Having the look of an early animated film or even a silent movie of the early German or Italian expressionalism, this has to be seen to be believed. Color wouldn't have made it better so be prepared for what at first seems crude and jerky, but once you get the gist of what its Czech filmmakers were trying to do, you'll be pulled in and will not want to turn your head away.
While the story surrounds a mad count intending on taking over the world through his undersea operation, that's inconsequential when the film stops in its tracks to show the various animated drawings and various live action special effects that will surely have you mesmerized. The underwater world and it's magnificent fictional creatures are both frightening and breathtaking, and when sharks or huge octopus try to attack humans, it becomes very frightening.
Some of the shots look like someone filmed through a huge microscope as many of these creatures look like enormous amoebas or various types of bacteria, squirming around and added into the animation or live action. Then there's the various man-made vehicles that even Jules Verne himself would have been thrilled to see on screen, basically looking like the original illustrations from his first edition books.
The mixture of animation and whatever kind of equipment was utilized to make these effects with the live action couldn't have been done any better, and in a sense, it looks like it's a parallel version of our own planet. Dublin to English with an excellent narration, the American version truly draws you in, and it's obvious that the children who saw this in its first release must have been mesmerized. It really is one of the greatest fantasy films ever made.
While the story surrounds a mad count intending on taking over the world through his undersea operation, that's inconsequential when the film stops in its tracks to show the various animated drawings and various live action special effects that will surely have you mesmerized. The underwater world and it's magnificent fictional creatures are both frightening and breathtaking, and when sharks or huge octopus try to attack humans, it becomes very frightening.
Some of the shots look like someone filmed through a huge microscope as many of these creatures look like enormous amoebas or various types of bacteria, squirming around and added into the animation or live action. Then there's the various man-made vehicles that even Jules Verne himself would have been thrilled to see on screen, basically looking like the original illustrations from his first edition books.
The mixture of animation and whatever kind of equipment was utilized to make these effects with the live action couldn't have been done any better, and in a sense, it looks like it's a parallel version of our own planet. Dublin to English with an excellent narration, the American version truly draws you in, and it's obvious that the children who saw this in its first release must have been mesmerized. It really is one of the greatest fantasy films ever made.