More ambitious in scope than any of its other animated films (before or to come), Disney's 1940 Fantasia was a dizzying, magical, and highly enjoyable marriage of classical music and animated images. Fantasia 2000 features some breathtaking animation and storytelling, and in a few spots soars to wonderful high points, but it still more often than not has the feel of walking in its predecessor's footsteps as opposed to creating its own path. A family of whales swimming and soaring to Respighi's The Pines of Rome is magical to watch, but ends all too soon; a forest... sprite's dance of life, death, and rebirth to Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring too clearly echoes the original Fantasia's Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria sequence. But when it's on target, Fantasia 2000 is glorious enough to make you giddy. Hans Christian Andersen's "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" is a perfect narrative set to Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2, and Donald Duck's guest appearance as the assistant to Noah (of ark fame) set to Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance marches is a welcome companion piece (though not an equal) to The Sorcerer's Apprentice, the one original Fantasia piece included here. The high point of Fantasia 2000, though, is a fantastic day-in-the-life sequence of 1930s New York City set to Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and animated in the style of cartoonist Al Hirschfeld; it's a perfect melding of music, story, and animation. Let's hope future Fantasias (reportedly in the works) take a cue from the best of this compilation. The music is provided by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by James Levine, interspersed with negligible intros by Steve Martin, Bette Midler, Itzhak Perlman, James Earl Jones, and others. --Mark Englehart [show more]
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A semi-sequel to Disney's 1940 classic 'Fantasia' which features the original film's most famous sequence - the Mickey Mouse adventure 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' - plus seven other all-new animated interpretations of classical music. Highlights include the interwoven stories of a group of 1930s New Yorkers accompanied by Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue', the volcanic eruptions which illustrate Stravinsky's 'Firebird Suite', and the story of Noah, his ark, and his assistant Donald Duck, played out to the strains of Elgar's 'Pomp and Circumstance'.
Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. Following in the footsteps of the 1940 Disney classic, FANTASIA 2000 features seven animated short films set to classical compositions, along with the original version of 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice', starring Mickey Mouse. (This 2000 version also includes hosts such as Steve Martin, Quincy Jones, and Bette Midler introducing each segment.) The film opens with abstract butterfly-like creatures of light and darkness fluttering about to Beethoven's "Fifth Symphony" but quickly moves to the second sequence, featuring an adventurous baby whale and its elders floating along to "The Pines of Rome." Next is the "Rhapsody In Blue" segment, a tribute to 1930s New York City, based on the line drawings of illustrator Al Hirschfeld. The fourth piece is Hans Christian Andersen's tale of "The Steadfast Soldier" set to "Piano Concerto No. 2," followed by "The Carnival of Animals" which stars a yo-yo-wielding pink flamingo. The next two segments feature classic Disney characters; first, Mickey Mouse in the original version of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," then Donald Duck in a retelling of the Noah's Ark story set to "Pomp and Circumstance." Finally, "The Firebird" closes out the film, with a sweeping woodland story of nature's death and rebirth. With its brilliant animation, well-paced stories, and immediately engaging music, FANTASIA 2000 easily matches the wondrous spectacle of the original.
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