Rating: 
Summary: A worthy successor
Review: It may not have quite the magic of the original, but Fantasia 2000 does not disappoint. The selection of classical music is outstanding, as was the case 50 years ago the integration of music, storyline and animation is the stuff of genius, and there is a glowing, positive atmosphere that is wonderful for kids. In particular, the creation of the New York story for Rhapsody in Blue is astonishing in the perfect and intricate way in which the animation, mood, and music are in harmony with each other. The inclusion of the original Sorcerers Apprentice sequence was a deft touch, and all the other pieces are outstanding as well, with my second favorite being the Steadfast Tin Soldier to the music of Shostakovich. Great entertainment for kids and a joy for adults. I only wish it had gone on longer.
Rating:
Summary: Fantasia 2OOO
Review: The original Fantasia was a dazzling, mesmorizing work of art filled with stunning images and terrific music. Pieces like "The Dance of the Hours", "The Rite of Spring", "A Night on Bald Mountain", and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" truly brought out this artistic quality. Fantasia 2OOO sadly cannot live up to its predecessor but does offer a high level of entertainment.To start, a swarm of evil black butterflies chase away the beautiful, variously colored ones to the strains of Beethoven's classic "Symphony #5". Though it offers some highly creative and original animation, plus great music, it is almost pointless and arguably the worst segment in the film. The second piece, "The Pines of Rome", is a beautifully told story of the adventures of a small humpback whale and his parents. The CGi is excellent, and the music is very well done. But in my opinion, what really makes this piece is the stunning animation, such as the ice cavern and flight sequences. The breathtaking blue background also gives great feelings of depth and serenity. The next piece, "Rhapsody in Blue" features a story of four people who all want something badly. As another reviewer mentioned, the original Fantasia segments were very short on storylines, while many of the segments in Fantasia 2OOO have good ones. Set during the Great Depression in NYC, Rhapsody in Blue is very well-animated by the great Al Hirschfield in several shades of blue. George Gershwin's music is possibly the best in the film, and as a result Rhapsody in Blue turns out to be one of the best segments in the film. The 4th piece beautifully recreates Hans Christian Anderson's beloved fairy tale, "The Steadfast Tin Soldier". It turns out to be my personal favorite of the movie. It is handsomely animated and has terrific music. It boasts several excellent sequences and features a great villain, the towering, menacing, Jack-in the-Box. Overall, a well-told, beautifully done piece. The next segment, "The Carnival of the Animals', is a nicely animated, cheery piece that answers the question "what would happen if you gave a yo-yo to a flock of flamingos?". It features delightful music and as a result turns out to be highly entertaining. A bit too short, however. The classic piece "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is lifted from the original Fantasia here and works in well. It has great music and to put it short, is wonderfully magical. The 7th piece, "Pomp and Circumstance", tells the poignant and thoroughly touching story of Donald Duck as Noah's assistant, in which he and Daisy both are aboard the Ark yet think the other did not make it on. Elgar's beautiful music seamlessly blends in with the piece and the march down the animal's march down from the ark and the ending where Donald and Daisy meet again are timeless. The fianl piece, Igor Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite" (1919 version), is a breathtakingly told tale of life, death, and rebirth. Though it plays a little too close to the "Night On Bald Mountain/Ave Maria" segment in the original Fantasia, it features stunning animation and the firebird itself is certainly terrifying. Overall, a beautifully fitting ending to an excellent film. Once again, overallFantasia 2OOO is a terrific film and is worth a rent and pssibly a buy. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, vivid and engrossing
Review: A sweet and whimsical long overdue follow-up to the 1940 original. It is a shame Disney feels so obligated to shamelessly self promote at EVERY availiable opportunity. The lead-in sequence with the wooden nephew of the original Walt Disney isn't worth the video tape its printed on. Every piece but one is introduced by various celebrities. Celebrities may be the only creatures on the planet to exceed the Disney Corp. in their need for self promotion. Put them together and you get pure undiluted smarm. Only Quincy Jones completely retains his dignity. On the other hand, I honestly believe Bette Midler would appear buck naked in a film advocating torture if she thought for a moment it would help her career. Ah, but "the play's the thing" to quote Mr. Shakespeare. There are seven new pieces. They are all wonderful in their own way. The artistry and colors are simply wonderful. The Pines of Rome, with its majestically soaring whales and Rhapsody in Blue, drawn in a clever moving charicature style are my favorite pieces. Firebird Suite has a poetry in motion flow that is, by turns, calming and invigorating. Pomp & Circumstance, with Donal Duck, and Carnival of the Animals, with florescent flamingos tangling with yo-yo's, are cute and bound to delight children. The Tin Soldier sequence is my least favorite. Its a bit dark. The Jack in the Box is the only evil realistic character and the tin soldier's ride through the sewer past the cockroachs and rats is a bit much. But even this piece has sweet parts and is exquisitely drawn. A couple of the scenes in the first, last and the Tin Soldier sequences may frighten small children a little, but if you watch it with them at least the first time, it should be ok. Fantasia 2000 is a great Disney movie. I hope they make more and more.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but not great film, but great disc
Review: Not one of Disney's best. It was good. I am glad Disney put extras on the disc. They should do that to all of the major releases.
Rating:
Summary: This Disney film that couldn't... just did
Review: Most people will look at Fantasia 2000 as the Disney film that couldn't, and we are left with is a film that is superior in music, animation, and story in almost every conceivable way. Most people will criticize the film for one reason or another, whether it's the much talked about flying whales, or yo-yo flinging flamingos, when looked into the actual depth compared to the original, it succeeds, and very well. The animation is excellent, no film has had such well done animation, compared to Fantasia 2000. most people wowed when they saw Toy Story and Dinosaur, this simply has you awe-ing the entire way through. You will be in laughter, or in tears, as the movie is so interactive it feels like you're there. Music, is another triumph, from Rhapsody in Blue, to Pomp and Circumstance, they seemlessly blend with their animation in a way even the original Fantasia couldn't compare. The story, now the original Fantasia wasn't to keen on story. Most of the stories were very simple, and so is true in Fantasia 2000, or in the begginning anyway. After the third section, Rhapsody in Blue, you will be amazed at the stories. Rhapsody in Blue's story, is the most interesting, and the only one that you will watch just because of the Story. While you will watch all of them for the story and animation, this truly is a landmark on how to blend story, with animation. Of course you get the unbelievably well animated The Steadfast Tin Soldier, which will keep you enticed with is wonderful animation, arguably the best ever seen. The Carnival of Animals with some flamingos, and a yo-yo is probably the most enjoyable for it's unbelievable amount of quirkiness. What else would make this a near perfect film, you get the original Sorcerer's Apprentice, which has Mickey mouse playing with magic that he knows he shouldn't. Donald Duck enters his first theatrical hit with Pomp and Circumstance which is a Noah's Arch interpretation, which will get you emotionally caught up as he believes Daisy is dead. The Pines of Rome, or the Flying Whale sequence, which shows off extreme detail in shadows, and other forms of animation. The final scene Firebird Suite is arguably the best in the entire film. Life, death, re-birth is the theme, and is an excellent ending to an excellent film. While yes, in between you get to see Steve Martin, and other recognizable faces, they give you a good background information on what Disney has done in it's past. A must see for Disney fans, but the taste is very selective, you may find yourself liking all, some, or none of the scenes through the film. Times have changed, and so have tastes, this film is a testament of animation. Abstract, stream-line, 3-D virtual space, Impressionism, surrealism, all used to make this film, and it all succeeds well. If you remember that it's Fantasia, and only Fantasia, you will enjoy just as much if not more.
Rating:
Summary: State-of-the-art Animation
Review: Surprisingly, this movie seems to have gone largely unnoticed. Critics of the wrap-around segments are being blind to the astounding animation pieces they introduce. For anyone who thinks they appreciate high-quality animation, or knows what it takes to achieve the work that has been done here, this is a must-see! Hats off to Roy Disney for masterminding this film. It would make Uncle Walt proud. If you are a musician, like myself, you can appreciate the excellent quality of the recordings, even in these abbreviated versions. If not, this is a great introduction to classical music. If you have a good surround-sound system for your DVD player, crank it up and let loose Stravinsky's "Firebird." WOW! Like the original "Fantasia," "Fantasia 2000" brings together the finest traditional animators with the latest technology to create a masterpiece. Like the original, it will probably be years before the masses wake up and notice that this film is extraordinary. See the IMAX version on the big screen if you have the opportunity.
Rating:
Summary: Good but not great
Review: The sequel to Fantasia which was filled with great music and some very entertaining and moving stories, so to say. Now comes Fantasia 2000 comes with some more great music and some entertaining skits, if not a little long winded. Fantasia 2000 opened in Imax theaters making it a smash because it was limited to under 1,000 screens, and yet it did reasonably well at the box-office. Now it came to video and I had to see it. Yet again the music is very good, but the first cartoon while it looks fabulous seems to take half of the movie, then the second one isn't that good either. But finally there becomes one where a flock of flamingos gets a yo-yo and that part is wildly funny and entertaining. With some cute cameos by Bette Midler, Steve Martin, Penn and Teller, James Earl Jones, and others, that adds to the mild fun. There are some cartoons that are very entertaining and some that are a little dull and boring, but still the good ones make up for the bad ones. Disney did the smartest move in the movie, it added to the glee and it made Fantasia 2000 even better then a mild review it would have gotten from me. They saved the best for last.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good, but...
Review: ...too short. I felt that the "Pines Of Rome" was beautifully done. Having always associated that piece with the Italian landscape, it was very interesting to see it with whales. The score was breathtaking. Beethoven's 5th symphony was almost magical, but I feel that a great thing was wasted by only performing the 1st movement. Everything else was fine: good music, good cartoooning. It could have been spectacular, but it comes up just a little short. I recommend using the DTS sound for the DVD. It enhances the experience ten-fold.
Rating: 
Summary: This should be SO much better
Review: considering it was made 30-plus years after its predecessor, it should be a stunning production. It is terrible. The pieces are mere snippets of the original works. The animation was way below Disney ability and the awkward dialogue from famous people in between pieces was HORRIBLE. Dont waste your time with this one. You would be better off purchasing the original works (for instance, Stravinsky's Firebird) on CD and listening to them with your kids. The first Fantasia is heads and shoulders above this cop-out-cash-in production.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful animation and wonderful music but...
Review: I have no complaints about the animation. From the simpler work in Rhapsody in Blue to the CGI whales, it was all beautiful. The music is of course wonderful, and the performance by the Levine and the CSO is magnificent. However I feel the animation and music simply doesn't work together as seemlessly as in the original. Often the connection between the two is too forced, or not present at all. Besides the Sorcerer's Apprentice from the original film, Rhapsody in Blue stood out as a wonderful job of blending the animation and music together in an appropriate story. The Firebird Suite was another highlight. Other than that, better than average, but it left me wanting more.
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