Fantasia 2000

Top quality animation and a sense of humour make this sequel/add-on a formidable animated movie in its own right. The running time of 74 minutes is a bit of a let-down. I would have liked to have seen more pieces and more imagination. And be warned, The Sorcerer's Apprentice remains. As this was the original's ONLY real selling point they decided to stick it back in there, so you're really only get just over an hours worth of new footage. Which feels like a bit of a rip-off.

But my favorite segment is the one with Donald Duck, in fact they were all cool, especially the one with the volcano. The music matches the story perfectly and it has some truly beautiful animation. Far superior to those ugly CGI crap we get these days. And the TV show style introductions were more watchable than the dubbed Deems Taylor segments in the original.

This was the first animated movie to be made for IMAX screens and the digital picture is amazing. See this preferably on an IMAX screen or on DVD. Watching it on VHS would only insult the brilliant animation. It's sad that Disney has abandoned traditional hand-drawn animation for theatrical projects. It's what the studio was built on after all. But Disney is shadow of its former self, we all know that.

Just as good as the original Fantasia, but loses points for not being longer and more ambitious.

I can't stop watching it!!! Four of the seven new segments in this film are alone well worth the admission. Roy Disney Jr. sets the stage for a remarkable departure from the usual animated dreck that Disney has been bogged down by for the last half-decade (Toy Story aside). Disney have hereby restored my faith in them as leading the pack in animated cinema. I want more!!

"Pines of Rome", a marvelous piece set to the "story" of whales leaving the water and eventually the planet, is worth viewing several times for it's symbolism and exquisite look. "Rhapsody in Blue", by Gershwin, is given perfect treatment by a day in the life of New York City. The pace is quick and manages to give each character studied enough depth to make a very satisfying and touching ending. "Pomp and Circumstance", the graduation standard, is humorous and sweet. Creating a love story involving Donald and Daisy Duck into the story of Noah's Ark worked surprisingly well. "Firebird Suite"- WOW. This is the most incredible segment of the film. It's a PERFECT marriage of music and animation and MUST be played loud. Very emotional and powerful indeed.

I had to post another comment because I can't stress enough that it's a worthy successor to the original Fantasia, and Walt would be proud.

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.

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.

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