I can remember when the Wonderful World of Disney came on saturday nights, and great family films aired. This was a film that came up every so often over the years, and such was the quality that my school actually showed it to us in class when I was in 6th grade. I loved the film then, and when I saw it was available to rent from Amazon, I grabbed it. I mentioned we were watching it to my Mom, and she then bought us a copy, and sent it to us from the US. Once again, there were many features on the Region 1 disc that are not on the Region 2 disc. I will go into that in a bit.

The visualisation belies the era it was filmed (1954). Even the Technicolor it was filmed in was used for best visual impact as the heroic professor's bright clothes speak volumes against the gothicly clad Nemo, setting the mood and tension between the characters. The Nautilus itself is reminiscent of modern day set design; the sub itself is dark, and neo gothic in feel and provide the heritage ship sets of current design all sprang from. So while the story has moments of great humour, and is rated U, the story is darker than many Disney family films.

Now that you know what to expect from the film on the dvd, let's talk about the dvd itself. The region 2 version is a 1 disc set. It contains the film, which has been lovingly restored. It is 118 minutes long, and has a few special features. They are:
• Jules Verne & Walt Disney: 'Explorers of the Imagination'
• Monsters of the Deep
• The Humbolt Squid: 'A Real Sea Monster'
• Tour of the Nautilus

The film is also available on a 2 disc special edition set, for about the same money, as a region 1 import. I have to say this is well worth doing. Not only do you get the digitally remastered film, with Dolby 5:1 audio, but on disc 1 you get an audio commentary with director Richard Fleischer & film historian Rudy Behlmer and the original cartoon film short that accompanied it in cinemas, "Grand Canyonscope". It is the audio commentary that is the best value of the two in enhancing enjoyment of the box set. Director Fleischer's commentary about the film is fascinating, with information on difficulties that occurred filming the epic, and what was occurring at Walt Disney Studios at the time. This is particularly insightful, as apparently Disney staked his entire reputation and most of his assets into making this film. The animated short is amusing on its own, but its only addition to the quality of the set is that it completes the original theatrical presentation of the film. It is a not quite 7 minute short featuring Donald Duck on a trip to the Grand canyon and the trouble he gets into with a park ranger. The film and these two special features complete this version's disc 1 content, with disc 2 containing the bulk of the special features.

So, my verdict is that this is a nice piece of entertainment, suitable for the entire family, and perhaps only a very little dated thanks to it's setting in the past and the extremely high quality of the special effects. If you are a film buff, or interested in cinematography, get the Region 1 version. If you just like to watch your movies, then go ahead and just get the Region 2 version.