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The Finding Nemo-themed submarine voyage in Disneyland is currently closed for refurbishment.

(Associated Press)

As best as I can remember, the last time I climbed aboard a Disney theme park submarine was during the summer of 1990 in Walt Disney World.

The 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction, as it was known, was a favorite, because of the stunning Animatronics display that was in place on the sea floor during your voyage, the stirring narration by James Mason impersonator Peter Renaday and because it really did make you feel as if you were exploring the depths of the ocean with Captain Nemo aboard the Nautilus.

The 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction was one of the Magic Kingdom’s original E ticket adventures, opening with the rest of the park in October of 1971.

The 20,000 Leagues subs were modeled after the first Disney submarine voyage, which debuted in Disneyland in 1959; those subs were inspired by the first nuclear-powered submarine voyage to the North Pole in 1958.

Whether in Disneyland or Walt Disney World, the submarine attraction was an incredibly unique experience, the likes of which could not be seen anywhere outside of a Disney theme park.

Despite protests from a number of Disney Imagineers, Disneyland’s version closed in 1998; Walt Disney World’s subs closed in 1994. At Disneyland, the subs resurfaced in 2007 with a Finding Nemo theme, while at WDW, the space sat dormant for several year before it became a Winnie the Pooh-themed photo and play area in 2005. It closed in 2010 to make way for the ambitious new Fantasyland project.

Tony Baxter, now-retired Disney Imagineer, has a special affinity for both West and East Coast versions of the submarine voyage.

“I worked on [the Disneyland submarine voyage] as a ride operator, so I was there on the opening day in 1959. It was the first E ticket that was ever created, and it had all these quintessential things about it.

“It took people into a world they can’t normally access without the Walt Disney Company helping them.”

Disney Imagineer Tony Baxter stands on top of one of the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea submarines at Walt Disney World prior to the park's opening in 1971.

As Baxter rose up the ranks of the Walt Disney Company, he was tasked with helping with the development and construction of the Walt Disney World version in the early 1970s.

That submarine ride was based on Jules Verne’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” book and subsequent Disney Studios motion picture. While similar to Disneyland’s submarine voyage, it featured a different storyline and the submarines were designed to replicate Harper Goff’s distinctive Nautilus design, as was seen in the movie.

The idea of taking a voyage under the sea in a theme park was indeed radical ... and oh, so appealing.

“I think the greatness of a Disney theme park is the variety of things you can do,” Baxter said. “If you think about Disneyland and the fact that you can meet the 16th president of the United States, you can ride a Dumbo flying elephant and you can go under water, that really is a broad range of activities for a day.”

We got to ride on Disneyland’s updated Nemo subs last November, it was like deja vu all over again.

We sat in those fold-down chairs and looked out at the water through a small porthole. The sub slowly pulled away from the dock and, as we peered through crystal clear water, there were several Nemo-themed scenes that caught our eyes.

Perhaps the most memorable scene was where Disney’s Imagineers had somehow made it appear as if lava was flowing out of a rock formation.

The Nemo subs in Disneyland closed for refurbishment in January and aren’t expected to reopen until later in the year. I’m thinking the release of the sequel “Finding Dory” in 2016 may have had something to do with the planned shutdown.

When you walk though the new Fantasyland section of the Magic Kingdom these days, there’s very little remaining to suggest that a submarine voyage once held sway there, although the Imagineers have placed a few subtle "hints" in the area as an homage to the attraction.

You see several mountain peaks; quaint cottages inspired by Belle's beloved French countryside; a decidedly nautical entrance to the Ariel undersea adventure and, at the center of it all, a mine train roller coaster that’s weeks away from taking guests through a place where a million diamonds shine.

But for more than three decades, the area was home to one of Walt Disney World’s most popular and most unique attractions, one that was decidedly family-friendly.

“The classic best Disney attraction is the one where the whole family enjoys going on it together,” Baxter said. That concept, he added, “is really important. It wasn’t something that you’d all get dizzy on, it was something you all could enjoy.”