Fantasia 2000

Obviously, the original "Fantasia" was the state of the art when it was released in 1940. In fact, it remained there for many years. From an animation standpoint, I think Disney finally topped it when they released "Sleeping Beauty" in 1959. Still, as an accomplishment, I believe that "Fantasia" was Walt Disney's finest achievement.

He certainly wanted the idea of "Fantasia" to continue, but as time went on, it seemed that it would never happen. Our tastes in animation became more and more sophisticated along with the greater advancements we have seen in animation in the last decade. When Disney released the original "Fantasia" on video in 1991, many who had seen it criticized the film as being too arty, with long segments that would not appeal to children.

Perhaps many people thought that the word "Disney" always should be associated with kids. That is unfair, for Walt would have wanted all ages of people to enjoy his films.

When Roy Disney announced a few years ago that Disney was making a new "Fantasia", I was surprised and excited. In the time that movies like "The Lion King", "Aladdin", "Toy Story", and "A Bug's Life" were taking in huge sums of cash, it seemed that Disney was willing to take the risk again and make the film anyway.

What a treat it is! Most of the segments of the film stayed in my memory for days, as did the music. There is true genius in "Fantasia 2000" in the connections of imagery to music. For example, the combination of Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" the Al Hirschfeld-style caricatures was so perfect that the music seemed written for that type of visual presentation.

"Fantasia 2000" left me breathless and practically speechless. I even enjoyed the celebrity introductions throughout the picture.

Using my preferred four-star rating system, I would give "Fantasia 2000" this:

****-

The minus is there for the only criticism I have of it: Too short! The original "Fantasia" was a two-hour event, while "Fantasia 2000" was only 74 minutes. That is the same length as most other Disney animated features. Was 74 minutes determined by: a. Expense of the budget, or b. The expected length of children's attention spans?

From the depth of my heart, I recommend "Fantasia 2000". It left me wanting more. George

We had two kids at home and I went to rent to one thinking it was a typical Disney movie. I was wrong, but the kids still liked it.

I was surprise by the musical choice in this one. Great classical pieces. And the animation is very well done. Some segments better than others.

I got to see this one on a regular tv-set, but I guess you should try to see it on an IMAX screen, or at least a cinema screen.

Out of 100, I gave it 81. That's good for *** out of ****.

Seen at home, in Toronto, on June 15th, 2002.

Although I was aware of the original plan to renew the Fantasia concept every so often, and that it was visualised as an ongoing project, I felt that going back after 60 years was too much, and that the original classic should be left alone. However, my initial scepticism was dispelled within seconds of the opening sequence. What we have here is a lush, vibrant fusion of animation and music, each fully complimenting the other to perfection. It's hard to pick a favorite sequence, but if really pressed, for personal taste alone, it would be the awesome sequence with the whales. Mickey's Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence is the only carry over from the original, and a worthy match for it in the 2000 lineup is the Donald "Noah".

The only criticism I have of the film is the bridging sequences, featuring Steve Martin, Penn & Teller, Bette Midler and others. I would have preferred that they stuck to one presenter, preferably James Earl Jones or Angela Landsbury. They seemed to take the material and the project far more seriously than Martin and Penn & Teller who's humor detracted from the dignity of the movie as a whole.

The celebrity hosts spoiled it for me. The animation and the music are gorgeous; hosts were unnecessary. Walt Disney didn't bother having Clark Gable or Rita Hayworth host the original.

More ambitious in scope than any of its other animated films (before or to come), Disney's 1940 Fantasia was a dizzying, magical, and highly enjoyable marriage of classical music and animated images. Fantasia 2000 features some breathtaking animation and storytelling, and in a few spots soars to wonderful high points, but it still more often than not has the feel of walking in its predecessor's footsteps as opposed to creating its own path. A family of whales swimming and soaring to Respighi's The Pines of Rome is magical to watch, but ends all too soon; a forest sprite's dance of life, death, and rebirth to Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring too clearly echoes the original Fantasia's Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria sequence. But when it's on target, Fantasia 2000 is glorious enough to make you giddy. Hans Christian Andersen's "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" is a perfect narrative set to Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2, and Donald Duck's guest appearance as the assistant to Noah (of ark fame) set to Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance marches is a welcome companion piece (though not an equal) to The Sorcerer's Apprentice, the one original Fantasia piece included here. The high point of Fantasia 2000, though, is a fantastic day-in-the-life sequence of 1930s New York City set to Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and animated in the style of cartoonist Al Hirschfeld; it's a perfect melding of music, story, and animation. Let's hope future Fantasias (reportedly in the works) take a cue from the best of this compilation. The music is provided by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by James Levine, interspersed with negligible intros by Steve Martin, Bette Midler, Itzhak Perlman, James Earl Jones, and others.