Day 108 - 114: French Sci-Fi Master and Disney

January 19th, 2024

Dear Disney,

Recently, Darling and I were scrolling through Disney +, like many of us do, when Darling came across the older live action movies. We noticed that many of these movies were taken from Jules Verne novels, well at least 3 of them: In Search of the Castaways, Around the World in 80 Days, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

As a boy, I loved Jules Verne, still do. Jules Verne’s adventure novels opened up my imagination to the depths of the oceans and the unknown core of Earth. The mystery and the use of fanciful technology brought to light expectations of the future that have never been fully realized.

There is not much information I can find regarding Walt’s feeling about Jules Verne, but I imagine he thought them to be marvelous displays of futurism. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was one of Disney’s arguably best live-action adaptations ever created. The movie spurred on one of the original rides of Disney World, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Submarine Voyage. Currently, the Disneyworld version is no longer operating, but the Tokyo DisneySea is in all of its Victorian Steampunk glory.

I remember putting the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea record into my grandparents record player and listening to Kirk Douglas sing “Whale of a Tale.” I thought it magical. Seeing Maurice Chevalier in In Search of the Castaways opened my mind to other cultures and humor. Lastly, watching one of Darling’s favorite martial arts actors, Jackie Chan, in Around the World in 80 Days was what brought all of my memories back around.

Basically, Jules Verne, Walt Disney, and the Disney company share the same realty in my mind: always looking forward with amazement and wonder. The future is scary: when the Nautilus was battling the giant squid, that was fear. When the rescue team in In Search of the Castaways was chased down the mountains of South America, that was fear. When Finneas Fogg believed that he had failed his quest to circumnavigate the world, that was fear. Yet each of these scenarios show how Verne, the adaptors, and Disney worked to bring hope and courage out of fear and uncertainty.

I hope that the current Disney Company remembers that the future is a place of wonder and awe. I want them to lead us into that brave new world like Jules Verne’s heroes and anti-heroes did: not with bravado, but with courage in the face of fear. Walt Said, “We seek to estimate the future and it’s bearing on our existence.”

Until next time.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear