Disney’s Fantasia (1940) (Movie Review)

  I’ve loved Disney animation my whole life, it’s one of the most treasured aspects of my childhood, and I’m still just as fond of their animated classics well-into my adult years. There are so many details regarding Disney’s animated pictures worth reflecting on and discussing, but not enough for a single post. So, I’m going to make this entire month themed around Disney animation, and the best place to start is the beginning … at least, my beginning. 

While I can’t remember what the very first Disney movie was I ever saw in my lifetime, I do remember the first one I fell in love with, and made me a fan. Disney’s “Fantasia” was released in 1940, making it the third full length animated movie from the studio. It was Walt Disney’s biggest dream project to create a movie that was like an animated concert feature, and that’s just what the movie is … a collection of animated shorts, and all matched to classical music. This film is widely regarded as one of the absolute greatest, if not the greatest animated film to come from Disney. While I personally wouldn’t call “Fantasia” the absolute best, it is unmistakably a favorite, and one that left a huge impact on my childhood. I actually still have home video’s that show me standing on a box and imitating the conductor. Beyond that, I have nothing but admiration towed this film for being so unique and innovative for its time. The same way that classic musical pieces like Beethoven's 5th symphony are considered immortal, I’d like to make the argument that “Fantasia” is also immortal for being such a landmark achievement … not just in regards to Disney animation … but to film in general.

  There are seven animated musical numbers in this film, and in-between all the shorts are brief live action scenes with our host Deems Taylor, who was one of the most well-known radio celebrities of the time. He brings a lot of sophistication to the film, but he’s almost too straight, to the point where he’s not very engaging for kids to watch. 

Accompanying him is maestro Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra, who conduct and perform all the music herd in the feature. I love how their always silhouetted against this massive blue backdrop, as it makes for an artistic touch. Another nice little detail is that mid-way through the film, there’s actually an Intermission, just like a real concert. While the band is on break, we the audience get to have fun with a cartoon visual representing the Soundtrack … almost like a comedian that would entertain an audience midway through a stage production. From this point it’s probably best to just go through each short in sequential order, and give my thoughts.

(Toccata and Fugue)

We begin with “Toccata and Fugue”, which is a terrific opening piece, but admittedly one that I didn’t apricate as a kid. Basically, it’s just a collection of abstract images that might come to mind if you were to think of the music on a sub conches level. The designs and images are all very unique, absorbing, imaginative and perfectly complement the music of the piece. 

I especially love how this one begins with the Orchestra silhouetted against various colors, and then the animation gradually comes into play. The reason I didn’t like this short as a kid was because it lacked any characters to follow, but as an adult I find this the best possible lead-in to what will be a massive visual and musical experience. There’s not much else to say about this one, I still don’t think it’s quiet as good as the majority of the shorts, but still a strong start, and the final closing shot of this episode is a triumphant highlight.

(The Nutcracker Suite)

Next, we have one of my favorite shorts from “Fantasia” … “The Nutcracker Suite”. Just like how the movie is a collection of segments, this musical number is likewise an amalgamation of little shorts. It’s like a box of chocolates … some are good, some are okay, and some are downright fantastic. I just love the wide variety of different things presented in this segment. Sometimes its fairies using colorful magic to grow plants, or go ice-skating, while other times its marching mushrooms, and sometimes it’s just the changing of seasons. One little piece I always hated was that one really boring bit with the gold fish, as the visuals weren’t very interesting, the music wasn’t up-scale, and it just slows things down. 

Other parts like the falling flower pedals I loved. My favorite piece was with the Russian inspired dancing flowers, as the music, the energy, the colors and movement just seemed to leap off the screen. I watched that over and over as a kid and it always got me dancing around my room. I especially love the bit with the changing seasons, as the simplistic movement of falling snowflakes or leaves blowing in the wind creates a genuine sense of wonder and beauty. At last, the ice-skating fairies always got me in the mood for the Christmas season, and those final musical notes always leave me exhilarated.

(The Sorcerer's Apprentice)

This episode needs no introduction, as it’s the classic Mickey Mouse cartoon that we all know and remember. Mickey stars as a servant to a wizard, and is most eager to try some advanced spells … especially when it means getting out of choirs. Things get out of control, and soon Mickey finds himself combating an army of brooms that threaten to flood the entire castle. Ever sense he first appeared in the cartoon “Steamboat Willie”, Mickey Mouse has gone on to become a Disney icon like no other, and is personally my childhood favorite cartoon character. I would watch Mickey Mouse cartoons all the time as a kid, and while “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” wasn’t his first or best cartoon, it was still the first time that the character would be seen in a theatrical animated Disney movie, and it popularized his modern re-design. 

Prior to this, Mickey Mouse always had a pale white face with dot eyes, but after this film, it became common place to see him with a skin color face, more expression, and full eyes. To date, it remains his most iconic big-screen appearance. Mickey Mouse would be seen in two other theatrical animated Disney movies titled "Fun and Fancy Free" and the sequel "Fantasia 2000", but none were as famous as this. Whenever people think of Mickey Mouse, the first thing that usually comes to mind is him as a wizard. I’ve memorized just about every frame of this episode, and it’s still just as charming as when I first saw it as a kid. However, if it wasn’t for the novelty of Mickey Mouse, this episode wouldn’t be able to hold a candle to the other “Fantasia” shorts.

(The Rite of Spring)

“The Right of Spring” marks the finale of the films middle act, and it’s a segment that I have very mixed feelings about. This short is built on three acts … the first act focusing on birth … the second act focusing on life … and the third act focusing on death. It depicts a chain of events beginning in outer space, we then see our planet when it was just a molten waist, but then we see cells reproduce, which is followed by the life of Dinosaurs, and everything inevitably wraps-up with their extinction. As a kid, I loved dinosaurs more than anything, so it was cool to see all these recognizable creatures. 

I also loved the volcano’s, and the big highlight by far was the T-Rex attack. The way it came out in the rain with that loud musical score boasting its size was just stellar. Having said that, I was still plenty upset that the spike tail dyed. There’s unmistakably a harsh tone to this segment, and that’s the reason it’s never stuck with me as a favorite. Unlike “The Land Before Time”, which had a collection of fluffy and colorful characters, these Dinosaurs were all so dark and creepy looking. The settings likewise had this dark and foreboding mood to them. Even the basic music in this segment isn’t that fun to listen to. In the end, while I still adore Dinosaurs, and this short is cool to watch, it just leaves me with this hollow, and bitter-sweet feeling.

(The Pastoral Symphony)

Next is “The Pastoral Symphony”, which is at complete opposite ends with the last one. This short is set in ancient grease, with a mythological layout, and features a wide selection of different creatures, including both female and male centaurs, Pegasus and his family of winged horses, unicorns, fawns, flying baby’s and mythological God’s like Zeus, Iris, and Apollo. When I was a little kid, I hated this part, and found it very boring, but after seeing it again as an adult … I absolutely love this one.  

Everything about it is just fantastic, as I love the setting, I love the imagery, and I love that this one has a massive collection of colorful characters, all of whom convey so much without even speaking. What I especially love about this segment are the colors … whoever did the artistic design really knew what they were doing, because this looks wonderful. After seeing all the dark visuals and tones in “The Rite of Spring”, it’s such a breath of fresh air to see this world full of so much color and life. There are a number of sub-stories going on here, like an infant flying horse that’s just learning to fly with his family, and there’s also a lonely male centaur who falls in love with a lonely female. 

Zeus at one-point rains on everyone’s parade, forcing everyone to take shelter. It’s basically just the life and excitement of these creatures, and it all flows with the rhythm and movement of a ballet. It's a segment that leaves me feeling great every time, and reminds me why I love Greek mythology. Although, I should note that this segment has been the subject of some controversy, including cartoon nudity from some topless female centaurs. The big one however is a character named Sun-Flower, who's depicted as a female African Slave centaur. She's been all but removed from every single version of the film, yet still has a place in animation history. Also, I find it interesting that the slave girl has been removed, yet the topless centaurs are still present. 

(Dance of the Hours)

Of all the “Fantasia” shorts, “Dance of the Hours” has remained my personal least favorite … not terrible … simply less favorable. I always called this one “the ballet of the animals”, because that’s all it really is, just a bunch of animals like ostriches, elephants, crocodiles and hippos in ballet attire, and dancing to one of the most famous ballets of all time. 

Each group of dancing animals represent distinct times of the day, like dawn, mid-day, evening and twilight. A simple concept, but it’s still very odd to see a hippopotamus dancing around with a crocodile, and it doesn’t have the same artistic feel of the other segments. On top of that, I just find this kind of a dull number, one that delays me from getting to my favorite segment. I suppose it’s still a cute segment, with some nice colors, and some memorable visuals, but not much else. It’s just okay, and is probably the cartoonist, and most kid friendly the film ever gets.

(Night on Bald Mountain and Ave Maria)

At last we come to the finale, and in my opinion the absolute best of the “Fantasia” segments. This is the only short that combines two pieces of music in one, and while these two styles of music are so different in tone and theme, they still compliment each-other perfectly. We begin with “Night on Bald Mountain”, and I can’t even express in words how terrifying this was to see as a little kid. Its scary right from the start, with that painting of the mountain, all that green lighting and the chilling silence … it draws me in immediately. 

Then that creepy music begins to build up, and throughout the remainder of the cartoon we get shadows engulfing towns, cemeteries, creepy imagery, phantoms floating all over the place, demonic creatures dancing around flames, and all kinds of unspeakable, terrifying creatures just leaping at the screen … it’s awesome. I remember being around 4 years old and running behind my couch because I was so scared one of those things would leap out of my TV screen. As an adult, I make it a tradition to watch this short every Halloween. Without a doubt, this was the most exciting episode to serve as the films climax. Also, we once again have more controversial cartoon nudity provided by the Harpies when leap at the screen. Between them and the Centaurs ... I keep wondering how I got away with watching this as a kid.       

  The big show steal-er of this whole sequence is the demonic villain named Chernabog, and while his name isn’t very well known, everyone remembers his look and design. In fact, he’s gone on to become one of the most well know and popular Disney villains in his own unique way. I’ll certainly say this, of all the animated villains to come from Disney, none of them terrified me quiet as much as this guy. Those evil eyes and wicked smile always came back to haunt my dreams. 

One of the modal actors for Chernabog was none other than horror movie legend Bela Lugosi, whose name is legendary for playing Count Dracula in the 1931 "Dracula" Classic. Actually, I do get a Bela Lugosi vibe when looking at Chernabog, as the motions in his arms and flow in his long wingspan are very reminiscent of Dracula. Yet, what really makes this character so terrifying is that he personifies the devil. Actually, both Walt Disney and Deems Taylor refer to him as Satan himself. Isn’t that nice, the Devil is a villain in a Disney movie, and it’s not like one of those fun shoulder devils that argue with a shoulder angel … oh no. This is a purely monstrous and evil creature that turns beauty into filth, and creates life only to kill it. While he’s not officially labeled as the devil, he still has this sinister presence that gets under my skin. In fact, the name Chernabog is Slavic for "Black God".

  What follows next is the main reason this segment remains my favorite in all of “Fantasia”. Once dawn approaches, Chernabog and his army are defeated by the ringing of church bells, and we follow a profession of robbed people walking off into the distance, all while singing a familiar chant. For whatever its worth, this scene alone is one of my favorite moments from any animated Disney movie. Josh Grobans immortal song “Ava Maria” has always been a thing of beauty, and it lends itself perfectly to one of the most powerful moments featured in an animated production. It’s the only time we hear lyrics, and every time I watch this scene, I honestly get a little terry eyed. The animation is warm, comforting, and the scene just leaves me feeling touched. Following after the over the top nature of “Night on Bald Mountain”, this part could have easily been just as over the top, with quires of angels filling the sky, and sacred imagery all around, but instead they play it simple, and it just leaves the bigger impact as a result. In fact, this was originally going to end with a close-up on a stain glass window of Merry in a church, but it was changed at last minute to a sun-rise to serve as something universally symbolic. There’s admittedly nothing quiet as wholesome as the beginning of a new day, and the hope that comes with it. After this, the image of a sun-rise or sun-set would be a common staple repeated is several other animated Disney movies. The most notable being “The Lion King”, which begins with a sun-rise.

  When all is said and done, “Fantasia” remains a powerhouse of art … combining beautiful artistry with classical music, and creating visual poetry in the Process. The only real problem I have with this movie is that it looms in the shadow of its sequel “Fantasia 2000”, which I personally like more. Having said that, I do still love the original and view it as an immortal classic. It was the childhood experience that gave Disney a name and a voice for me. The art of music videos also drew influence from this picture, and there’s probably even more medium’s that “Fantasia” has inspired through the years. Even if you’re not a Disney fan, I feel this is something special and worth seeing. It really was one of the very first movies I ever loved in my lifetime, and it remains incredibly special to me through the years. Although, I have to admit … I need to be in the right mind set to sit down and enjoy this one. Still, there’s nothing changing the fact that “Fantasia” can be regarded as a classic animated masterpiece, and one that will live on till the end of time.

Thanks for reading my review of Disney's 1940 animated masterpiece “Fantasia” … and continue to enjoy the movies you love!