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126 comments in total

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43 out of 47 people found the following comment useful :-
Probably Disney's best, 2 June 2001

Author: Markku Ylipalo from Finland

Fantasia has it's flaws, I'll give you that. But so what? In spite of some of it's less interesting segments, FANTASIA remains the highlight of Walt Disney's career. SNOW WHITE AND SEVEN DWARFS was, of course, more significant, ground-breaking and all together better film, but it wasn't such an experience for me as FANTASIA. Perhaps I was a tad too old for it. Who knows? Any way, I was seven, when I first saw FANTASIA with my sister in a small movie theater in our home town. We thought it quite boring then, although images of T-rex killing the stegosaur, Satan raising the dead and Mickey Mouse surfing on a book of spells remained in my head for weeks. I rediscovered FANTASIA well in my teens, as my little sister bought it on DVD. I like to prefer myself as a film buff of sorts. I guess there is something into that, as I had read quite a lot about FANTASIA in many reviews and books considering cinema as an artform. I saw it in a whole new light. I don't really like Disney films, being so sentimental as they are. But FANTASIA is different. It is a series of stories built around eight pieces of classical music. I feel i must rate and review them separately, independent stories as they are (except for the last two).

1. Johann Sebastian Bach's TOCCATA AND FUGUE IN D MINOR

Impressionistic cartoon showing first the movements of the instruments, as they are playing the tune. As the music proceeds, the shapes of the instruments begin to blur, until there are only colors and undefined shapes left of them. Segment ends showing what appears to be sunset in the background as Leopold Stokowski conducts the invisible orchestra. The music is in this section is good, after all, it is the main theme. Unfortunately, the animation is not very interesting. ** out of *****

2. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's THE NUTCRACKER SUITE

Fairies, mushrooms, flowers, leaves and fish are dancing to Tchaikovsky's ballet. Beautiful animation and quite recognizable music(you've probably all heard it before). Unforgettable is the scene, where the mushrooms are dancing and one of them has difficulties keeping up with the others, since he/she has no partner. ****

3. Paul Dukas' THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE

Mickey Mouse has a role of a lifetime as an eager student to a mighty wizard. Mickey tries the sorcerer's hat and assumes powers to make a groom do his work. Unfortunately things run out of hand, and it takes a real magician to put things right. This is FANTASIA's best segment. Music and animation work like a glove. The scene, where Mickey dreams of moving stars and raising oceans with his powers is one of the greatest moments in movie history and popular culture in general. *****(*)

4. Igor Stravinsky's THE RITE OF SPRING

The story of life on earth from primordial soup to the death of dinosaurs takes off slowly, but the dinos are worth waiting for. The scene where they walk in the desert to the their certain doom, is impressive, to say the least. ****

5. Ludwig van Beethoven's THE PASTORAL SYMPHONY

Centaurs, cherubs, serafs, gods and other characters of creek mythology are spending a day in the countryside in this colorful segment that is one of the least interesting in FANTASIA. The drunken deeds of wine god Baccus and the cute flying horses in the beginning are the few highlights of this segment. ***

6. Amilcare Ponchielli's DANCE OF THE HOURS

Ostrichs, hippos, elephants and crocodiles are dancing Ponchielli's famous ballet in FANTASIA's funniest segment. These ballerinas are definitely not suffering from eating disorders.

7. Modeste Moussorgsky's NIGHT ON BOLD MOUNTAIN and Franz Schubert's AVE MARIA

Moussorgsky's frantic masterpiece gives life to one of the most terrifying and most impressive episodes in the history of animation. Satan himself raises the dead and invites them to dance with vampires, witches and demons high on bold mountain. Satanic fest goes on all night, until morning breaks and the church bells chime. AVE MARIA plays on the background, as the sacred procession walks to cathedral. NIGHT ON BOLD MOUNTAIN and AVE MARIA fit together perfectly, as they, in the words of Deems Taylor, describe the eternal battle between the sacred and profane. *****

It is good that FANTASIA should spawn a sequel, although, I'm not entirely happy with FANTASIA 2000. It somehow lacks the dignity of the original. Still, I hope there's more to come. We're eagerly waiting for the day, when Walt Disney pictures releases Fantasia 2060 to see RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES, SWAN OF TUONELA and much more. Let us hope we don't have to wait for another sixty years to be able to enjoy brand new fantasies.

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26 out of 28 people found the following comment useful :-
Fantastic, 23 July 1999

Author: Spleen from Canberra, Australia

There cannot be one verdict on "Fantasia". There must be eight: one for each of the seven segments, and an eighth for the film as a whole - for, varied though the seven segments are, they undeniably belong together. And, alas, space does not permit me to lay out all eight verdicts. I shall have to confine myself to details representative of the whole. At any rate, I shall try.

We learn the modus operandi of "Fantasia", the linking theme, in the second segment - an abridged version of Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" suite. (Missing are the overture and the march.) Tchaikovsky's ballet involves anthropomorphising inanimate things, plus the odd tiny animal. So does Disney's "Nutcracker". But Disney has thrown out the particular details. The Chinese Dance is danced by mushrooms (who look, but are not, Chinese); the Arabian Dance by "Arabian" goldfish; the Russian dance by "Russian" thistles and orchids. Sometimes it goes further: "Waltz of the Flowers" shows two entire changes of seasons, with leaves, fairies, seed pods, seeds, snowflakes - everything but flowers. But in ignoring the letter of the instructions Disney is perfectly true to the spirit. Indeed he is more true to the spirit than the original ballet - for, let's face it: stage ballet is a degenerate and over-formalised art, which makes some of the world's most exciting music dull as wallpaper. Disney's amazing images express Tchaikovsky's sense of motion more than earthbound dancers ever could. This, one feels, is the kind of thing ballet music was TRULY designed for. The same goes to a lesser extent for the other two pieces of ballet music on the program.

This basic device - ignoring explicit instructions, but remaining true to the spirit - is carried through into every segment. (Some segments are better than others, but none can be called a failure.) Dukas's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" has been turned into a Mickey Mouse cartoon - but it's the best Mickey Mouse cartoon ever made; and we realise that the story of the Sorcerer's Apprentice is really the archetype that all of the best Mickey Mouse cartoons had been reaching towards, all along. The Pastoral Symphony adheres to Beethoven's program but moves everything from the woods of Central Europe to a dreamland from classical mythology. (The second movement - the section with the courting centaurs - is a failure. For once the spirit as well as the letter of Beethoven is ignored. Unfortunately some critics cannot see beyond this movement to the superb interpretations that flank it on either side.)

I doubt that so much genuine creative work has gone into a film, before or since - even if you don't count the contributions made by the composers. What's my favourite film? I really don't know. But if you tell me that I must sit in a large dark cinema for two hours; and ask me what I would like to occupy my eyes and ears over those two hours, I would answer, without hesitation, Fantasia.

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23 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :-
A Truly Unique Experience, 26 December 1999
Author: JoshyR from United States

This is one of the truly rare, one of a kind movie going experiences, kind of in the same league as watching 2001: A Space Odyssey. I like to watch this film repeatedly; often times I'll just close my eyes and daydream, letting my own imagination go in place of whats on the screen. My favorite part is the opening sequence, with its dramatic music and free flowing imagery foreshadowing the state of the world in 1940. The end of Ave Maria is the perfect bookend to this masterpiece; death has withdrawn and peace has finally arrived. It would, but not for another five years and millions of lives. I can never watch this movie without seeing it in this context; for me its a work of art, both a part and ahead of its time.

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26 out of 35 people found the following comment useful :-
Best Animated Film Ever, 17 November 1999
Author: GeneralB from PA

This without a doubt the greatest animated film in history. While highly acclaimed and well-known today, it was not terribly popular when it was first released. The idea of "Fantasia" is to take great pieces of music and draw animated sequences that match them. In doing so, it reverses the purpose of a movie's score; the movie serves and matches the music, not the other way around. This set up also means that there is no typical formula plot that is present in the vast majority of movies. In the first piece, the animation is vague and abstract, but in later ones it is of definite actions, objects, and stories. The two most famous(and my favorite) parts are probably "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and "Rite of Spring". "Fantasia" is not only the best animated film ever made, but one of the greatest films period.

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20 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
A Classic, 5 December 2002
Author: MovieAddict2009 from UK

Disney's "Fantasia" is a pure classic.

What we are shown are a few animated musicals, filled with grand splendor and vivid colors.

"Fantasia" is one of those films that everyone knows by heart, and has watched since being a child.

My personal favorite was always the Mickey Mouse short - one of the darkest Mickey cartoons I've ever seen.

If you haven't seen "Fantasia" yet, then you must be from another planet. It is one of the best Disney musicals ever, which some push aside and forget too easily.

5/5 stars-

John Ulmer

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12 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Unusual & Very Creative, 5 November 2004
Author: Snow Leopard from Ohio

This unusual and very creative classic of animation combines a very interesting idea with quite a bit of imagination, plus visual effects that still hold up quite well. All but a couple of the sequences are quite enjoyable, and some especially so. Even the segments that don't work as well are usually at least interesting, since you can at least appreciate what they were trying to accomplish.

You don't really have to be all that familiar with the specific pieces of music for it to be worthwhile, since in several cases they chose to match the music with material that is rather different in nature from any original context that it may have had. And in any case, the animated sequences are intended to provide the context, in terms of the movie.

No doubt, everyone will have his or her own favorite segments, based on the music itself and on the choice of accompanying visual material. The "Sorcerer's Apprentice" sequence, with Mickey Mouse, is certainly one of the most memorable. The adaptation of "The Rite of Spring" is quite imaginative in using an entirely different setting for the music. "Night on Bald Mountain" has striking and sometimes bizarre visuals.

Many of the classic Disney features still hold up well as family entertainment, but "Fantasia" is unique for its combination of imaginative concept and visual creativity. Not every minute of it works, but that's the price of being willing to experiment. It's an enjoyable and satisfying feature that well deserves to be remembered.

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14 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
For Back Then!!!!!!, 1 June 2007

Author: dataconflossmoor from United States

Why is this film so incredible? If for no other reason, consider it is the year 1940!! Things like: Special effects, synthesized sound which interacted with animated motion, and color enhanced collage authentications, are things that just sort of roll off the end of our tongues today, but, back then, these techniques were very new to us!! Walt Disney is avant garde in so many uses of cartoon perfection!! In 1931, he came out with the first color cartoon. In 1937, the film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" was a landmark in animated entertainment..."Fantasia" is absolutely one the best films ever made!! The color, the music, and the correlation between reality and illusionary depictions, culminated a brilliant montage of spectacular amusement for the movie audience!! My favorite segments were: Nutcracker Suite / The Russian Dance, Pastoral Symphony / Beethoven, and last but not least, Sorcerer's Apprentice / With Mickey Mouse. My mother said that I laughed hysterically for three hours in the movie theater at that scene with the multiplying brooms in the Sorcerer's Apprentice segment!! This film is synonymous with Christmas, as synonymous with Christmas as "It's a Wonderful Life" The movie "Fantasia" is considered one of the greatest films ever made, I wholeheartedly agree, in my book, it ranks 12th best movie ever!! "Fantasia" is usually in AFI's list of top 100 films ever made!! Imagery and the succinct use of color graphics are second nature with technical film artists today, back then, however, it was a revolutionary concept which dazzled the moviegoer!!! Walt Disney films are not just "cartoons" they are computerized digital artistry which evoke a rare art form of paramount escapism on the silver screen!! The "Fantasia 2000" movie was excellent too, but merely a rendition of the classic, while the segments were different, there just was not as much originality to them!! As a result, it lost a little panache in the process!! As a Chicagoan, I should like the "Fantasia 2000" more in one area: The music was performed by the Chicago Symphony!! In the original, the music was done by the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra!! "Fantasia" is a rare treat that every movie aficionado should witness.. I definitely recommend seeing this movie, preferably around Christmas!!

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15 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :-
Fantasia!, 24 June 2005

Author: Movie Nuttball from U.S.A.

This is one of the most fantastic animated features of all time in My opinion! Being a huge fan of movie music scores and classical music this is such an extraordinary movie to watch and enjoy. My favorite pieces in the film is the Nutcracker Suite, Rite of Spring, and Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria. These are three of the greatest pieces of music ever written in My opinion! The animation is crisp, clean, and clear! In fact, this animation is arguably better then today and there hasn't been any animation like the Night on Bald Mountain since in my opinion! Disney did a fabulous achievement here! So if you love Disney, the new fantasia 2000 animated feature, animated films in general, movie scores, and classical music then I strongly recommend that you head over to Amazon.com today and purchase this great animated movie today!

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12 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
Classic animation, 10 April 2003

Author: Rob Little from Bristol, England

I've recently bought the Silly Symphonies DVD. My daughter Sarah and I have watched one cartoon every day, culminating in Fantasia. We didn't watch it all at once, but spread it over the course of a week (I tend to agree with other comments - it's too much for kids in one viewing). She sat on my lap and loved every minute of it, even 'Night on Bald Mountain'. I must admit I hadn't watched it for years and forgot about this section, but she wasn't scared by it. This is surprising when you consider the spider in 'Mother Goose Melodies' frightened her!

In my opinion Fantasia is the ultimate Silly Symphony. It's obvious all the groundwork for the film came from them, which is why it's so good - the artists had ten years to hone and perfect their skills while Walt Disney had the vision to realise it. I wonder if he had thought of it a decade earlier and waited until the right moment to create it...? It's a real shame he never lived to see its success because he deserved to.

It's hard to find the right words to surmise this film; I suppose I could break each section down and give my opinion as others have done, but as a whole - well, it's got good bits and bad bits; happy and sad bits, it's scary and funny and gloomy and sunny. It's spirited, colourful, sparkling, animated... but let's not get carried away here. It's only a film and some bits of it are quite boring.

If you randomly wound through it you could find yourself watching any one of the above, and this to me sums it up - it's unique. What other film can you say that about?

Fantasia is a light that will shine for generations to come. 9/10.

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8 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
The Mousetro's greatest achievement. Fantasia WILL amaze ya. (Possible SPOILERS.), 20 July 2004
Author: Akbar Shahzad (rapt0r_claw-1) from Karachi, Pakistan

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Fantasia is the most amazing animated movie I have ever seen. It may not have the humor of Finding Nemo, nor the simple message of Dumbo. It's so different from anything else the House of Mouse ever created. But it may well be the best.

It's a collection of short subjects with little or no plot, but what makes the compilation unique is that it's all matched to classical music, beautifully conducted by Leopold Stokowski, and bridged by live-action footage of the silhouettes of an orchestra, narrated by Deems Taylor. Besides these sequences, there isn't a word of dialog.

Toccata and Fugue in D Minor: This is nothing but an abstract piece of animation. You see the strings of the cello, the violin, and lots of stripes and shapes that leave trails of color in their wake. Magnificently matched to the music. There's not really that much to explain, just images.

The Nutcracker Suite: An ode to nature based on Tchaikowsky's six dances. Each dance is performed by the most unlikely dancers. Fairies, goldfish, thistles and many more perform the dances, but best of all is Art Babbit's Chinese Dance sequence, with mushrooms. The highlight of the sequence is Hob Low, a little mushroom who seems to lag behind the rest of the impeccable act. Brilliantly animated by Babbit, one of the best sequences in the movie.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice: An old story starring Mickey Mouse and the intimidating wizard Yen Sid (guess what that spells backwards!), matched to Dukas' symphony. This is without a doubt MM's greatest performance. The animation, especially Ugo O'Dorsi's brilliant effects, is impeccable. Funny and dramatic at the same time, everyone who's ever heard of Mickey Mouse should see The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

The Rite of Spring: Igor Stravinsky's Le Sacre was originally meant to signify prehistory, but Disney has taken it much further than a series of old tribal dances. The Rite of Spring starts out at the dawn of the planet, zooming in on our tormented home, spewing lava and rocks. Powerful scenes of the elements that ran amok, without utilizing computers at all (well, they hadn't been invented yet). Then, we skip to the beginnings of life, from the life and death struggle of big bacterium vs. little bacterium. Skip to the dinosaurs, and the constant tyranny of the tyrannosaurus. Many powerful dramatic scenes, beautifully set to the music, until desertification, starvation, a tidal wave and an earthquake wipes out the dinosaurs. Marvelous. One of the best shorts in animation history.

The Pastoral Symphony: Ludwig Van Beethoven's masterpiece, instead of portraying the countryside, takes place in a mythological setting. From Pegasus' family, and the adventures of the little black Baby Pegasus. Next movement revolves around the attempts of a bunch of butt-naked baby cupids trying to bring together single centaurs and centaurettes. Next, the exploits of the amorous and extremely drunk Bacchus and Jacchus, who join in the centaurs' wine-making. But all is interrupted by Zeus, who chucks lightning bolts at the lot till he's bored. Next movement, and order is restored, the sun sets, and Diana fires a comet into the sky. Wonderfully animated, and perfectly matched to great music.

The Dance of the Hours: Ostriches, elephants, hippos and alligators dance to Ponchielli's ballet, in a nobleman's castle, revolving around the leader of the gators, Ben Ali Gator's crush on Hyacinth Hippo. Beautifully animated, wonderful comic relief amidst a storm of serious art. It would've been just as successful as a short cartoon. Hilarious!

A Night On Bald Mountain and Ave Maria: One word: Chernabog. You have to see it to believe it. IS Bald Mountain REALLY a mountain? No, it's the crouching figure of Chernabog, a demon who calls all manner of grotesque, undead, and demonic things to himself, and tortures them in a hellish manner, disposing of them at will. Absolutely terrifying cacodemonic animation coupled with Moussorgsky's dramatic, intimidating score. But as dawn approaches, torch-bearing pilgrims, and Schubert's Ave Maria in the background, subdue Chernabog and the demons, and they return to the Underworld as a masterpiece ends. Vladimir Tytla is the only man who could possible have pulled off this dramatic, spell bindingly horrific sequence. The best piece of animation ever.

Fantasia is something special. Music, comedy, and unadulterated evil. That's a strange mixture. But two hours of these elements come together to make what may be the best movie ever. Fantasia will amaze ya.

10/10

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