20 Million Miles to Earth

Lore & Background

The film begins with the first U.S. spaceship to Venus, the X-21, crashing into the Mediterranean sea off the coast of Italy. Fishermen rescue two spacemen before the craft sinks. In Washington, D.C., Major General A.D. McIntosh learns the missing ship has been located. Meanwhile, a little boy named Pepe finds a translucent cylinder marked “USAF” on the beach, containing a gelatinous mass egg, which he sells to Dr. Leonardo, a zoologist. Leonardo's granddaughter Marisa, a medical student, tends to the injured spacemen. When Colonel Bob Calder regains consciousness, he finds his crewmate Dr. Sharman dying, as did the other nine crewmen. A small creature hatches from the egg and rapidly grows, eventually breaking out of its cage and terrorizing a farm

Reader's Guide

20 Million Miles to Earth is a notable entry in 1950s science-fiction cinema, distinguished by Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion animation of the creature Ymir. The film was based on Harryhausen's concept called The Giant Ymir, and production began in Rome, Italy in September 1956, using only William Hopper of the main cast, then moved to the U.S. from October 30 to November 9. Rome was chosen because Harryhausen wanted to vacation there. The working title was The Giant Ymir, but all references to Ymir were removed from the released version to avoid confusion with the Arabic title 'Emir'. Most of the creature's noises are recordings of elephant noises played at a higher speed. The film has an 80% positive rating at Rotten Tomatoes based on ten reviews. The Radio Times called it 'one of animation master Ray Harryhausen's best fantasy films, and his own personal favourite.' A colorized version was created in 2007 by Legend Films and released on DVD as a 50th Anniversary Edition. The film's legacy includes a four-issue comic book mini-series 20 Million Miles More (2008), and Gene Simmons of Kiss stated his trademark stalking stage-moves were inspired by the creature Ymir.

Did You Know?

• The film was based on a concept by Ray Harryhausen called The Giant Ymir.
• Most of the creature's noises are recordings of elephant noises played at a higher speed.
• Ray Harryhausen has an uncredited cameo as a person throwing peanuts to a zoo elephant.
• Gene Simmons of Kiss stated his trademark stalking stage-moves were inspired by the creature Ymir.

Creative Origins & Production

The film grew out of a concept Ray Harryhausen had called The Giant Ymir, a title that ultimately had to be dropped because he worried viewers might mistake it for the Arabic word Emir. Production kicked off in Rome in September 1956, a location choice Harryhausen made partly because he wanted to vacation there. Only William Hopper was present for the Italian leg of shooting; the remainder of principal photography wrapped in the United States between late October and early November of that year. The project marked the first of three collaborative efforts among Harryhausen, producer Charles H. Schneer of Morningside Productions, and director Nathan Juran. Notably, Juran handled only the American sequences, while Schneer and Harryhausen themselves directed the Italian portions. The screenplay, penned by Bob Williams and Christopher Knopf, drew from an original treatment by Charlott Knight and Harryhausen. Harryhausen had pushed for color filming, but the budget simply could not support it, leaving the film in black and white for decades.

The Creature & Its Craft

At the heart of the film is a rapidly growing alien lifeform from Venus, delivered to Earth inside a sealed metal container aboard the crashed spaceship XY-21. The creature begins as a gelatinous egg, hatches into a small form, and within hours triples in size, eventually reaching human scale and beyond. It feeds on sulfur, possesses no heart or lungs—rendering conventional gunfire largely ineffective—and becomes violent when provoked. Ray Harryhausen brought the creature to life through his signature stop-motion animation, credited under Technical Special Effects. Many of the creature's vocal sounds were actually recordings of elephant calls played at a higher speed. In a small personal touch, Harryhausen appeared in an uncredited cameo as a bystander tossing peanuts to a zoo elephant. The creature's capture involves an electric net dropped from a helicopter, and its sedation at the Rome zoo relies on a continuous electric shock, both of which briefly fail, unleashing its full destructive potential.

Narrative Arc & Roman Destruction

The story follows a chain of escalating events set against the Italian landscape. After the Venusian spacecraft crashes into the Mediterranean, a young boy named Pepe discovers a translucent cylinder containing the alien egg and sells it to zoologist Dr. Leonardo. The creature's explosive growth forces a military and scientific response led by Colonel Bob Calder, who insists it is not inherently dangerous unless provoked. A failed barn confrontation, a sulfur-baited capture, and a temporary containment at the Rome zoo all precede the film's climactic rampage. When the sedation system shorts out, the now-gargantuan beast battles a zoo elephant, then tears through the streets of Rome, wrecking cars and buildings. It submerges in the River Tiber, resurfaces to demolish the Ponte Sant'Angelo, damages the Temple of Saturn, and finally makes its way to the Colosseum. There, Calder and a squad of bazooka-wielding soldiers drive it to the top of the structure, where a direct bazooka strike and a tank's fire on the ledge send it plunging to its death.

Release, Reception & Lasting Legacy

Produced by Charles H. Schneer's Morningside Productions and distributed by Columbia Pictures, the film hit theaters in June 1957 and earned positive reviews from critics. It has also carried the alternate title The Beast from Space in various releases. The picture stands as the opening entry in a trio of Harryhausen-Schneer-Juran collaborations that would define a generation of monster cinema. Decades later, in 2007, Harryhausen partnered with restoration and colorization firm Legend Films to produce a colorized cut of the film, fulfilling a wish he had harbored since the original production, when budget constraints forced a black-and-white shoot. That colorized version, alongside the original theatrical print, was packaged for DVD as part of a 50th Anniversary Edition released on July 31, 2007. The film's blend of Italian scenery, a sympathetic alien, and Harryhausen's meticulous animation has kept it a touchstone for fans of classic science-fiction cinema.