D23: The Official Disney Fan Club is working with Turner Classic Movies to present two incredible Disney live-action film classics during the upcoming TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood.
On Friday, April 13, Kirk Douglas will be present at Grauman’s Chinese Theater for the first public screening of the newly restored 1954 action-adventure 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. On Saturday, April 14, comes a 75th-anniversary screening of the “fairest of them all,” Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Check out the full press release below.
For the second consecutive year, the TCM Classic Film Festival will celebrate the legacy of
The Walt Disney Studios. Turner Classic Movies (TCM), in collaboration with D23: The
Official Disney Fan Club, will present a 75th anniversary screening of Walt Disney’s
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Disney’s first hand-drawn feature-length
animated film. In addition, legendary actor Kirk Douglas will present the first general public
screening of the newly restored (from original camera negatives) live-action adventure, 20,000
Leagues Under the Sea (1954).
On Saturday, April 14, Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will screen at
Grauman’s Chinese Theatre at 1 p.m. This film revolutionized the art of animation with its
cutting edge technique, design and storytelling – setting animation in pursuit of an ever more
realistic look. Moreover, it demonstrated animation’s viability as a legitimate cinematic art form.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences bestowed a special Academy Award® on
Walt Disney, recognizing Snow White as “a significant screen innovation which has charmed
millions and pioneered a great new entertainment field.” The unique Oscar® trophy consisted
of one full-sized statuette standing next to seven miniature versions. The film also earned an
Oscar® nomination for Leigh Harline’s memorable score.
In 1997, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was named one of the 100 Greatest Films of All
Time by the American Film Institute (AFI). The following year, the AFI named it the greatest
American animated film of all time.
On Friday, April 13, at 2:45 p.m., Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas will be present at Grauman’s
Chinese Theatre for the first public screening of the newly restored 1954 adventure film epic,
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the first live-action feature film shot at Walt Disney’s Burbank
studios. Disney recruited an A-list cast including Kirk Douglas, James Mason and Paul Lukas,
and a set budget of $9 million, the largest in Hollywood history at that time.
Walt Disney had originally planned to turn Jules Verne’s tale of Captain Nemo’s battle to wipe
out warfare into an animated feature. But when he saw designer Harper Goff’s preliminary
sketches, he decided to make the switch to live action. To film the massive production – the
studio’s first in CinemaScope – Disney added a water tank and a third soundstage to his
studio, rented additional space from 20th Century-Fox and Universal, and sent cast and crew
to the Caribbean for underwater shooting. His technicians also had to develop new equipment
for the film’s many underwater scenes and create a giant, two-ton squid for the film’s most
impressive sequence.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea went on to earn two Oscars®, one for the eye-popping visual effects and one for John Meehan and Emile Kuri’s art direction and set decoration. The film earned a third nomination for Elmo Williams’ editing.
Operation Undersea, an episode of the Disneyland TV series highlighting the creation of the film, won Emmys® for Best Individual Program of the Year (1955) and Best Television Film Editing.
Related articles
- The Top 10 Disney Movies – #3 (chipandco.com)
- Spring Issue of D23 Magazine Pays Tribute to Legacy and Influence of Disney Animated Films (chipandco.com)
Let our friends at Destinations to Travel help you book your next Disney Vacation. They are the preferred Travel Agency of Chip and Company and Disney Addicts, and who we use ourselves.
Get started below for your FREE No Obligation Quote.
Book With our friends at Destinations to Travel
For the BEST in Disney, Universal, Dollywood, and SeaWorld Theme Park News, Entertainment, Merchandise & More follow us on, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. Don't forget to check out the Chip and Company Radio Network too!
