Congratulations to you, Mickey - Fantasia 2000

38 – Fantasia 2000

Fantasia was a bit of an experiment. Walt Disney wanted it to be more than just a normal movie experience. He wanted it to be something that people could go to multiple times and see new features rotated in and out so that they never saw the same movie twice. For 60 years, nothing really came of that idea until 1999's Fantasia 2000. This movie builds on the original idea and presents a whole new movie of brand new sequences and music, with one exception. Instead of being presented by Deems Taylor, the pieces are presented by a slew of celebrities. The new music is performed by the Chicago Symphony. I didn't love the original Fantasia. I thought it was a bit of a failed experiment to make classical music more accessible. This Fantasia is a whole different beast.

Symphony No. 5 in C minor – Ludwig van Beethoven

The first feature doesn't really rely on a heavy story. Using Beethoven's famous symphony, the animators show a world of abstract shapes and colors that appear in sync with the music. There is a battle between light and dark and they use a really cool motif of flying shapes that look like butterflies. They really interpreted the music in a unique way.

Pines of Rome – Ottorino Respighi

There is a bit more of a story with this piece, albeit a very strange one. It's basically about a humpback whale family that discovers they are able to fly. The child of the family gets separated and ends up in an iceberg. The music is really fantastic and fit the visuals surprisingly well. The visuals are also really gorgeous, despite the strange subject matter. It's definitely not what Respighi intended when he wrote the piece and I would definitely not think of flying whales while listening to this music, but it works.

Rhapsody in Blue – George Gershwin

This short tells the story of four people who want different things in life. There's a man who is stuck at work but wants to go play drums. Another is jobless and poor and dreams of getting a job. A little girl is shuttled around by her nanny to different lessons but just wants to be with her parents. Another man is controlled by his wife but just wants to go out and have fun. The narratives of the story are really interwoven well, especially in such a short amount of time. This jazz influenced piece by Gershwin really fits the story well. The art style they chose was also perfect, being based on the art of Al Hirschfeld. The style is very simple but captures the motion and moods of the piece really well. It is definitely one of the standouts in the feature.

Piano Concerto No 2 in F Major – Dmitri Shostakovich – Based on “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” by Hans Christian Andersen

The story of this one is about a tin soldier with one leg who falls in love with a porcelain ballerina and has to protect her from a creepy Jack in the Box. The music they chose was just perfect for the story despite having nothing to do with the original piece. The story is really well told for the short amount of time with really great animation. The music really brings this story to life.

The Carnival of the Animals, Finale – Camille Saint-Saens

The idea of this short is really simple, “what would happen if you gave a yo-yo to a flock of flamingos?” From this really silly and simple idea, they create a short that fits the music and is really fun and entertaining. I especially appreciated how they tied in the recurring theme in the music with the yo-yo flamingo present for the second time. It's one of the shortest segments in the movie but its really fun.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice – Paul Dukas, Performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, led by Leopold Stokowski

This segment is the same one from the first Fantasia and carries the original idea of swapping out certain segments but keeping some fan favorites. It's still as amazing and wonderfully done as it originally was. I was thinking that it would have been really cool if they could re-record the piece, not that the Philadelphia Orchestra didn't do a fantastic job. There is just a clear difference in the quality of the recordings. It's definitely not a problem though. After the segment, they have a really great callback to when Mickey goes to Stokowski to congratulate him from the original film.

Pomp and Circumstance – Edward Elgar

This story was based on Noah's Arc but features Donald and Daisy Duck. Donald has to help Noah get all the animals onto the Arc. After he does so, Donald and Daisy both believe that the other hasn't made it onto the Arc. After being sad for a bit, they discover that they both made it. The music in this one was the real stand out to me. It's really cool to hear more of this awesome piece because you usually only hear the one part at graduation ceremonies. The piece fits the mood of the animation really well though it doesn't fit as well as the other shorts. The two pieces of the whole are so good, however, that they don't take away from each other.

Firebird Suite – Igor Stravinsky

This short presented a story of life, death and rebirth. A spirit goes around giving life to plants but accidentally awakens the Firebird that goes and destroys everything. The spirit is sad but her elk companion helps her bring everything back to life. The animation in this short is really gorgeous and fits the music perfectly. They made already beautiful music even more powerful through the imagery and it's just a fantastic finale to the movie.

Overall, this version is way more effective than the original. It's more accessible and the stories work much better. It still feels artistic but not so much that it becomes difficult to follow. All the sequences have clear motifs and ideas. The music they chose was way better and much more interesting. Even the non segment parts in between are beautiful and nostalgic. The announcers, including Steve Martin, Penn and Teller, Bette Midler, James Earl Jones and more, really did a great job and gave some great insight into how these shorts came into being. This movie really makes me hope that they, someday, continue with Fantasia and hopefully expand to different kinds of “classical” music. Perhaps a full chorus or wind ensemble? Maybe a modern composer like Eric Whitacre? In any case, this movie is a great example of what Disney animators can do with some fantastic music and some great ideas.

38 down. 15 to go.