20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Returns as a New VR Experience
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea has made its triumphant return 26 years after its closing at Magic Kingdom! Courtesy of Defunctland, the long decommissioned attraction has returned in the form of a virtual reality experience.
Defunctland VR is a project seeking to gift viewers long-forgotten theme park experiences without ever leaving their own home. One of their two creations to date (the first being The Sorceror’s Hat that used to sit in the then MGM Studios), 20,000 Leagues preserves the attraction for a generation who never had the chance to experience it.
The now infamous 20,000 Leagues debuted only two weeks after Magic Kingdom’s opening in October 1971. The former Fantasyland attraction was a 20-minute submarine expedition that transported guests to the wondrous depth of the ocean.
Magic Kingdom veterans remember the tumultuous journey the attraction was privy to during its time at Magic Kingdom. After many seasonal closings, the attraction officially closed in September of 1994. It had since been replaced by the ever-popular, Seven Dwarves Mine Train in 2014.
Hosted by the captain of the Nautilus himself, Captain Nemo, voyageurs who set upon Defunctland’s recreation of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea will experience the vast mysteries of the ocean floor during a shortened 10-minute version of the attraction.
