What's new

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) Blu-ray? (1 Viewer)

Oliver Siegel

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jun 8, 2012
Messages
57
Real Name
Oliver
Any news/rumours on when this classic may be hitting Blu?
Bringing 20,000 Leagues Sound Back from Under the Sea
As Disney’s 1954 film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea prepares for its voyage into the deep sea of digital restoration, one is reminded of the words of the hit film’s narrator as he boarded the Nautilus for the first time: “There is great genius behind all this.” With restoration of picture completed successfully under Studio Mastering’s Theo Gluck and Jayson Wall, the project was carefully handed over to the audio experts, the Digital Studio Services’ Audio Migration team. Through careful deliberation and thoughtful collaboration, audio was restored to its 1954 glory and an experience was delivered for modern listening. Here’s how it was done!
The Goal
The goal of the audio migration process was to accurately reproduce the original, physical recordings in order to make the audio available for today’s digital formats. To start, the original 35mm, 4-track stereo magnetic film masters, created in 1954, were recalled from storage and cleaned in preparation for a final, critical transfer to digital audio wav files. Once prepared, the 35mm mag masters were transferred to ProTools at 24 bit, 48khz. To ensure the success of the transfer, the mag masters were played back, utilizing the Sondor mag playback machine. The transfer was performed under controlled monitoring conditions.
The Research
Sound Engineering was also consulted on the project. Through the historical research efforts of Chief Engineer, Steve Boze, the original recording curve was confirmed, resulting in an accurate reproduction of the original recording. With all of the research notes from Sound Engineering in mind, initial evaluations were done with Brian Saunders and re-recording mixer, Dave Concors in the critical listening Suite of Animation 1. According to Concors, “The research paved the way for a track that was more realistic in its high frequency response.”
The Restoration
During the initial evaluation, it was decided that only minor editorial fixes that distracted from the content would be made. Essentially, the effort was to smooth reel joins, remove larger optical and/or digital “ticks” and repair dropouts as needed. This was handled by audio migration editor, Randy Babajtis. Concors deliberately kept original levels, track layouts and perspectives intact. To ensure the integrity of the original recording, only equalization curves and occasional minor digital noise reduction were part of the mix. According to Concors, “No additional information was added to the show to enhance the surrounds. The original track used surrounds sparingly and we used that original track and split it with a phase- coherent plug-in to create a “stereo” field.”
Video restoration + Audio migration = Fantastic Results
The audio migration would yield fantastic results! For those who got the opportunity to see the newly restored 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, it was like seeing and hearing it for the first time in 1954. The Mastering team in particular was very pleased with the audio restoration and was blown away when they experienced the true sound of the original recording. Jayson Wall was impressed with the sound and couldn’t have been happier to collaborate with the Audio Migration team. “The research your team performed on getting the correct vintage sound back into the film is simply astonishing,” Wall acclaims, “and it fully complements the original look that Theo and myself put back into the image on our 4k restoration of this classic. I really love how Dave got that nice warm tube mix sound along with applying the original RCA curve back into the track as it sounded in 1954/1955, and I couldn’t be happier! Wow, this track is awesome!!!”
 

MatthewA

BANNED
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2000
Messages
9,727
Location
Salinas, CA
Real Name
Matthew
If the restoration is done, then it should be out sometime next year. If not, I guess it'll be out by 2014.

I missed the recent nationwide digital screening of this title a couple weeks. Was it the new restoration?
 

benbess

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2009
Messages
5,644
Real Name
Ben
I think the theatrical screening was probably the new restoration, but I'm not sure. It was OK when it comes to PQ, but not ideal. There were some halo issues in a few places and, as you know, CinemaScope just doesn't have the resolution of VistaVision or the 70mm formats. Still it's a great film. In fact, probably the greatest science fiction film of the 1950s imho, which is saying quite a bit given the classics that came out in that decade.
 

Douglas Monce

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2006
Messages
5,511
Real Name
Douglas Monce
benbess said:
I think the theatrical screening was probably the new restoration, but I'm not sure. It was OK when it comes to PQ, but not ideal. There were some halo issues in a few places and, as you know, CinemaScope just doesn't have the resolution of VistaVision or the 70mm formats. Still it's a great film. In fact, probably the greatest science fiction film of the 1950s imho, which is saying quite a bit given the classics that came out in that decade.
I'd call it pretty close between 20,000 Leagues and Forbidden Planet.
Doug
 

Robert Crawford

Crawdaddy
Moderator
Patron
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 9, 1998
Messages
67,472
Location
Michigan
Real Name
Robert
Originally Posted by Douglas Monce /t/324930/20-000-leagues-under-the-sea-1954-blu-ray#post_3997361
I'd call it pretty close between 20,000 Leagues and Forbidden Planet.
Doug
I always thought Forbidden Planet was overrated. A little film like "Them" was a superior film to me.






Crawdaddy
 

stevenHa

Second Unit
Joined
Sep 12, 2005
Messages
366
I would love to see all the Disney live action fantasies on blu ray, this one as well as Mary Poppins, Darby, 3rd Man on the Mountain, Love Bug,
Castaways, Sword and the Rose, Robin Hood, etc.
 

Ronald Epstein

Founder
Owner
Moderator
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 3, 1997
Messages
66,478
Real Name
Ronald Epstein
No news, but I have heard that the restoration has been
long in the process for Blu-ray release.

So, expect the film to be released sooner than later.
 

benbess

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2009
Messages
5,644
Real Name
Ben
Douglas Monce said:
I'd call it pretty close between 20,000 Leagues and Forbidden Planet.
Doug
Yes, Forbidden Planet, War of the Worlds, This Island Earth, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Them, When Worlds Collide, etc....What Disney did, however, was to give a truly epic "A" level budget to the film, as well as a great cast and excellent script. The production design of 20k is awesome, I think. Walt Disney was involved not just in the overall design but in the details. And he had a great team and he let them do what they were capable of, and it shows. Here's one small example. In an early scene you see the whole harbor of San Francisco as it would have looked in the late 19th century. The scene lasts just a few seconds, but it's clear it was a labor of love, talent, and a lot of money to make that come to life. It works today better than CGI would for this, at least imho....
 

Lord Dalek

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2005
Messages
7,090
Real Name
Joel Henderson
HDNet Movies showed this a couple months ago. Looked pretty damn stunning even if it wasn't a "full restoration".
 

Mark-P

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2005
Messages
6,481
Location
Camas, WA
Real Name
Mark Probst
Oliver, would you mind sharing the source of your quote? It's interesting to read but I'd like to know whose words I'm reading.
 

Oliver Siegel

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jun 8, 2012
Messages
57
Real Name
Oliver
Mark-P said:
Oliver, would you mind sharing the source of your quote?
No, not at all.http://disneydigitalstudio.com/2727/bringing-20000-leagues-sound-back-from-under-the-sea/
 

TonyD

Who do we think I am?
Ambassador
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 1, 1999
Messages
24,231
Location
Gulf Coast
Real Name
Tony D.
I would love to have this on blu.
Might have been one of the first movies I ever watched on TV early 70's.
I remember seeing an animated version of this too way back probably also,in the 70's.
 

Douglas Monce

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2006
Messages
5,511
Real Name
Douglas Monce
Robert Crawford said:
I always thought Forbidden Planet was overrated.  A little film like "Them" was a superior film to me.
Crawdaddy
Well Them! is a horror film, Forbidden Planet is sci-fi. FP is exploring somewhat larger ideas. Don't get me wrong, Them! is one of my favorite movies.
Doug
 

Douglas Monce

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2006
Messages
5,511
Real Name
Douglas Monce
benbess said:
Yes, Forbidden Planet, War of the Worlds, This Island Earth, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Them, When Worlds Collide, etc....What Disney did, however, was to give a truly epic "A" level budget to the film, as well as a great cast and excellent script. The production design of 20k is awesome, I think. Walt Disney was involved not just in the overall design but in the details. And he had a great team and he let them do what they were capable of, and it shows. Here's one small example. In an early scene you see the whole harbor of San Francisco as it would have looked in the late 19th century. The scene lasts just a few seconds, but it's clear it was a labor of love, talent, and a lot of money to make that come to life. It works today better than CGI would for this, at least imho....
I will agree that with the exception of Walter Pigeon, 20,000 Leagues has a superior cast, and surely Disney spared no expense.
Doug
 

Brian McP

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jul 29, 2007
Messages
504
Real Name
Brian
I'd like to see this movie come out on bluray, fully restored, while Kirk Douglas is still around -- I know he would too.
In spite of it's shortcomings, I'd like to also see the '20,000 Leagues'-inspired Disney epic "The Black Hole" get the bluray treatment, if only for Peter Ellenshaw's spectacular visuals and John Barry's terrific score. With all the special effects elements piled on for each major scene in that movie, I wonder if those seeing this movie will be taken aback by how much added grain there is and how it changes from scene to scene? Would Disney leave all that in or would they go to great expense and clean it all out? Would they do likewise with similar scenes in "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea"?
 

Robert Crawford

Crawdaddy
Moderator
Patron
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 9, 1998
Messages
67,472
Location
Michigan
Real Name
Robert
Originally Posted by Douglas Monce /t/324930/20-000-leagues-under-the-sea-1954-blu-ray#post_3997770
Well Them! is a horror film, Forbidden Planet is sci-fi. FP is exploring somewhat larger ideas. Don't get me wrong, Them! is one of my favorite movies.
Doug
So giant ants caused by radioactivity is not sci-fi, but is a horror film. Right!
 

Walter Kittel

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 28, 1998
Messages
9,753
Off topic, but one of the more interesting comparisons I ever read had to do with the similarities and influence of Them! on James Cameron's Aliens. I don't recall where I read this, but it provided some intriguing contrasts between the two films.
Best SF film of the '50s for me is easily The Day The Earth Stood Still. A pure SF film that ponders man's place in the cosmos with excellent FX work and a great otherworldly performance from Michael Rennie. A true classic of the genre that is still remarkably relevant.
To get somewhat back on topic, a Bd of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea would be an automatic purchase. I really love seeing the classics (which I never had the opportunity to see theatrically) released in High Definition. Next best thing to seeing them at a theater.
- Walter.
 

Robert Crawford

Crawdaddy
Moderator
Patron
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 9, 1998
Messages
67,472
Location
Michigan
Real Name
Robert
Walter,

I have to say The Day the Earth Stood Still is another title right up there for me. As to 20,000 Leagues, it's a definite BD purchase.







Crawdaddy
 

Douglas Monce

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2006
Messages
5,511
Real Name
Douglas Monce
Robert Crawford said:
So giant ants caused by radioactivity is not sci-fi, but is a horror film.  Right!
Yes its a horror film. Just as Frankenstein is a horror film, even though at its heart it is a story of advanced medical science. I'm sorry but giant bug movies are first and for most, horror films. Of course the dividing line between sci-fi and horror is sometimes rather thin.
I'll go farther and say that Alien is a horror film, Prometheus is a sci-fi film.
Doug
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,712
Messages
5,121,143
Members
144,147
Latest member
cennetkaralowa
Recent bookmarks
0
Top