Fantasia (1940) wide

Fantasia (1940) – Legendary classical music meets Disney animation

Fantasia (1940) – 8/10 – Legendary classical music meets Disney animation

Fantasia (1940)

‘Fantasia’ is a classical musical that depicts eight famous pieces of classical music alongside Disney animation. These pieces, which I won’t list here, include Western classical maestros like Bach, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Beethoven, Ponchielli, and Schubert (surprised Mozart is missing). The famous 20th-century conductor, Leopold Stokowski, conducts the pieces with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Each piece is its own segment of animation that depicts a story, with the 7th segment including two famous pieces that depict darkness and hope. The animations account for minute details you wouldn’t expect—details I often missed. Not every sequence held my attention, and I sometimes drifted in the moments, listening to the music. Overall, the originality of the arts amazed me. My favorite sequence was perhaps the Sorcerer’s Apprentice, starring Mickey Mouse and Walt Disney. The Bald Mountain and Ave Maria ending also has to be up there.

I thought Fantasia was very well done, especially considering this was all done without computers. For the early 1940s, this was well ahead of its time in the art techniques used and technologically at the tip of the iceberg. The film’s vivid colors on the animations surprised me, considering the era in which Disney made it. I couldn’t help but wonder if someone altered the colors many decades later to make them more vibrant. Walt Disney was also closely involved in this project when Disney had not yet grown into the powerhouse it would become over the next few decades. Disney used over 1,000 artists and technicians to make this film, which features over 500 animated characters throughout. This 2-hour-long film became the longest Disney feature film. Mickey Mouse also made his first film appearance here. Initially, this film was a flop, but it became a hit over re-releases in future years.

Would I recommend it? I don’t know if it’s everyone’s cup of tea. Not everyone listens to and enjoys classical music. However, this was much more than just classical music. This includes world-class animations to go with it, handmade decades before the days of computers and CGI. With that consideration, I think it’s worth watching at least once. I found the creativity and imaginativeness magnificent and well worth the two hours.

bronze
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