Fantasia 2000

I remember finding out about “Fantasia 2000” online and I first saw it in IMAX on Apr. 30, 2000 as one of my birthday presents. It was probably one of the last showings of the film in IMAX in Calgary. I had grown up with “Fantasia” on video and this new film was everything I wanted out of a sequel to that famous Disney film. Walt Disney’s original idea for “Fantasia” was that it would never end. Every year, you would go to see a new version of “Fantasia” with old and new pieces (kind of like the "Star Wars" special editions of the original trilogy). Because of World War II, the indifference of critics & audiences and fact that “Fantasia” was a film ahead of its time, Walt’s plans failed. Fast-forward to the early 90’s and the release of “Fantasia” on home video. In those 50 years, the film’s popularity had grown and its influence on society was evident. Music videos and films such as “Yellow Submarine” owe something to the original “Fantasia”. The success of “Fantasia” on home video proved to the studio and to Walt’s nephew Roy E. Disney that a sequel could work. With the Disney Renaissance having just begun, Roy felt that the time was right to resurrect the idea. As with the review for “Fantasia”, I will stay away from analysis of the music.

If you listen carefully during the Disney logo at the very start of “Fantasia 2000”, you can hear a flute playing “When You Wish Upon a Star”. I didn’t realize that until more than 10 years after the film’s release. Setting that fun fact aside, you can see many parallels between both “Fantasia” and “Fantasia 2000”. There are also some important differences. One obvious difference is that “Fantasia 2000” has many piano pieces of music where the original film had none. In my mind, this gives the newer film its own unique feeling that is very important. A sequel must always have a new angle or twist. The filmmakers had a challenge of staying true to the original film and still consider today’s audiences. It still needed to be entertaining for them and the choice of Beethoven’s Symphony #5 is evidence of this. It is a very familiar piece of music. It is abstract just like the “Toccata and Fugue” from “Fantasia” but we hear a shortened version of the Fifth Symphony. The animation that accompanies Beethoven’s famous music is abstract, using triangles as butterflies and bats. There is some character animation and a small narrative however. The use of the dialogue from the original film to start "Fantasia 2000" is another hint to the audience that the film’s beginning mirrors the original film. Just as Walt took many risks with “Fantasia”, Roy did so as well although obviously not to the extent that his uncle did. One such risk is the “Pines of Rome” sequence. That is piece is full of beautiful and wonderful images to accompany the beautiful and powerful music. It is risky because there is very little that is entertaining about it for young children when compared with other pieces in “Fantasia 2000”. “Pines of Rome” in my opinion can only be fully appreciated on the IMAX screen. My favorite piece in the movie is “Rhapsody in Blue”. Eric Goldberg is a huge fan of Al Hirschfeld and Goldberg’s work on the Genie from “Aladdin” proves this. Because Hirschfeld inspired the design of Genie, the whole film had to follow suit so that Genie would not appear out of place. On “Aladdin”, Hirschfeld’s style was only one inspiration among many while “Rhapsody in Blue” is mainly inspired by Hirschfeld and George Gershwin’s music. Hirschfeld himself was the design consultant for this part of “Fantasia 2000” where as on “Aladdin”, Goldberg only referenced his style. The sequence starts with one line and that is the biggest key to Hirschfeld’s art. Because of the inclusion of “Rhapsody in Blue”, a true American piece of music becomes part of the “Fantasia” canon. I like Gershwin’s cameo. Also, the piano teacher just before it looks so much like the stereotypical female piano teacher. I love the use of figure skating in Rockefeller center as representation for that particular part of the music.

The story of the Tin Soldier fits the “Piano Concerto No. 2” quite perfectly. It is a great circumstance. Everyone can relate to the moment when the Tin Soldier discovers that the ballerina has two legs. We all have experienced romantic dreams that tend not to come true. As the usual case in movies however, we see our hero get his wish. The ending change from the original tale works much better because of the way the music ends. The studio has done this before with a Hans Christian Andersen ending in the case of “The Little Mermaid”. An interesting fact is that the computer animation for this sequence as well as for “Pines of Rome” was completed before “Toy Story” had been released which is quite impressive. I love the watercolor look to “Carnival of the Animals”. Also, the interstitials are well done. My favorite is with Penn and Teller. They are exposing their own profession for what it is and I love the ironic line “Rip-off!” The funniest sequence in the film is “Pomp and Circumstance”. It is such a familiar piece of music and that gives the artists a lot of freedom story-wise. With all the gags, this is part of the movie is for the kids. This sequence fits right along side the Donald Duck cartoons of the 40’s and 50’s. My favorite jokes include the appearance of real ducks, the fantasy animals laughing and Donald throwing the dove off the ark only to feel guilt & remorse. Angela Lansbury’s interstitial includes the line, “life, death and renewal.” This points out another similarity between “Fantasia” and Fantasia 2000”. Just as the original film ended with a contrast of good and evil, the sequel uses Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite” to create a similar themed ending. It even reminds you of "The Lion King" to a certain degree. This ending is such an artful showcase and it is more dramatic than any other sequence in the film. I love the animation where the Sprite has butterflies in her hair and it parts to reveal her face & yellow eyes. She then shakes her head in order to scatter the butterflies. That is very attractive to me. That shot is one of the most beautiful pieces of female animation. I remember the powerful scare I got in the IMAX Theater when the firebird comes to life because of the volume of the music. Thanks to the music, the sequence has a powerful and amazing ending. “Firebird Suite” sounds so different and so much better than Stravinsky’s other piece in the Fantasia universe: “Rite of Spring”.

After almost 10 years of gradual work, the film was ready for release. For the original “Fantasia” in 1940, Walt pioneered the first use of stereophonic sound and presented the film as a roadshow. By the 1950’s and 60’s, Hollywood was completely converting to stereo and theaters all over North America were being designed to look like palaces. For “Fantasia 2000”, Disney joined up with IMAX in a similar spirit of experimentation and advancing theatrical presentation. “Fantasia 2000” was the first full-length animated feature film to be released in IMAX theaters and from what I can gather, it was the first full-length non-documentary Hollywood film to be released in that format. Fast-forward just one decade later and on the movie poster for any blockbuster, you usually see the words “IMAX” or “IMAX 3D”.

The general consensus is that the Disney Renaissance ended with “Tarzan” in 1999. I can agree with that to some extent but I must raise a few disagreements. I am a huge fan of “The Emperor’s New Groove” (2000) & “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” (2001). Also I would have to say that “Fantasia 2000” should be the concluding film of that era and not “Tarzan". It is such an appropriate way to officially end the Renaissance that begun with “The Little Mermaid” in 1989 because “Fantasia 2000” showcases the work of many artists that were highly involved with the successful Disney animated films of that time period. Because of the appearances of Angela Lansbury from “Beauty and the Beast” and James Earl Jones from “The Lion King”, the interstitials further this viewpoint of mine. This is Roy E. Disney’s personal film just like the first “Fantasia” was Walt’s. Only Disney would consider doing a movie like this because other studios would have been too afraid because of the lack of profit that this kind of film could generate. “Fantasia 2000” was not a financial disaster however and it achieved its goal of showcasing animation as an art form. I would love to see another installment when the time is right.

4.5 Stars