Tag: 20000 leagues under the sea

Reviews

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

The Animation Commendation17 Comments

20000leaguesunderthesea

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Who doesn’t love a Jules Verne novel? His novels are just great adventure/scientific/steampunk-ish lore that it appeals to everyone with a sense of adventure. And the adventure genre lends itself to great expression through film. And 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is no exception! This Disney film is actually the most famous film adaptation of the novel.

In quite an interesting turn, this film was directed by Richard Fleischer.

He directed many films including Doctor Dolittle, Conan the Destroyer, and Red Sonja.
He directed many films including Doctor Dolittle, Conan the Destroyer, and Red Sonja.

Why was this interesting? Because he was the son of Walt Disney’s animation “rival”, Max Fleischer.

He was the man behind early cartoons such as Betty Boop, Popeye, and Superman. He also directed two live-action animated features, Gulliver's Travels and Mr. Bug Goes to Town. He also pioneered innovations such as the Rotoscope and the bouncing ball on sing-alongs.
He was the man behind early cartoons such as Betty Boop, Popeye, and Superman. He also directed two full-length animated features, Gulliver’s Travels and Mr. Bug Goes to Town. He also pioneered innovations such as the Rotoscope and the bouncing ball on sing-alongs.

Yeah, not every person can employ his competitor’s family members. Even Richard Fleischer was a bit surprised that Walt Disney approved of him directing the film. He even asked Walt if he knew who he was. Walt replied yes, but that he was the right man for the job. And his father, Max Fleischer also supported this decision and wasn’t mad that his son was working for his competitor. And people say that filmmakers are cold-hearted money-grabbers!

"Glad you could make it, Max!" (Hope nothing happens to your son while he works here.) "It's my pleasure to be here, Walt!" (When, oh when, will he drink the tea I drugged him?)
“Glad you could make it, Max!” (Hope nothing bad happens to your son while he works here.)
“It’s my pleasure to be here, Walt!” (When, oh when, will you drink your tea that I drugged?)

Anyway, let’s take a dive into (see what I did there) this review of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Before we begin, I must let you all know that I’ve had some problems playing this movie on my laptop, hence I wasn’t able to get any screenshots from the film as I usually do. As a result of that, this review will be shorter than usual, so I hope you’ll forgive me.

"We shall see whether you deserve our forgiveness, Mark Brown! We shall see!"
“We shall see whether you deserve our forgiveness, Mark Brown! We shall see!”

Now, without further ado, let’s get started! 

And remember, SPOILERS AHEAD!

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