Film
A Journey to the Center of the Earth
A 1977 Australian animated adaptation of Jules Verne's classic novel. Prof. Lindenbrock and his companion venture into an impossible subterranean world of electrical storms, dinosaurs, and volcanic perils. It's earnest, imaginative, and completely committed to the pulp adventure spirit—a genuine artifact of how animators once thought about science fiction spectacle.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you love old-fashioned Jules Verne adventure, with its wonder at underground seas, giant creatures and scientific bravado, and you don't mind the rough, hand-drawn look of a 1977 animated feature.
Skip it if you need slick modern animation or fast, constant action, since this is a gentle, talky, dated film that trades spectacle for earnest storytelling and plenty of exposition.
What it asks of you: Under an hour long, it moves at a leisurely pace and rewards patience, with a light tone and only a modest amount of attention needed to follow the expedition.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Journey to the Center of the Earth1988
A live-action take on the same Verne novel with real production value and that late-80s blockbuster energy. Ricochets between genuine danger and pure fun, with actors clearly enjoying themselves in the ridiculous situations.
But The practical effects haven't aged gracefully, and the plot meanders. Some sections drag while others feel rushed.
The Land That Time Forgot1974
An American adventure film with similar DNA—a lost prehistoric world, explorers in over their heads, dinosaurs and strange creatures. It has a scrappy, low-budget charm and takes its premise seriously even when things get absurd.
But The pacing is uneven and the special effects are dated in a way that doesn't always work in the film's favour. Slower stretches test patience.
Mysterious Island1961
Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion masterpiece. A group of castaways discovers an impossible island full of giant creatures. The same sense of wonder and practical ingenuity, but with a magician at the effects helm.
But Shot in Technicolor on what looks like a theatrical stage. Very of its era. The human drama takes a backseat to creature sequences.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from A Journey to the Center of the Earth
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
The Phantom Planet1961
Both are earnest 1950s-60s-70s sci-fi that trust the audience to invest in discovery itself, not just spectacle. Both believe wonder is enough.
An American space-opera adventure where astronauts land on a strange asteroid-world populated by tiny, peaceful humanoids. It's gorgeously composed in black and white, genuinely eerie, and treats alien life with imaginative specificity rather than just copying Earth.
But Slow. The conflict is internal and understated rather than dinosaurs-chasing-you external. Some will find it ponderous; others, meditative.
More like this (8)
The Lost World1960
Another Arthur Conan Doyle adaptation—explorers find a hidden plateau teeming with dinosaurs. It has genuine thrills, credible peril, and that mid-century sense that the Earth still held mysteries.
But The dinosaur effects are actors in suits, which can pull you out of the moment. The story is fairly thin.
Mysterious Island2012
More recent but still old-fashioned in spirit. A steampunk adventure that respects Verne's inventiveness while adding visual spectacle. Fast-moving and playful about its own implausibility.
But Heavy on CGI artificiality, and the tone wavers between whimsy and earnestness. Some won't forgive the liberties it takes with source material.
The Core2003
A ridiculous but committed film about drilling to the Earth's centre to prevent global catastrophe. Pure popcorn: escalating peril, team dynamics, and visible joy in the premise despite being scientifically nonsense.
But It's very silly and doesn't pretend otherwise. If you need grounded sci-fi, this isn't it. Aggressively 2000s in all ways.
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island2012
A Verne-adjacent adventure with Dwayne Johnson and Josh Hutcherson hunting for a legendary island. Family-film energy: humorous, colourful, full of impossible creatures and practical danger.
But Intentionally lightweight. It's built for younger viewers and doesn't pretend to depth. Some will find it aggressively corny.
At the Earth's Core1976
A Burroughs adaptation made the year before this film. British sci-fi pulp with Peter Cushing leading explorers through an inner world of lizard men. Gloriously earnest about its strange concepts.
But Truly bargain-basement effects and sets. The interior world looks like a stage, which some find charming and others find hard to sit with.
Planet of the Apes1968
A hidden-world adventure in a different key—astronauts crash-land on an alien planet that's Earth transformed. The same template: outsiders discovering a shockingly functional civilization beneath expectations.
But The makeup is dated. It's more thoughtful and political than straightforward adventure, which changes the rhythm entirely.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire2001
Both are animated journeys into the impossible depths, both centered on discovery over violence, both treating underground civilizations as genuine places worth understanding rather than just obstacles.
A Disney animated film that channels the same pulp-adventure spirit—a team descends into a hidden world with its own civilization, and everything they thought was myth becomes frantically, impossibly real. Gorgeous design and unapologetic fun.
But Slightly sentimental. The emotional beats are broad. Some find the animation style dated or prefer more restraint.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace1999
Both are films more interested in showing you worlds than telling you stories. Both believe set design and environment *are* the story.
Yes, really. It has the same earnest world-building impulse—a director constructing vast, detailed environments that feel lived-in and strange. The pod race and underwater sequences share the same DNA as this film's commitment to rendering alien worlds with texture and specificity.
But Bloated. The dialogue is stilted and the pacing glacial compared to this film's momentum. It's blocker-heavy where this moves.
People
Cast
Ron Haddrick(voice)
Alistair Duncan(voice)- Bevan Wilson(voice)
Lynette CurranGräuben (voice)- Barbara FrawleyMartha (voice)
Directing
- Ryszard SłapczyńskiDirector
Writing
- Jules VerneNovel
- John PalmerWriter
Production
- Walter J. HuckerProducer
Recommended by
Tintin and the Temple of the Sun, Planet of the Apes, The Fantastic Journey