{"id":35929,"date":"2014-12-30T09:03:49","date_gmt":"2014-12-30T14:03:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/?p=35929"},"modified":"2022-02-05T23:59:03","modified_gmt":"2022-02-06T04:59:03","slug":"movie-review-fantasia-2000","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/movie-review-fantasia-2000\/","title":{"rendered":"Movie Review: Fantasia 2000"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"DVD<\/a>
DVD Cover \u00a9 Disney<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A sequel to perhaps the most creative film in Disney history, Fantasia <\/em>(1940), Fantasia 2000<\/em> was released on December 31, 1999 as Disney\u2019s thirty-eighth full-length animated feature. Fantasia 2000<\/em> is much shorter than its 126-minute predecessor, clocking in at only 75 minutes including the end credits, which the original Fantasia<\/em> did not contain.<\/p>\n

Development<\/strong><\/p>\n

Walt Disney had intended Fantasia<\/em> to commence a series of films synchronizing music to animation, with the sequels featuring new segments in addition to old favorites. However, Fantasia <\/em>was a box office disappointment, and combined with other factors, such as World War II, a sequel did not transpire during Walt Disney\u2019s lifetime.<\/p>\n

In 1990, Disney Vice-Chairman Roy E. Disney, the son of Walt Disney\u2019s brother and business partner Roy O. Disney, proposed making his uncle\u2019s dream of a Fantasia<\/em> sequel a reality. The Walt Disney Company\u2019s Chief Executive Officer, Michael Eisner, was not a fan of the idea but was willing to compromise. To this end, if Roy Disney, who had been fighting Eisner\u2019s plan to release Fantasia<\/em> on home video, permitted its VHS release, the proceeds from the video sales would be used to create a sequel. The strategy worked; Fantasia<\/em> sold 15 million copies and finally attained a profit. The sequel was on! (1)<\/p>\n

Plot Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n

With numerous musical animated segments introduced by live-action narrators in a concert hall, the structure of Fantasia 2000<\/em> is similar to that of its predecessor. The film commences with a clip of Deems Taylor, the master of ceremonies from Fantasia<\/em>, reprising his spiel about the three types of segments the movie will contain\u2014those with music and a definite story, those with music and definite pictures if not a fully-developed plot, and those that showcase music for music\u2019s sake\u2014amidst highlights from the 1940 film and an interstellar backdrop.<\/p>\n

Fantasia 2000 <\/em>incorporates eight segments synchronized to different music: \u201cSymphony No. 5\u201d by Ludwig van Beethoven, \u201cPines of Rome\u201d by Ottorino Respighi, \u201cRhapsody in Blue\u201d by George Gershwin, \u201cPiano Concerto No. 2. Allegro Opus 102\u201d by Dmitri Shostakovich and based on the story \u201cThe Steadfast Tin Soldier,\u201d \u201cCarnival of the Animals (Le Carnaval des Animaux). Finale\u201d by Camille Saint-Saens, \u201cThe Sorcerer\u2019s Apprentice\u201d by Paul Dukas, \u201cPomp and Circumstance\u2014Marches 1. 2. 3. And 4\u201d by Sir Edward Elgar, and \u201cFirebird Suite\u20141919 Version\u201d by Igor Stravinsky.<\/p>\n

Of the eight segments, \u201cSymphony No. 5\u201d is music for music\u2019s sake, \u201cPines of Rome\u201d and \u201cCarnival of the Animals\u201d have definite pictures but not a fully-developed plot, and the rest of the shorts feature discernable stories. \u201cThe Sorcerer\u2019s Apprentice\u201d is the only segment to be repeated from the original Fantasia<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"Fantasia<\/a><\/p>\n

Narrators<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unlike the original Fantasia<\/em>, where Taylor served as the sole narrator, different celebrities introduce the various segments in Fantasia 2000<\/em>. Taylor introduces \u201cSymphony No. 5\u201d with the throwback clip; Steve Martin and Itzhak Perlman introduce \u201cPines of Rome;\u201d and Quincy Jones, Bette Midler, James Earl Jones, Penn and Teller, James Levine, and Angela Lansbury do the honors, respectively, for the remaining segments.<\/p>\n

I would not say that having multiple narrators affects the film either positively or negatively in relation to Fantasia<\/em>; it is just different.<\/p>\n

Music<\/strong><\/p>\n

As in Fantasia<\/em>, Disney, with one notable exception highlighted in the ensuing section, exquisitely mixed its music selections with the animation. For example, in \u201cPines of Rome,\u201d a smooth tune accompanies the flying whales, while shorter and quicker notes dominate once the creatures touch down in the water. Also, three short notes masterfully complement the light flashes in \u201cSymphony No. 5,\u201d and a still tune follows the Tin Soldier on his boat ride through the sewer in \u201cPiano Concerto No. 2.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pomp and Circumstance<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, Michael Eisner can be pomp<\/em>ous. No, that is not the point of this section\u2026well, it actually kind of is. In any event, upon hearing the classic \u201cPomp and Circumstance\u201d at his son\u2019s high school graduation ceremony, Eisner told Roy Disney and the animators that the tune had to be incorporated into Fantasia 2000<\/em> because \u201ceveryone can relate to \u2018Pomp and Circumstance.\u2019\u201d (2) The CEO also proposed a story concept to accompany the song: classic Disney heroes and heroines would march in a wedding procession with their future babies. (3)<\/p>\n

Roy Disney and the animators hated these ideas, and though Eisner was willing to forfeit his specific story concept, he maintained that \u201cPomp and Circumstance\u201d had to be inserted. (4)<\/p>\n

To its credit, the animation team found a creative way to satisfy Eisner. As students march in pairs at graduation ceremonies, so too did the animals onto the biblical Noah\u2019s Ark. In Fantasia 2000<\/em>, \u201cPomp and Circumstance\u201d provides the backdrop as an assortment of animals, including Donald Duck, board the ark.<\/p>\n

I enjoy \u201cPomp and Circumstance\u201d as much as anybody, but the song did not fit here. I equate the tune to graduation, so I found the use in relation to boarding a ship amidst an incoming hurricane to be more comical than anything. The segment was entertaining, but I do not think it was what Eisner was hoping for. It is the only segment in either installment of Fantasia<\/em> where I found the music selection muddled.<\/p>\n

Animation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Disney\u2019s attempt to mix computer animation with hand-drawn animation rendered mixed results in my opinion. While the traditional backgrounds, especially those of the sky and glaciers in the first two segments, were breathtakingly beautiful, I thought they were overwhelmed by the bold appearance of the CGI butterflies and whales.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, considering solely animation, I was unimpressed with the sketchy style of \u201cRhapsody in Blue.\u201d That style of animation, also used in the \u201cAll the Cats Join In\u201d portion of Make Mine Music<\/em> (1946), does not scream \u201cDisney\u201d to me.<\/p>\n

Humor<\/strong><\/p>\n

In developing Fantasia<\/em>, Walt Disney dissuaded his animators from making the film a comedy, saying, \u201cPlease avoid slapstick gags in the ordinary sense; work instead toward fantasy and business with an imaginative touch.\u201d (5)<\/p>\n

A similar heeding was not given in making Fantasia 2000<\/em>, which contains numerous hysterical moments, both in the introductions and the feature segments. Yo Yo Flamingo wreaks havoc with his yo-yo, Steve Martin demonstrates his inability to play the violin, Donald impersonates a meteorologist, and Duke, the construction worker from \u201cRhapsody in Blue,\u201d literally takes his breakfast on the run! The film\u2019s funniest moment, though, occurs when Rachel, the girl in \u201cRhapsody in Blue,\u201d is taking singing lessons\u2014the reaction of the dog in the room is classic.<\/p>\n

Relationship to Other Disney Films<\/strong><\/p>\n

The structure of Fantasia 2000<\/em> is akin to Disney\u2019s \u201cpackage films,\u201d such as Melody Time<\/em> (1948), in that it features multiple segments based around a common theme, in this case music, as opposed to a single plot-based story.<\/p>\n

Bette Midler voiced Georgette in Oliver and Company<\/em> (1988).<\/p>\n

The determination of the ballerina in \u201cPiano Concerto No. 2\u201d to marry her true love, Tin Soldier, rather than her evil suitor, Jack-in-the-Box, harkens back to Belle from Beauty and the Beast<\/em> (1991) and Jasmine from Aladdin <\/em>(1992).<\/p>\n

The nasty demeanor that Killjoy Margaret displays towards her husband, Flying John, in \u201cRhapsody in Blue\u201d reminded me of Fran Garrison\u2019s attitude with her husband, Mark Garrison, in the live-action The Ugly Dachshund<\/em> (1966).<\/p>\n

In the Parks<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFantasmic,\u201d a nighttime spectacular at Walt Disney World\u2019s Disney\u2019s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland Resort\u2019s Disneyland Park, features the sorcerer\u2019s apprentice\u2014Mickey\u2014fighting Disney villains.<\/p>\n

The sorcerer\u2019s hat from \u201cThe Sorcerer’s Apprentice\u201d has served as the official icon of Disney\u2019s Hollywood Studios since 2001, but it is scheduled to be taken down in early 2015.<\/p>\n

Overall<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fantasia 2000<\/em> is inferior to its 1940 predecessor in terms of overall quality, but I found the sequel more enjoyable due to the humor and shorter duration. The synchronization of the music to the animation is, for the most part, still excellent.<\/p>\n

Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n

1) Stewart, J. (2005). The Wonderful World of Disney. In Disney War<\/em> (pp. 105-106). New York: Simon & Schuster.<\/p>\n

2) Stewart, J. (2005). Disenchanted Kingdom. In Disney War<\/em> (p. 289). New York: Simon & Schuster.<\/p>\n

3) Ibid.<\/p>\n

4) Ibid.<\/p>\n

5) Watts, S. (1997). The Entertainer as Artist: Sentimental Modernism. In The Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney and the American Way of Life <\/em>(p. 114). Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press.<\/p>\n

What do you think of Fantasia 2000? Let me know in the comments!<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sponsored Ad:<\/strong>\u00a0 Would you like to help support The Mouse For Less website in continuing their mission of being THE Disney vacation planning resource?\u00a0 You can do so by purchasing Fantasia 2000 <\/em>from our Affiliate Link through Amazon<\/a>. Thanks so much for your support!<\/p>\n

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