Destino

it is like one of letters from an old box. it is a message from past. touching, significant, charming more for its age than for the images from it. and this is the basic virtue of "Destino" - to be a dialogue between you and Dali. to recognize the art and spirit and creativity of Dali. and, maybe, after its end, you discover the love story. for see, again, "Destino". and for discover. not only a fascinating work but a form of eulogy to humanity.

I discovered this wonderful film on a cruise this winter, it was shown by Park West Galleries as part of a seminar. For me it was love at first site and I quickly fell in love with not only the movie but the art work Salvador Dali produced as concepts for it.

In the end I purchased a set of seven lithographs that Dali created and to my joy the set came with a copy of the film Destino. I can say that am am undoubtedly a proud owner and love the great addition to my collection.

Some have called this film uninteresting, to this I am at a loss for words. to see the brain child of Walt Disney and Salvador Dali come to life is incredible. I admit, children and those who view Dali's work as 'weird' will probably not enjoy this short masterpiece.

If you ever get a chance to see the film do not hesitate to do so. Even if you do not like the premise the film is a tribute to the brilliant minds of both Walt and Salvador.

I had the privilege to see Destino at the Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida.

It's the only place in the world where it plays on a regular basis.

It six minutes I believe.

I thought it was beautiful.

Enchanting.

If you can, see it.

I absolutely loved it.

Although it wasn't completely made by the original collaborators (Dali & Walt Disney), it still has their vision taken from their storyboards. This is classic Dali mixed with a female protagonist who has the familiar Disney style face.

Great story, with a wonderful somewhat tragic ending.

Originally conceived as a joint project between Disney and Dalí back in the 1940's, this short animation never got to the stage of being completed for various reasons and instead existed as paintings and storyboards Dalí made with Disney animator John Hench. These were on display at the Tate Modern as part of the exhibition "Dalí & Film" and I did like the fact that I could see the creation of the film and then step next door to watch it and see how close it came to the original design from over fifty years before.

Watching it is a strange but enjoyable experience because it is at once Disney and Dalí and this is a combination that I didn't think sat all that well together thematically or visually. I did get used to it but it did jar with me to see a woman with a typical modern Disney face, suddenly becoming part of a Dalí's creation. Perhaps this was the intension but it did feel a bit like someone was flicking a switch somewhere to go Dalí then Disney then back again – not so much a combination of styles as the two being placed next to one another in one piece. This feeling aside though, it is a quiet engaging and enjoyable film that I enjoyed immensely visually. Dalí's vision is brought to life really well and the images from his storyboard and paintings generally are instantly recognisable.

Again I did wonder if the film would have been quite so "Disney" if it had been made in 1946 with the man himself directly involved – at times I did feel that I was watching Pocahontas and it did take away from the experience a little bit. Fortunately the storyboards prevent it going too far from the original images and as such it is interesting and imaginative; the CGI is a blessing and a curse though. On one hand it makes all this possible but on the other it seems significantly less real than Dalí's actual paintings – I'm not sure quite why but I think the colours are too simple and the imagery lacking in the detail that some of his work has.

Overall though, it is still an enjoyable and enchanting film and a chance to see Dalí's images flowing across the screen. Perhaps a little too Disneyified for my tastes, it is still well worth seeing for the chance to enter a Dalí painting and follow a story about loss and love.