User reviews

In 1940, Walt Disney released "Fantasia", the third feature of his studio and maybe his most ambitious project, with a beautiful combination of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski and animation. The result is a movie that has been worshiped by every generation.

Yesterday I saw "Fantasia" again, now on the Special 60th Anniversary Edition DVD, restored and remastered with audio in THX inclusive with intermission. The program, for those that have eventually never seen or want to recall, is composed by the following:

(1) Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach.

(2) Nutcracker Suite by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

(3) The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Paul Dukas.

(4) Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky.

(5) Intermission/Meet the Soundtrack.

(6) The Pastoral Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven.

(7) Dance of the Hours by Amilcare Ponchielli.

(8) Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky.

(9) Ave Maria by Franz Schubert.

My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Fantasia"

Fantasia is so educational, and I was gob smacked by how well the animation mixed with the classical music. Can I also say that Leopold Stokowski is one of the best conductor of the 20th century, right on a parallel with Herbert Von Karajan? I was listening to Sibelius's 5th symphony a few years back, and he conducted it the year before he died, and he was in his 90s. Not only that, but that was the best version of that symphony I had ever heard. Back to Fantasia then. Each piece was expertly introduced by Deems Taylor, and unlike its sequel didn't take too long.(Even the soundtrack vignette was interesting) In the sequel, almost half of the film felt like too much introduction and not enough music. Fantasia rectified that problem brilliantly:

1. Bach's Toccata- Brilliant silhouettes of the orchestra, and then masterful abstract images. The orchestra played the piece to a phenomenal standard, and I hate to say this, but I actually prefer the piece orchestrated. It was originally written for organ, you see. The best thing about Stokowski is that you see him conducting without a baton, which is exceedingly clever.

2. Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker- I recommend you see the ballet, because it is a knockout. This is coming from a classical music lover. The animation was superb in this vignette. The most impressive thing though was the fact that the finishes immediately went into the next scene, without it being hackneyed. The waltz, or Dance of the Snow Fairies, was the highlight of this vignette, reminding me so strongly of Christmas.

3. Dukas's Scorceror's Apprentice- The most famous vignette, is the only vignette to feature in the sequel. YenSid(Disney backwards) has a magic hat, which he leaves lying around, and Mickey Mouse picks it up, and encounters various problems. the animation is very good here, and while I'm not a huge fan of the piece, I still found it enjoyable.

4. Stravinsky's Rite of Spring- This is the only reason why the movie isn't a 10. This vignette is far too long It's longer than the Beethoven. It is an interesting subject, dinosaurs, but the ballet wasn't simplified enough. This was boring, and was better left out. It was only here to give some historical context. However, there was beautiful animation and some lovely instrumental solos. Stravinsky hated what the film did to his work, but anyway I don't like Stravinsky much. I had no problem with the animation or the way it was performed, it was just too long.

5. Beethoven's pastoral Symphony- This is a fantastic piece of music. I am a huge fan of Beethoven, and I have all his 9 symphonies on my IPod. My favourites are this, the Choral and the Eroica. I loved the fact that they chose a Greek mythological setting, because it looked gorgeous. My dad who is a conductor wasn't keen on the centaurs, but I loved the winged horses, Bacchus and Zeus (who competes with Chernabog as the most frightening character of the movie). This vignette was so relaxing to watch; think it as like reciting a poem.

6. Ponchielli's Dance of the Hours-This was the funniest vignette of the film, and one of the many gems of Disney. It was a bit unrealistic of course, but it was fun. At first, I was worried that the most famous scene from the opera La Giaconda, would be ruined by the animation. But it wasn't. It was perfect. Even the elephants and hippos, considering their size, danced so elegantly, I was shocked. This vignette is a must-see if you want some comedy.

7. Mussorgsky's Night on Bare Mountain- Now this was my personal favourite, as when I first watched it when I was 10, and I was terrified of Chernabog. The music is also very hard to play, as the mood is very hard to capture, but this is undoubtedly the finest recording of this music. Chernabog was genuinely frightening, and a masterful creation. And the animation, while dark, matched the music, which is enough to give you nightmares, flawlessly. It was very like a Witch's Sabbath, which was what the composer originally intended. Do you know, that for his underrated fantasy movie Legend, Ridley Scott based Tim Curry's Darkness on Chernabog? Children may find it a bit too frightening, and adults may find it inappropriate, as there is a tiny glimpse of nudity. But it was still an effective vignette, and one of my favourite Disney moments actually.

8. Schubert's Ave Maria- This is a beautiful song, and Stokowski did it justice. The harmonies and animation were perfectly captured. how could you say this was boring? The animation couldn't have been happy looking, it would have completely ruined the mood of the song. It was beautifully sung by Juillietta Novis, who was so quiet that you had to turn the volume up, but that was the intention. The thing that impressed me most, was the complete contrast of this from the Mussorgsky, so the key of Ave Maria was so well chosen. (It is sung in many different keys.) In conclusion, the most underrated of the earlier Disney efforts, is well worth watching and a true animated classic! Also I was offended by the review that said that it was the worst movie ever made, and that the people who love this movie need new taste, that is plain insulting to anyone who grew up with this film. 9/10 Bethany Cox.

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.

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.

I first remember hearing about this movie when I was very little, and ever since I first watched it on VHS, it has always been one of the many examples of my favorite movies of all time. This is so unique, because unlike a typical Disney movie, in this movie we do not hear any dialog from the characters, and all of the music is instrumental (except for "Ave Maria" at the end). The film is divided into eight sequences, each of them being introduced by a guy named Deems Taylor, who was a very well-known music critique.

The eight segments are as follows:

1.) "Tocatta & Fugue in D-minor" composed by Johanne Sebastian Bach. This segment consists of shots of the Philadelphia Orchestra and their conductor Leopold Stokowski with a lot of cool shadow and color effects during the first three minutes, then we see a lot of shapes and random objects that Taylor would suggest to us might pop into our brains when listening to the music.

2.) "The Nutcracker Suite" composed by Tchaikovsky. In this part of the movie, we listen to excerpts of the famous ballet suite, and we see various fairies, flowers, fish and other nature-related creatures.

3.) Everyone's favorite "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" starring Sorcerer Mickey and Yen Sid (the sorcerer whose name is "Disney" spelled backwards). This is also the only segment to be seen again in this film's sequel, "Fantasia/2000" 60 years later, and in it the apprentice brings to life a magical broomstick to try to fill a cauldron with water, and the spell goes wrong so the apprentice gets reprimanded. This is then followed by Mickey greeting conductor Stokowski.

4.) "Rite of Spring" composed by Igor Stravinsky. This segment takes place billions and billions of years ago with the coming of the dinosaurs, where we see the creation of Earth in the beginning of time, and are later introduced to all of the different dinosaurs including the tyrannosaurus rex, which become extinct in the end of the segment.

5.) "Intermission/Meet the Soundtrack". At this point in the film, Deems Taylor introduces this string thingamajigger called the "Soundtrack" that he asks to make a lot of sounds resembling various instrument sounds.

6.) "Pastoral Symphony No. 6" composed by Beethoven. This segment is about a day in the countryside, and in it we see a lot of Greek mythology creatures like unicorns, satyrs, centaurs and centaurettes, cupids, Bacchus, Zeus, Iris, Apollo and Diana.

7.) "Dance of the Hours". This is where we see dancing ostriches, alligators, elephants and hippos. Each part of the piece suggests different hours of the day, and it all ends with a triumphant finale where the dancing hippo takes center stage.

8.) A combination of two pieces that are utterly different in mood and tone. They are "Night on Bald Mountain" in which a bat villain named Chernabog has Satan's evil spirits dance furiously until the coming of the sacred dawn, and then Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria" which is the one and only part of the whole film in which we hear lyrics sung, and then the movie ends.

I simply must say that not only is this film one of my all time favorite animated masterpieces, but it is also an example of a big highlight of the 1940's in cinematic history, all because of the ways it is so unique and special. In addition to this masterpiece, I also think "The Wizard of Oz", "Gone with the Wind", "Citizen Kane" and "Casablanca" are main icons of cinematic successes. I definitely think this should have been the first animated movie to be nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award instead of "Beauty and the Beast".

Fantasia was to be the crowning achievement of Walt Disney Studios, their magnum opus, a work of art that finally convinced the people that animated films could be more than "mere" children's entertainment. Unfortunately, it was too much too soon. People went in expecting children's entertainment - after all, that's what Disney was known for - and instead were treated to high art. Nothing wrong with that, but you need to expect it first. And thus, Fantasia flopped financially, and what was meant to be a continuing series of films, remained just one until the turn of the century.

But oh what a film it is. Music by the best classical composers ever lived, performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, hosted by Deems Taylor, featuring some the finest animated segments Disney had ever done. It's a stone cold classic, was from the very first moment, and it's a shame it didn't do so well. Luckily it has gone down in history as one of Disney's finest and will be watched and appreciated for centuries to come.

As for the individual segments, they're not of equal quality, though they are all very good in their own ways.

The opening segment, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, is not one of my personal favourites, but it works as a good opening intro to the idea behind Fantasia and is pretty to look at in its own way. It hasn't aged as well as some of the other segments, but it does its job more than adequately.

Nutcracker Suite, on the other hand, is fantastic. Beautiful images, perfectly accompanied by one of the most recognizable pieces of music there is. After seeing this segment once, it's hard not to see fairies and seasons dancing around whenever you hear the piece.

And then there's The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Everyone knows this one and has most probably seen it, even if they haven't seen the whole film. It's the segment with the most story and is one of the strongest Mickey Mouse shorts ever made. Grandeur, funny and even a bit threatening, it's probably the film's strongest moment.

Rite of Spring is another one with a story, this time about the history of our small blue orb floating in the space. It's intriguing to watch, but once again the animation shows a bit of its age and it's perhaps even a little bit too ambitious for its running length. Not the strongest segment, but once again very good nonetheless.

The Pastoral Symphony and Dance of the Hours, the next two segment, are to me very similar and while they're both fine, I cannot admit to liking them all that much. They're mostly just general gallivanting and while that's fine and fits the music, it can become a bit boring. The Pastoral Symphony is also the segments that has aged the least gracefully with some really rough character designs.

Luckily we have Night on Bald Mountain and Awe Maria to close the film. And they are awe-inspiring. The devil on his lone mountain top is one of the scariest images Disney has ever produced and the rest of the segment is equally haunting, eerie and threatening. Which is why the following tranquility and quietness of Awe Maria works so well and allows you to drift over the finish line with a smile on your face and peace in your heart.

Fantasia is not a perfect film, but it's still one of the finest pieces of art I've ever seen and a perfect introduction to animated films meant for adults. As a child I found it slightly boring. As an adult I'm in awe.

Groundbreaking on several counts, not the least of which was an innovative use of animation and stereophonic sound, this ambitious Disney feature has lost nothing to time since its release in 1940. Classical music was interpreted by Disney animators, resulting in surreal fantasy and playful escapism. Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra provided the music for eight segments by the composers Tchaikovsky, Moussorgsky, Stravinsky, Beethoven, Ponchielli, Bach, Dukas, and Schubert. Not all the sequences were created equally, but a few are simply glorious, such as "Night on Bald Mountain," "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," and "The Nutcracker Suite." The animation ranges from subtly delicate to fiercely bold. The screen bursts with color and action as creatures transmute and convention is thrust aside. The painstaking detail and saturated hues are unique to this film, unmatched even by more advanced technology.

When I see the cartoons that kids watch on TV these days I'm really worried about what they'll grow up into. All the fairy-tale imagination disappeared from kid's channels, and beautiful animations are replaced with modern ugly-simplified and mostly stupid characters. It is up to us, 20th-century generations, to show today's kids all the magic of old Disney and preserve it from fading into oblivion. "Fantasia" is Disney's approach to classical music and, I must admit, it's not one of my favorites. I always loved the animation part, but the music was quite boring for me as a kid. Still, its quality and worth are undisputable. If nothing else, this is the best way to try and bring Bach, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Beethoven, Mussorgsky, closer to kids and let them decide for themselves. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" by Paul Dukas was and still is my favorite part of this legendary musical. Some parts are fantastic, others I didn't like at all, and my average rating would be about

7/10

I just watched this movie for the first time and I was amazed by the animation excellence. If I didn't know that Fantasia was made in 1940 I would have guessed it was made much more recently. I grew up watching Disney movies and this gave me a nostalgic feeling that put in a state of ecstasy. It was truly a cinematic milestone that everyone should watch and appreciate.

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!!

The beginning of this film is quite different from any other animated film. I thought it was terrific, but then the film goes downhill after that, picks up for a brief period and peters out more. The dull parts tend to be the slow classical pieces. Overall, the movie is difficult to rate.

The first part, with symbols and other things popping up all over the screen as a symphony orchestra plays, is almost worth the price of the video. Kudos for whomever re-mastered the sound in here, as it is excellent stereo, amazing for a film over 65 years old.

Granted some of the stuff is very original and much of it is colorful, but two hours of animation is long time....too long.

I know I will be called a troll, but I don't get this. Feel free to check out my other posts, I am not a troll and I apologize if people find me to be one.

I watched it because it was the only movie in the AFI top 100 I had not seen. Everyone I talked to about this told me it was terrible. I have never heard an actual person say anything good about this. I looked at the threads and really don't see anyone ripping the movie. I have never heard a negative review. So I had hopes as I have liked many movies my friends and family have hated.

I watched it thinking my friends and family were wrong, but I found them to be correct. I can't put in to context what was bad, except I just felt like it was nothing more than a series of meaningless cartoons meant for someone on heavy drugs.

The closest I can compare to anything I have ever seen is some psychedelic (spelling is wrong) hippee movies that I would never have forced my self to sit through. It was like a bad Pink Floyd album like Atom Heart Mother Suite, Saucerful of Secrets or Ummagumma or the Beatles song Revolution Number 9. Only this lasted 2 painful hours.

It seems to be pretentious tripe that everyone who is "anyone" has to say is good. But it seems average people hate it. I truly want to find an actual person who likes this so they can explain to me why.

Maybe I lack class. Always a possibility. Maybe I am not smart enough. Always a possibility.

Out of over 3200 movies ranked I have only given 10 other rankings of 1. I feel I am being unfair to the other 1's by giving this a 1. It is so much worse

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.

It's been almost 70 years since "Fantasia" made its premiere on November 13, 1940. It's Walt at his peak, forget "Snow White". If you've never heard of this one, it's basically "The Twilight Zone" on acid set to classical music.

It's also the movie that I really wish I could make. I think the timing's right, but other people might not. The reason is not even worth explaining.

An amazing thing about Disney is they have changed a lot since then, and they're not the same anymore. "Fantasia" is a damn good movie, and they'll never do anything as good as this again. They ain't even the same Disney that I grew up with and I was born in the early '90s. These days Hollywood just loves to know how much milk they're gonna get out of the cows each and every year. It's so sad to say that most of the time the motion picture is just another way to make money instead of an art form.

Art and business shouldn't be two different things. Children should never be patronized or used as a monetary target.

"Fantasia" is one movie that I wouldn't mind seeing in a theater, especially one that has a huge screen. The timing was anything but right when Walt completed it. I don't think the American moviegoer was mature enough to understand it. That's probably why it almost made Walt bankrupt.

What I would have done is I would have shown it in IMAX with its big surround sound system. I would have done it as a mixed-media art film: hand-drawn backgrounds, digital artwork, hand-drawn animation, different kinds of special effects, stop-motion animation on live sets, etc.

I'm one of those people that doesn't accept the status quo when it comes to movies. But Hollywood still manages to get it right... when they want to, anyway.

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.

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!

1940 saw a new form of entertainment created by Walt Disney, called Fantasia. Renowned musical compositions were played to a group of Disney's best artists, who were instructed to draw their responses to the emotion, expression and narrative that they heard in the music. The result was, in this reviewer's opinion, one of the most iconic moments in film – these artists redefined creativity and breathed a new lease of life into popular (and perhaps overplayed) scores, forcing us to reconsider what it means to be artistic.

A review of six parts would be appropriate in order to celebrate each of the six short films for their own success, however I also feel it is important to consider the effect of the film as a whole.

Fantasia grounds itself upon a strong justification for its cause, ensuring throughout that the viewer (whether musically educated or not) understands the purpose of the exercise. The narrator disclaims from the word go that the animations are not absolute stories that will match with the composer's introductions, but instead, are developments from them. Here is where Disney promotes the refreshing method of creativity, which I previously mentioned: the suggestion that interpretation is limitless in possibility, and that each opinion should be celebrated and explored.

I feel that Disney's choice of music exemplifies this philosophy to the most obvious and dramatic level. By using scores that are so famous and concrete in their accompanying stories, such as "The Nutcracker Suite", he shows how even the most popular music may have a different story to tell. The orchestra are silhouetted to represent the idea that music has become anonymous, and Disney gives a face to the compositions once again: literally re-animating the classics. We are taken on a journey to rediscover the beauty of compositions that we perhaps take for granted. The colourful animations take a flowing, almost hypnotising form within stories that draw upon hidden beats and instruments within textures of the score that make us rethink what we know about the music: we learn to listen rather than to hear. Disney celebrates the intricacies of composition as they were meant to be celebrated, and the creations of the artists approach each movement in every short with appropriate beauty and delicacy.

(I would talk about my favourite short here – Beethoven's "Pastoral" – but once I start I will not be able to stop)!

For me, Fantasia represents a redefinition of film in its time as well as a redefinition of what it means to be imaginative across all of the arts. An exercise that had never been tried before, and hasn't since by anybody except Disney, that proves the infinite limits of storytelling. The choices of iconic composition laced together with heart-warming and intelligent animation makes classical music accessible to all ages, and truly shows what it means to be creative: encouraging us to continue rethinking the past and to have our own opinions.

The animation studio only just started becoming popular back in 1940, and so did the medium of film. Moving pictures edited sequentially to create a cohesive story, it was an art form that remained questionable as to whether or not people would leave their houses. Walt Disney himself decided to push the boundaries by making Fantasia. Typically music accompany film however the "House of Mouse" decided to reverse it by crafting film to accompany music. Six short animations providing imagery for the orchestral pieces of music that power these pictures. Safe to say this was incredibly experiment. There's no dialogue (aside from Deems Taylor introducing each segment), just a symphony or classic pieces conducted by Leopold Stokowski. The concept immediately had me hooked for the first few segments. One consisting of a montage of famous pieces from Tchaikovsky's 'The Nutcracker', Mickey Mouse returning in arguably the most memorable segment of the program titled 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' and from there we have multiple tonal changes with each segment. It's certainly something I've not seen before, and for that I have to give it credit. It truly does deserve the critical acclaim that is has garnered throughout the years. However, I found Fantasia to have a slight novelty factor that made the "film" repetitive. After the intermission, you start to realise that you have another three segments to go through which nothing new will be introduced. I became numb to the revolutionary concept. The animated shorts are pleasant to watch that both entranced and enthralled me, yet I just felt like something was missing. It wasn't a "film" more so just an experiment to prove that the idea works. It's clear it does, so the next step would be to create a fully fledged story that involves classical music where there is emotional investment and a sense of wonderment. Experimentalism at its finest that evokes whimsical magic boasted by a euphoric selection of classical pieces and beautifully hand drawn animation.

Fantasia is a Disney classic. I remember watching this movie when I was a younger child and I loved it. The music grabs your attention while the visuals of the animation bring your attention closer. Its truly amazing how this movie came out in the 1940's but yet it seems so advanced for its time. This movie is beautiful for a few reasons. One reason being its soundtrack. All the music in this film are so beautifully put together and match the scenes perfectly. The second reason being the visuals. Every scene is filled with color and its brilliantly vivid. Overall, I loved this film and I consider it a classic.

All the BEAUTY...All the DELIGHT...All the EXCITEMENT of the world's greatest music! Fantasía is easily Disney's most experimental "film".

Fantasia brings back childhood memories for me, I remember the same lucid-dreamy feel it gave me watching as a child and continues to as an adult. For being a 1940's film the animation is pretty fluid and seems to be ahead of the curve for its time. This art film has been paired beautifully with orchestrated instrumentals and they go lovely with the short story animations. Another aspect I love about this film, is that its pieced together and all the stories/scenes are different but it offers such a clear audio/visual representation without actual dialogue. If you enjoy animation art or music I think you will definitely enjoy this film its progressive and one of a kind for sure!

Long time since i have seen a movie that has made me feel like i vas lost in in it ,it amazing its like seeing music visually dancing when its playing ,like it came to life in front of your eyes it like beautiful dream you don't want too wake up from ,there is nun like it that has bin made since fantasia ,it is the most fantastic movie ever made ,im lucky too one it on DVD ;)

Essentially Fantasia is about music and its effects on the cinematic experience. It consists of multiple acts focusing on entirely different themes and art styles set to an orchestral piece, Some acts are actual stories and others are more equivalent to screensavers. Naturally some acts are better than others and the whole package suffers under the weight of the worse ones. The pacing across the entire movie is extremely slow and the animation is fairly standard Disney. If I were to rate solely for entertainment value I would give it a 2, however taking into account its artistic vision and groundbreaking work for the time I'll be generous.

If you are artsy and have the attention span it's an alright movie but it's easily the most overrated Disney film.