Fantasia Review

 

        After the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, followed by another adaptation on Pinocchio, Walt Disney decided to go even bigger in terms of animation. Originally intended as an extended Mickey Mouse feature, Fantasia was Disney’s most ambitious and experimental feature he has produced. It combined orchestrated music with animation that had no dialogue. Today, it’s heralded as a classic in Disney animation and animation in general. 

1. Orchestra and Animation

        For the Disney purists, this isn’t the first time Disney’s animation had a collision with music. There were two different cartoons at that time. The usual Mickey Mouse shorts and the more musically inclined “Silly Symphony”. The series is notable for using color when it was brand new and using the multiplane camera to make dynamic animation at the time. It only seemed appropriate to make a 2-hour feature with animation and instrumental music. 

        As the film started, we get to meet the MC of the film, Deems Taylor telling the audience what they will be watching and listening. The music was conducted by Leopold Stokowski with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Taylor is only in there to give the context of what the animation is supposed to be as how it was performed with dancers and giving some historical context of the music. Another thing is that he tells the audience to watch for three things of the combination of the mediums by saying “…music that tells a definite story, music that paints a series of pictures, and "absolute music" that exists simply for its own sake…”

        Obviously, having the pictures in this review doesn’t do it justice in the least bit when describing what exactly is in the film. Oh man, how it must’ve feel to be in the theater with special speakers built in the theater to hear the music and seeing the animation. That sound is called “Fantasound” it made it as though you were in the theater hearing an orchestra right in front of you. I think it revolutionized sound before THX was used for Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

        Just picking which of the seven segments that I like is a challenge in of itself. They’re all drawn so greatly. The first segment Toccata and Fugue in D Minor uses abstract animation to go along with the rhythm and sound of the orchestra. Others uses plants, animals, extinct prehistoric monsters, and Greek myths to go and be the performers for the music. It’s better than seeing humans do a dance number since, animation can go in any direction. Lastly, how the animators give the soundtrack an animated piece just shows their talent. I mean it’s a squiggly line that imitates the music notes.

2. "The Sorcerer’s Apprentice"

        With all that, whenever you come across a DVD or see it on Disney+, Mickey is front and center of the poster or cover. As I mentioned earlier, the film was originally Mickey’s until Walt decided to retool the feature to what it is now. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is the most famous out of all the segments in Fantasia. The segment is based on poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s story of the same name. 

        To put it into context, Mickey looked differently before Fantasia. You may have seen him have a very black and white look with pie eyes on his face. Here is the first time that Mickey has the look that is his current look in animation and whenever anyone goes to either Disney theme parks. Originally, Mickey wasn’t supposed to be in the segment. Dopey was going to be in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice segment. Which explains why Mickey has the baggy look that he does. It’s a classic look and one of his most memorable costumes in his storied history. 

3. “Night on Bald Mountain” and “Ave Maria”

        These two works in tandem wrap up the film. Now, the former is probably the only time that Disney animation ever got dark. It starts foreboding, well the music really sets up what exactly we’ll be watching in the segment. The main character Chernabog, who looks demonic stretching his shadow down on a town to bring out the dead. The dead are mostly dancing as the demon uses them as playthings. 

        Probably the best sequence to follow that is with Ave Maria. Duh it’s contrasting and there’s a certain calmness and something that’s soothing to see music that isn’t frightening. I really like the second half of the segment since it’s practically Disney since it gives this hope to really end the film. With how it's presented, it's religious but it ends with a perfect sunrise to give it that classic Disney ending.

4. How Did it Bomb?

        As ambitious as it was, it didn’t do well financially. The studio that was distributing the film RKO didn’t really have faith in the endeavor so they decided to give Disney control to distribute the film. That resulted in the film having a roadshow where they traveled across the country to show the film. It is critically acclaimed for how ambitious it was. Although, they weren’t allowed to distribute the film overseas due to World War 2. Disney’s animation studio faced a big financial set back.

        Disney decided to give the distribution back to RKO and they cut the film from approximately 2 hours to 81 minutes. Not only was Fantasia the only Disney feature to bomb, it was part of a series of bombs for the studio. For as much as Pinocchio to The Adventures of Ichabod Crane and Mr. Toad are classics, they didn’t do well financially. Some did make money, but not big enough profit to really make a difference since they were released during the war and after. 

5. Legacy

        Due to the popularity of the film, Fantasia was rereleased during various decades. It made more profit as people lined up and actually bought the film on video. In 1999, a sequel was made called Fantasia 2000, it is the first animated film to be released on IMAX. While it was good, it wasn’t as ambitious as the original film. Most of the designs for Mickey and Chernabog were used for Walt Disney World in one of the shows. 

        In 2010, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice segment was adapted to a live-action film with Nicolas Cage. I’ve seen it with a friend, and it wasn’t good. It would only make sense to make a third Fantasia film now with just how animation has evolved. As of 2019, Disney announced that they are developing a third film exclusively for their streaming service. 

6. Overall

        Out of all the animated films that Walt oversaw, I think Fantasia is the one that really has the medium be utilized in an unorthodox way. It’s a treasure and one of the best animated films that I have seen. 

        Fantasia gets a five out of five.