Fantasia 2000
/What you will see on the screen is a picture of the various abstract images that might pass through your mind, if you sat in a concert hall listening to this music.
~ Deems Taylor, Fantasia (1940)
quick fox: B- | Silver
winding dragon
Deems Taylor’s introduction to Disney’s Fantasia (1940) is the most eloquent description of the animated feature. Blending music, art, and film, Fantasia stands as one of the most unique films ever created, and is one of 700 movies preserved in the United States National Film Registry for being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.
What many people don’t know is that Walt Disney originally conceived Fantasia to be the first in a continual series of its kind. Disney never lived to see his dream realized, but in 1999 his company teamed up with conductor James Levine and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to produce Fantasia 2000.
The idea of a Fantasia franchise can be seen in two ways. The cynical perspective is that a line of sequels diminishes the uniqueness of the original and undermines its achievements, and the optimistic opinion is that a series would establish a beloved tradition by continuing the imagination behind marching broomsticks and hippo ballerinas.
Still, a 60-year is a long time to return to an icon. (Though that hasn’t ever stopped Disney—anybody else remember Cinderella 3?) Fantasia 2000 was a test run for Disney Animation to see if there was a future for these movies. It was foolish, however, to expect Fantasia 2000 to replicate the same originality as its predecessor. The pleasant but subdued critical response and mediocre box office killed any chance that a Fantasia series could thrive. (Plans for a Fantasia 2006 were squashed in 2004.)
Personally, I would love to see future Fantasia features. While Fantasia 2000 is filled with more hit-or-miss shorts and feels dependent upon previous productions (The animals gathering toward Noah’s Ark in “Pomp and Circumstance” bears semblance to The Lion King; the animation style for New York City in “Rhapsody in Blue” is like 101 Dalmatians; and the story behind “Firebird Suite” is a metaphorical version of the forest fire in Bambi), it’s still a beautifully animated film. The combination of the music and animation in Fantasia 2000 is almost as creative as the original, and even offers a refreshing splash of nostalgia by reshowing “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.”
My favorite piece from Fantasia 2000 is the “Firebird Suite: 1919 Version” by Igor Stravinsky, which is an artistic personification of Spring awakening after a long winter. Comparable to “Night on Bald Mountain” from Fantasia because of its dramatic representation of death and rebirth, “Firebird Suite” is beautiful to watch. The character design for Spring is one of the best renderings of a spirit from Disney Animation.
While Fantasia 2000 may not hold the same wonder for most people, it’s nonetheless worth another “pass through your mind.”