December 23, 1954 –
Walt Disney’s live-action film, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, premiered on this date.
In 1969, Captain Nemo’s pipe organ, which had been on display in Disneyland, was redressed and now resides in the ballroom of Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion. A duplicate was constructed for the ballroom of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Haunted Mansion, which opened in 1971, and over a decade later another duplicate was built for Tokyo Disneyland.
The climactic squid battle on the Nautilus was originally shot with a serene sunset and a calm sea. Director Richard Fleischer was troubled by the look of it because the cams and gears that operated the squid could easily be seen, making it look obviously fake. Walt Disney visited the set one day and Fleischer told him about the problem. Disney came up with the idea of having the squid battle take place during a fierce storm (another story is that it was actually screenwriter Earl Felton who came up with the idea). The scene was reshot that way and is considered by many to be the highlight of the film.
The Haus of Dcaligari 