20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

One of my favorite attractions when I was a child was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea at the Magic Kingdom. It was always a treat when I got the opportunity to ride it. The reason for this is because it suffered from a very slow loading process and caused it to have a very long line. So as a result of this we often skipped it on
our summer trips. If you have had a chance to ride the Nemo subs at Disneyland it is the same ride system, but instead of a sub you ride the Nautilus.


I have recently been on this kick on trying to read classic novels that I have never read. Since I recently did a video on how to find the hidden nautilus in Pooh's tree and the new Mermaid ride will have tributes to it hidden in its cue, I decided to read 20,000 leagues under the sea. I loved the classic Disney film but haven't seen it in 15 years. So I decided to read the novel first and then watch the film.
I was surprised with the differences between the novel and film. However, the film still manages to stays true to the general theme and story. They both however end very differently. (SPOLIERS) The novel leaves it open to the possibility that Nemo survives by taking the nautilus into a swirling maelstrom while the film very clearly shows him die via a gun shot wound. Other differences include that Nemo reveals personal details about himself in the film while he is left in mystery in the novel. Apparently these details are revealed in a later novel by Jules Verne, called the Mysterious Island. In the novel, it is revealed that Nautilus' power source is that of electricity but in the film it's eluded to being nuclear. But the biggest change I was surprised to find out while reading the novel is that the Nautilus is never attacked by a giant squid. I know! That iconic scene is totally fabricated. The ship is attacked instead by several giant cuttlefish instead. This is a cuttlefish.

Isn't it .....scary? Yeah I think changing to one gigantic squid was a smart move and it allowed them to show off Ned Lands harpoon skills and save Captain from the clutches of the squid, which never happened in the book.
But here is a fun fact about the film. Nemo's organ resides in Disneyland. It has had a facelift and it's pipes replaced. Where is it you may ask? It is the pipe organ in the ballroom seen at Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. Molds were taken of it and placed in consecutive Mansions later on. Here is an article from Doombuggies.comdiscussing the ballroom as well as the organ's history.