and Blackbeard's Ghost were not released in their original ratios. Hopefully, fans will let Disney know that this is the way they want Disney films (live action and animated) to be released. Thanks to everyone at BVHV for excellent releases of 20,000 Leagues and The Love Bug.
Rating:
Summary: Sci-Fi Adventure at its best
Review: Granted, this 1954 release from Disney is a milestone with all the special effect mentioned and well deserved the Academy Award that this film earned in this department. As being depicted as the first Live action from Disney from other viewers, unfort it isn't the first one. The First one was "Treasure Island" in 1950 with Bobby Driscoll. This 1954 release is the first CinemaScope (letterbox, to the 16.9 fans) feature that came out of the House of Mouse, where the first CinemaScope film ever, from the House of Mouse, was "Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and BOOM! in 1953, which won an Oscar for best animated short that year. The choice of actors to play the characters in this classic visionary of the novel was well chosen. Mason couldn't have done better as Nemo, Douglas was a great choice, in as well as the character played by Peter Lorre. (course, Mason had another opportunity to play in an another Sci-Fi in "Journey to the Center of the Earth" 5 years later, which was just released on DVD in February). Bravo from Disney to re-release such a classic as this one again.
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