Please choose an exhibit:

(1) The Story of "20,000 Leagues" (see below)
(2) The Cast of "20,000 Leagues"
(3) The Special Effects of "20,000 Leagues"
(4) The Animation of "20,000 Leagues"

The Story of 20,000 Leagues

"It's more than just another picture," Walt said, referring to "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." That was certainly an understatement. The film, promoted as "The Mightiest Motion Picture of Them All," opened on December 23, 1954 and was a milestone in Walt's long career making live-action films. Just for starters:

• The film established the Disney Studio as a major force in live-action films, and remains one of the most successful he ever made.
• It was Walt's first big-budget live-action picture, building on the success of his preceding films including "Treasure Island" and "Robin Hood."
• It was the first Studio picture shot in widescreen CinemaScope.
• It was Walt's first feature film with lavish state-of-the-art special effects.
• It was also the first Disney film featuring an A-list cast -- including Kirk Douglas, James Mason, and Peter Lorre.

As with everything Walt created, the story was the heart of the venture. As Dave Smith describes the plot in "Disney A to Z," in 1868, an armed ship is sunk, and three passengers are rescued, only to discover themselves on board the first man-made submarine, called the Nautilus. The sub is commanded by Captain Nemo, "a madman who is willing to share his secrets of nuclear energy with the world only on his own terms." Tensions emerge between the rescued passengers and Nemo. During a battle with a giant squid, one of the passengers emerges as the hero — saving the captain's life. But he also alerts "the outside world as to the location of Nemo's secret island base. Nemo and his creations are destroyed."

Walt knew that he'd have to help the original Jules Verne story along, and he did so, tinkering with the plot to make it more filmable. But he avoided any temptations to broaden the story out from its original theme. "We didn't try to inject any phony romance in it or any darn thing, you see?" he said.

As far as he was concerned, viewers would be interested in "a whole new world for people to explore, those skin divers and things. And it was a unique thing that we did go right to the bottom of the ocean. I could have done it in my studio tank, but I felt that I should go to the ocean. This was my reasoning with my fact and figure boys: I said, 'Yeah, it's going to cost us more than working in a tank,' but, I said, 'We will have an authentic undersea picture. On top of that it's bound to arouse more interest with the public.' So, it worked out that way."

Walt hired director Richard Fleischer for the film. This was remarkable only in that Fleischer's father was one of Walt's most prominent and successful competitors during his early days of cartoon-making Z— Max Fleischer. As the director told the story, "I got a call through my agent that Walt wanted to meet with me, and I couldn't believe that he wanted me. I was a young director. I had not made a really big, important picture up to that time. So I went to see him in his office at Disney Studios. And there on the wall was a sketch of a very curious-looking submarine, entangled with an octopus or a squid. And he said to me, 'You know what that is?' And I said, 'Yeah, that's Jules Verne. '20,000 Leagues.'

"He said, 'We're going to make a feature film out of that. It's going to be the biggest picture we've made. It'll be our first all live-action film.' I said, 'Great. Animation?' And he said, 'No, no. Real live-action. And we'd like you to direct it.' "I was taken aback. I couldn't understand that. I said, 'You do know who I am, don't you?' He said, 'Yes, I know that.' I said, 'Well, why do you want me to direct this picture?' And he said, 'Well, I tell you. I saw a film you directed called 'The Happy Time'….' And then I recalled that the leading actor in my film was Bobby Driscoll, a young boy actor. And then I remembered that Bobby Driscoll had appeared in some of the Disney pictures . . . And Walt said, 'I just want to tell you that anybody who can make an actor out of Bobby Driscoll has got to be a great director.' And that was the reason he gave me for wanting me to direct the biggest picture that had ever been made by the Disney Company.

Of course, Fleischer was thrilled at the offer, but he had some mixed feelings. I said, 'Walt, I'd love to do this picture but I feel very uncomfortable about it, knowing the relationship that you and my father have. But I would like to call him in New York and talk it over with him and see if he feels if I might in some way be betraying him or disloyal to him.'

"He said, 'You're right. I understand. You do that and tomorrow morning call me and tell me if you're going to come to work for us.' So I called my father that night, told him the story and he said, 'Of course you must take that job, without any question. You didn't have to call me. That's an opportunity you cannot miss.'

"I was very relieved to hear that. He said, 'Just do one thing. Give a message to Walt for me.' I said, 'Sure.' He said, 'Tell Walt that he's got great taste in directors.' So, I was very relieved and next day I called Walt and gave him the message."

Of course, not everything went smoothly for Fleischer or the film. It was tricky, for example, persuading real-live fish to swim past cameras — on cue. But the most famous story associated with the making of this film has to do with a crazy mixed up squid. As the tale was encapsulated in the biography "The Man Behind the Magic," -- "He was dissatisfied with the squid attack scene and had the sequence reshot. 'Add a storm,' he ordered. Those three words cost the Studio $250,000 and left the soundstage soggy for years."

With a willingness to spend money like that, it's no wonder that "20,000 Leagues" was enormously expensive. But Roy Disney didn't seem concerned -- and that was unusual. Walt: "He had confidence. . . So I had a $3 million budget, which wasn't contested at all…. and as time went on, I'd come down and see him. And I'd say ,'Looks like that thing's going on about $3,300,000. He'd just nod and smile.... nod and smile. And then as I kept going along we got to where it was $3,800,000. He still nodded and smiled. And finally it got to $4,200,000. And he was still smiling, you know? I think it was one of the first he ever did that on. But for some reason, from the very start, he believed in that picture. See? I mean, I got worried then. I thought there was something wrong with him."

The film's success was dramatic. It won two Academy Awards®, one for best Art Direction/Set Direction and another for best Special Effects. And its huge price tag more than paid off — the movie made money. As a famous film critic of the time, Bosley Crowther wrote, "20,000 Leagues" was "as fabulous and fantastic as anything he has ever done in cartoons."

What could be higher praise than that?

Be sure to also visit the other exhibits on the picture:

The Cast of "20,000 Leagues"
The Special Effects of "20,000 Leagues"
The Animation of "20,000 Leagues"