Disney’s
1940 masterpiece “Fantasia” was the very first animated picture that I
feel in love with. It was something that was on in the house all the time when
I was a kid, and it’s remained an inspired classic through the decades. Sixty
Years later, the studio releases a theatrical sequel titled “Fantasia 2000”,
and I’m not going to lie … I love this one even more.
It's not a
competition between which I think is the superior movie, it’s all a matter of
which I’d rather watch when I’m in the mood … and there’s simply more shorts
from this sequel that left a bigger impression on me. The 1990’s was a golden
age for Disney animation, and I was very fortunate to be a part of the
generation that grew up with the classics of the time. “Fantasia 2000”
in my mind was the grand finale of this Golden era, and it remains securely ranked
among my top three absolute favorite movies the studio has ever released. Like
its predecessor, the film is a collection of silent animated shorts, which are
all set to classic music.
The difference I feel between the two is that there’s
more variety to these shots, with different art styles on display, different
tones, and each short was helmed by a different writer director. A number of
Disney animators that worked on the classics of the 90’s like “The Lion King”,
“Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin” all got to pick and choose
what piece of music and style of animation they wanted to pay homage to, and as a
result, I just feel like it took the basic out-line of “Fantasia”, and got
creative. Also like the original, I just feel a lot of passion behind this
project, like it was something these artists really wanted to do. Roy Disney
especially got involved with this film, and while he’s always been the
figurative overseer of Disney animation, this was something really important to
him, and as such, he really put his hands into it.
There are eight animated musical segments in
this film, and right off the bat, I feel that each short plays at just the
right length. For as much as I love the shorts from the original, they were
admittedly longer then they needed to be, some I felt overstay their welcome,
and it resulted in a film that … while still great … was just two hours too
long for its own good. This film hits a perfect run-time of seventy-four
minuets, the pace is tight, and I never feel like anything is on-screen for too
long. Another noticeable difference is that, unlike the one host from
the first movie, this film has a wide selection of celebrity appearances acting as
lead-ins to each short.
On the one hand, it dose make the film feel like an
event that’s similar in spirit to the Oscars, which is kind of cool. The down
side is that most of them are talking down too little kids with silly jokes,
and the film loses the same dignity that made the original appealing for
adults. I think the film would have been stronger if it just had one respectful
host all the way through … namely either James Earl Jones, Angela Lansbury or
Quincy Jones, as they were easily the three best of the bunch. Bette Midler has
some annoying comments, but I like that her scene provides some insight on the
shorts that didn’t make the final cut.
I’ve never been a fan of Steve Martin,
but here … boy dose his silly antics feel out of place. The ones who really
needed to be cut from the film all together are Penn & Teller, who’s guest
scene is really hard to watch. Still, despite the occasional announces, nothing
about these celebrities ruin my overall love of the experience. I will also say
that I love the design of the orchestra setting, and the concert seems to be held
in some kind of parallel void, with these gorgeous backdrops. From this point
it’s probably best to just go through each short in sequential order, and give
my thoughts.
(Beethoven’s 5th Symphony)
Of all the great pieces of music in the world, I don’t think there’s anything more iconic then “Beethoven’s 5th Symphony”, which is why it was an inspiring choice to start the event with this number. Those first opening musical notes alone are so universally well known, that they invoke both a timeless quality and sense of grandeur. Much like the first film, this short focuses on abstract illustrations set to the music, but this time there’s a little change up. We have a small story involving a mother butterfly protecting her baby from a swam of evil bat creatures, and I love seeing simple stories presented in a unique art style. The music is grand, the colors pop, and it just makes for an electrifying opening.
(Pines of Rome)
Next is another story of a baby animal in
the care of its parents, but this time it’s whales out in the Arctic … and they
can fly. This whole sequence is extraordinary, and really compliments the
imaginations of the Disney animators. “Pines of
Rome” is already a grand and phenomenal piece of music, and setting
to something as odd, yet as epic as flying whales is really something inspired.
I’m not usually a fan of combining CGI with traditional hand drawn animation,
but it really works here. The CGI makes the size and scope of these whales look
tremendous, and there’s some really cool camera tricks in this short that you don’t
usually see in animation. More then anything, this short just keeps building
and building to a triumphant finale, which leaves me exhilarated every time.
The final sequence of these whales diving from a massive cloud formation is beyond
stunning, and really something to spark the imagination.
(Rhapsody in Blue)
With the musical segment “Rhapsody in Blue”, we see the Disney animators
once again getting creative and adding some variety to the presentation. Now, I’ve
adored Jazz music my whole life and George Gershwin is one of the great pioneers
to launch Jazz into the modern age, with most of his pieces becoming a standard
for Jazz composers to draw inspiration from. His 1924 composition of “Rhapsody in Blue” was one of his very first,
and I could listen to it all day. The premise of this short fallows various
people living in New York, each stuck in a ruff spot, and each with a dream to accomplish
something special.
In many ways, this segment echo’s back to the Greek
Mythology short of the first film, as it’s set in one colorful location, and following
various characters through a day in their lives. The animation style is a
direct homage to one Al Hirschfeld, who was an early illustrator from the 1900’s,
and achieved fame for his abstract portraits of famous Hollywood celebrates. This
segment was animated and directed by Eric Goldberg, who previously directed
Disney’s “Pocahontas”. However, while that project was another job for
him, this “Fantasia” segment was a passion project, and you can just feel
the whole thing was one big love letter to a great artist that inspired him.
(The Steadfast Tin Soldier)
Hans Christian Andersen was one of the very
first authors I ever recognized by name, as my sister and I grew-up with his
stories read to us by our parents, and we both had our favorites. For my sister
it was “The Little Match Girl”, and for me it was “The Steadfast Tin Soldier”. Naturally, I was thrilled to see one of my childhood favorite books brought to life through Disney animation, and it highlights once again why I prefer this sequel, as it balances its original segments with the retelling of classic stories.
This story follows a one-legged tin soldier that comes to life in an enchanted toy room, and falls in love with a Porcelain Ballerina (although in the book she’s made of paper). After a tense confrontation with an evil toy Jack-in-the-box, he
tragically falls from a window, and finds himself facing various obstacles
ranging from sewer rats to lake fish. Through it all, he remains calm, collected,
and believes that one day he’ll be reunited with his love. This short follows
the formula with great detail, but replaces the drama with more action/
adventure, and gives the story a happy ending … which is expected from Disney,
and actually kind of welcome. I was so use to the books heart breaking twist,
and it just felt nice to see a positive ending for the Tin Soldier and Glass
Ballerina. This segment also features a memorable Disney villain in the form of the wicked Jack-in-the-Box. Admittedly, he’s less scary then he was in the book, as that one supposedly had an influence on the human owner, and took the form of a nasty Green Goblin, whereas the Disney version made him an ordinary Jester. Actually, something about his design, and more specifically his face always made me think of the Prince villain from “Shrek”. Still, I’m fine with his change, and I enjoyed seeing him get in more physical confrontations with our hero. The animation in this segment is
wonderful, and the CGI models for the characters really enhance their toy-like
textures. Also, despite being on screen for roughly seven minutes, the Soldier
and Ballerina make for one of my favorite animated Disney couples. Why …
because their romance and chemistry is conveyed entirely though visual
storytelling, and I simply adore that. Honesty, I feel these two share and
convey more in their first meeting then most other Disney couples do with
verbal conversations. In the end, there’s sword fighting, a satisfying villain death,
and it closes on a triumphant note that leaves me feeling great.
(Carnival of the Animals)
Initially Roy Disney wanted to bring
back the “Dance of the Hours” segment
with the Ostriches from the first movie, but then he found some old concept art
for the first and decided to expand things with a new bird centered short. One illustration
that caught his attention was one of the Ostriches with a yo-yo, and thought
that would be a cute concept.
Then he figured it was wise to separate this
piece from the original and replaced the Ostriches with flamingos instead. Thus,
we have “Carnival of the Animals”, a
goofy little short with a mischievous flamingo who’s breaking the norm by
playing with a yo-yo. This is easily my least favorite of the new shorts, but
it’s not bad. The animation is still nice, the music is fine, the comedy is
okay, and it’s mercifully short, so I really can’t complain. Plus, it’s nice
for a variety show to provide some fun and levity for the kids.
(The Sorcerer’s Apprentice)
The one thing I could have done without
in this sequel is a repeat of the iconic short “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”.
It’s still great on its own, and I always love seeing Mickey Mouse, but I’m
just too familiar with this segment … to the point where it honestly feels
boring to re-watch.
Actually, my favorite part of this was the intermission
sequence at the end, in which we see more of Mickey Mouse in a live action
setting and interacting with people. Personally, I would have preferred an
animated short that continued the story of “The Sorcerer’s
Apprentice”, like Mickey improving on his magic skills, and maybe even
finding favor with his grouchy master. Obviously, it couldn’t hold a candle to
the original, but I still would have preferred seeing something new as opposed
to the exact same cartoon again.
(Donald’s Ark)
Once
again, we have a classic, well known story, but this time it’s a tale from
biblical sources, which is admirable for Disney. Then again, even if you don’t have a
religious background, your probably still familiar with Noah’s Ark. The difference
this time is that Donald Duck stars as the lead, which hooked me in right away.
Back when I was a kid, Donald Duck was one of my favorite cartoon characters,
and seeing him on the big screen, in a familiar story was highly satisfying.
Daisy Duck is also present, which is great because she so rarely gets to stand
out in a big role, and this was her first time staring in a theatrical Disney
picture. Our two love birds tie into the story fairly well, as it’s all about a
pair of every animal embarking on a journey together.
However, during the great
flood, Donald and Daisy are separated, and neither are aware that the other
survived. Donald is naturally funny in this short, as he always is, but he also
accomplished something I never thought could be done … Donald Duck got me all choked
up inside. No joke, the scene at the end with the two reuniting is about as touching
as they get, and it still gets to me on repeat viewings. The music for this
short is the equally well known “Pomp and Circumstance”, and that was
another piece of music I was pleased to hear in this film. Obviously, we’ll
always think of a graduation whenever we hear it, but Sir Edward Elgar did wright and compose the piece for a number of events, so it was great to hear
this track utilized in something out of the familiar.
(The Firebird)
Closing out this mighty sequel is a short
that’s matched to music from the famous Russian ballet “The Firebird”, and straight to the point … this
is personally my favorite short to ever come from Disney animation. In a mere
nine minutes, this segment has the emotion, beauty, danger, wonder, story and
epic size of a full-length feature film. The premise revolves around a nature
Goddess, who’s tasked with bringing Spring back to the forest of a mountain
range after the winter season. Unfortunately, the once dormant Volcano is
awakened by a fiery beast, and it's hell bent on laying waste to the valley. Not
only dose this short feature some of Disney’s finest animation, it’s also a
compelling tale that touches on aspects of life, death, renewal, and finally …
it makes for a unique mythology that’s very different from Disney’s more
traditional fairy tales. Also, the Goddess of Nature … in my view … is one of
the most underrated Disney icons. Seriously, I feel this character deserves to
be on the same pedestal as the other iconic animated Disney characters. Her
design is incredible, the animation on her is phenomenal, and her expressions
convey so much, to the point where she feels like a fully rounded character.
Back when I was a kid, I naturally went to this movie excited to see some of my
favorite characters like Donald and Mickey … what I didn’t count on was for
this new and original character to surpass both of them. It was also a stroke of genius to feature
a literal Fire Bird in this adaption of the Ballet. The design once again is
fantastic, and the beast conveys a striking sense of danger. The animation
isn’t afraid to get a little dark and sinister during this segment … admittedly
not as chilling as “Night on Bald Mountain”, but still effective. There’s
also a haunting visual of the entire forest engulfed in flames, which feels
like a call back to “Bambi”, but on a more apocalyptic scale. While this
makes for a thrilling climax, it’s admittedly the one section of the film that
I wish was a little longer. Even the fire birds mighty screen presence is very
short, which is a shame considering what an awesome design this is.
Once the ashes fall, there’s a mature
quiet moment with the Goddess slowly coming back to life, and looking in dismay
at the death that surrounds her. Her compassion however breaths new life to the
environment, and soon, the forest grows a new … possibly even mightier than
before. This is personally my single favorite moment from any animated picture
I’ve ever seen. The visuals of this forest growing back from the aches is breath
taking, the music is triumphant, the build-up is grand, and there’s so much
beauty to this on a thematic sense … like, whenever there’s death, there’s
always new life ready to start the cycle again. I can’t even do this ending
justice … it’s just a powerful moment that’s always connected with me, and it’s
easily my favorite ending of any animated Disney production. The final shot
alone is so aww-inspiring that I want to recreate it as an oil painting and frame
it on my wall.
In the end, everything I loved about the
first “Fantasia” carries over into this film … and gives me more. Whenever
I’m feeling too picky about movies, I always look back to either “Fantasia”
or “Fantasia 2000” to remind me that it's all about the wonder of the experience
… not the details.
Like its predecessor, “Fantasia 2000” is a movie with
no dialog (at least from the cartoon characters) and no running plot, but
that’s the point … it’s the perfect example of a visual media. It’s not telling
an emotional story, and instead it’s more like an emotional experience. There’s
beauty, there’s terror, there’s comedy, there’s drama, and it’s all brought to
life with the simple use of combining sensational visuals with iconic music.
The animation is consistently stunning to look at, the colors are great, and it
all matches with the music so well that it literally becomes visual poetry.
Characters convey so much with just their expressions and body movements, to
the point where I don’t even need dialog to get attached to them. It’s the
simplicity of the whole experience that allows me to just enjoy this without
critically analyzing anything. Even though the film has epic music combined
with big visuals, it still flows with the graceful rhythm of a ballet. “Fantasia
2000” is that rare sequel that I love just a peg more the original classic,
and after all these years … it’s still stuck with me as one of my all-time
favorite animated pictures. It’s an experience that takes my breath away on
repeated viewings, and it’s just as beautiful to watch as it is to listen to.
I give Disney’s
1999 sequel “Fantasia 2000” … a perfect 5 stars out of 5.
The End
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