20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
August 2003 Reviewed by: Josh Barber Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

"20,000 leagues under the sea," in case you didn't know, is a measure of distance, not depth, in the same way that you could drive "15 miles into Colorado" without ending up in the bedrock. This always confused me when I was a youngster, so I thought I'd clear it up right away.

Walt Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (the onscreen title never had the comma in its number, achieving the effect through a special typeface logo, though it did appear on all print advertisements) has been aped, lifted, referenced, and lampooned in various works over the years, from the straight drama of The Hunt for Red October to Disney's own enjoyable animated adventure Atlantis: The Lost Empire. In adapting Jules Verne's thrilling socio-political commentary, Disney all but created the entire "underwater power struggle" genre.

However, all those references sometimes take on a larger life than the film itself, leaving 20,000 Leagues in the unenviable position of being compared unfavorably to itself.

A master stroke of 1950s acting and effects, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea stars grit-mouthed Kirk Douglas as harpoonist Ned Land, wearing the striped shirt that has since become ubiquitous shorthand for "submarine crew member." James Mason is blustery as the distinctly Anglican Captain Nemo, quite unlike the charming misanthrope Verne created in his novels.

The killer squid that sticks in so many viewers' minds could have been a typical cheesy rubber monster, but instead comes vividly to life under the guidance of director Richard Fleischer (son of Walt's animation competitor Max). The Nautilus submarine is a distinctive beast, with interiors that exemplify the quintessential idea of Victorian steampunk. Earl Felton's script is brimming with the sort of pseudo-philosophy modern audiences will know only from The Matrix films, but still displays the man's obvious skill with language.

Arriving just before the film's 50th birthday, this two-disc set is a fine answer to the terrible video transfer that was the film's only previous home release, yet it is not without problems. 20,000 Leagues was Disney's first entry into the world of widescreen Cinemascope, and this 2.55:1 recreation tries to recapture that expansive sense, though something a little less harsh might have been better. Even fully remastered, the picture quality shows its age in both grain and sharpness, though the color palette is nicely balanced and emphatically strong. The sound engineers have removed the rasping lisp that '50s-era soundtracks often hiss forth today, and the louder bits are window-rattlingly deep.

The first disc has a few promotional trailers and a widescreen Donald Duck cartoon. Film historian Rudy Behlmer joins director Fleischer for a full-length commentary, though it barely compares to the wealth of information we get on the second disc.

"The Making of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" is a comprehensive 88-minute examination of every aspect of the production with a welcome mix of nostalgia and candor. Interviewing those involved with the production yields memories both fond and apologetic while enriching the viewer's enjoyment of the film.

"Jules Verne & Walt Disney: Explorers of the Imagination" compares the sometimes parallel impact the two men had on their respective eras. "The Humboldt Squid: A Real Sea Monster" looks at the giant cephalopods we still know so little about. "Lost Treasures: The Sunset Squid Sequence" presents the ill-advised attempt at a daylight squid battle, while the section of "Unused Animation" offers a glimpse of Fleischer's desire to have bioluminescent fish visible through the portholes.

"The Musical Legacy of Paul Smith" is a tribute to the Oscar-winning composer; "Touring the Nautilus" takes us through blueprints of the aquatic behemoth; "Monsters of the Deep" presents a seven-minute promotional short; and "Movie Merchandise" interviews a pair of diehard 20,000 Leagues memorabilia collectors.

The disc is rounded out with some fairly prosaic features: a production gallery, storyboard-to-scene comparison, screenplay excerpt, cast and crew biographies, advertising elements and production documents. Finally, we get the film's theatrical trailer and a brief outtakes reel.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, as a movie, could never be made today. Not because of limitations in technology or budgets, but because of what it is: an anti-war commentary with a terrorist protagonist who not only outthinks and outmaneuvers his governmental foes, but is right in doing so. It's also a family movie from a time when that label meant something other than fart jokes and tedious boredom for any parent or guardian unlucky enough to have to attend. Fortunately, Disney has unearthed every bit of buried treasure related to this film, providing a fine bit of bounty for us all.

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