20.000 Meilen unter dem Meer

I'm binge watching every adaptation of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea starting all the way back with the 1907 version and am finding a very mixed bag.

In 1973 an animated version was made and it was incredibly childish, very much an adaptation for the kids it even included a lovable dolphin friend that follows the Nautilus throughout the film. This second animated tale looks and sounds like a Saturday morning cartoon and though it lacks the dolphin it also lacks the charm.

Telling a semi-loyal but ultimately simplified version of the Jules Verne classic we see our heroes imprisoned by Captain Nemo and taken with him on wild aquatic adventures.

Sadly it really is like a cheaply made Saturday morning kids cartoon that has been partially adapted from the novel and partially just made up on the spot to appease the tiny minds that will likely be watching.

I'd call this a cashgrab above all else, using the title of a cult classic to give it a bit of credibility while making a very lackluster cartoon.

There are a lot of adaptations better than this including the 1973 animated one.

The Good:

Fairly loyal

The Bad:

Silly children's cartoon

Some really stupid dialogue

I sat down and watched this out of pure curiosity. I mean, DiC never let me down before so why would this be any different? It wasn't. This one was actually more faithful to the actual novel than the 1954 Disney adaption, although not entirely accurate. It also threw in something that really was not necessary. Whoever was writing the script must have had Titanic on the mind because the character of Bernadette was almost identical to that of Rose.

Starting in the modern day, 3 young kids go skin diving off the coast of New York and find a treasure chest containing a journal. The journal, is essentially 20,000 leagues under the sea, as told by a young Bernadette, who smuggles herself aboard the Abraham Lincoln after Professor Arronax, his faithful assistant Conseil, and the Canadian Harpoonist Ned Land, who is actually African-Canadian in this adaption. Just a side note, According to the Jules Verne novel, Ned Land is Canadian. It's true, look it up.

Unlike most TV movie animated films, this one isn't all that bad but if it didn't include the romantic subplot between Professor Arronax and his future wife it would've probably been a whole lot better. I'm not against romance but here I had no idea it was a romance until Arronax and his future wife kissed.

Overall, it's definitely worth a view but I still like Disney's adaption better even if it's not even half-accurate to the novel.

Here we have, in my opinion, a fairly well-done, family-friendly adaptation of Jules Verne's classic novel "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea." While keeping in accordance to the original plot line in most cases, this movie adds a female main character which is a nice addition that adds to the universal appeal that the directors were going for. The directors also added some of their own interpretation for the other characters. For example: Ned Land is black, and M. Arronax is not a Frenchman. The characters of Captain Nemo and Bernadette (the main female character) both display character development that, while not being anything that is Oscar-deserving, is pleasing to observe. This version of "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" combines the traditional story with some fresh perspectives blended with just enough humor to entertain children and adults alike. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good adventure!