With the release of " 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea " 55 years ago , Walt Disney stumbled upon a mostly unexplored emotional response from movie audiences . This unique feeling had been lurking in cinema 's murky , black and white depths , waiting to emerge and attack moviegoers and their imaginations in a way that tears , laughter and fear -- the emotions of radio , theater and books -- could neither match nor compete : Awe .