Fantasia 2000

Rating:
Summary: Well, the original Fantasia was a head trip...
Review: This is really sort of sad. The original Fantasia dazzled because it touched so many parts of what we as humans are. The music and themes it used were so incredible and varied. It did segments that not only touched all sorts of people, but touched bases with all the sorts of feelings that we, as people have. This film failed to do that. Virtually all of the pieces gravitated around things and concepts, which is sad, since the first words spoken by the Narrator in the original Fantasia described that some music shouldn't be made to describe a story. Yet, every musical piece in Fantasia 2000 was used in exactly that way. What's worse, most of the animated pieces didn't even really feel that wonderful. The Sorceror's Appretice is always good, and "Firebird" wasn't bad, but many of them were silly and immature, which is incongruous with the peaceful tastefullness of the original Fantasia. Also, as expected, the nudity of the original was dispensed with in the sequel. Obviously, without their artistic sense, Disney didn't know how to deal with that sort of thing. However, it doesn't FEEL like they were being cautious, or even just aiming it at kids. It felt like they were just plain scared. I can't respect that.
Still, all these debacles would only have earned it a 3 out of 5 if not for their central mistake. Big names. Fantasia 2000 shamelessly dragged out Big Name actors and actresses between segments, such as Steve Martin and James Earl Jones, giving them lines that not only were silly, but nearly killed whatever tastefullness might have been left in the film. No one wants to see big name stars introduce musical numbers they know (and for that matter, probably CARE) nothing about, and the only people who WILL be able to look past this are children. This leads me to my opinion that this film was aimed at children, and not, like the first one, at adults.
Say what you want about that. It makes the movie less enjoyable for me.
Clearly, the advanced graphics did nothing to cover the difficulties Disney was having at understanding what makes a masterpiece a masterpiece. As I've said, this film seems to be more aimed at children, and a masterpiece that does not make. For whatever reason, I can imagine myself buying the original Fantasia, but I wouldn't pay 5 dollars for this installment.

Rating:
Summary: Disney Classic - Part II
Review: The original "Fantasia" was extremely experimental animation that attempted to broaden the appeal of animation at a time when animation primarily appealed to children. Walt Disney intended that the original "Fantasia," according to Roy Disney's commentary on the DVD, be a continuously changing work of art that would be different, and yet familiar, every time you watched it. "Fantasia 2000" is an attempt to be true to that vision.

There are eight vignettes captured in the 74 minutes of this all-too-short DVD, with introductions for each of the vignettes by a host of familiar names such as Steve Martin, James Earl Jones, Penn and Teller, and Angela Lansbury, among others. I think that some of the vignettes work as well or better than those in the original, and others are okay but barely match the original.

The two vignettes that I enjoyed the best are "Pines of Rome" and "Firebird Suit - 1919 Version." In the former we see a fantastic vision of whales that is wonderfully surrealistic and beautiful. The only flaw in the wonderful vision is that the vision ended all too soon. There is a lot in the vision that the animators could have been explored in much more depth. The "Firebird Suite - 1919 Version" includes a phenomenally-animated nymph. This nymph combined a flavor of Japanese Manga with traditional Disney animation to create a character style that is wondrous and beautiful. I longed for this segment to last longer.

Disney animators once again created a new classic short in "Piano Concerto No. 2, Allegro, Opus 102," which provides the music for "The Steadfast Tin Soldier." The story-telling is quite taut and well organized. However, just as with the "Pines of Rome" story, Disney animators could have expanded this vignette significantly.

The remaining vignettes vary in quality and length. There is a cute new Donald Duck story with Noah's Ark as the backdrop, set to the music of "Pomp and Circumstance." There is a clever story set in New York City set to Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue." There is pure silliness involving a group of flamingos and a yo-yo in "Carnival of the Animals, Finale." The one vignette remaining from the original is "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" starring Mickey Mouse, a classic for all times and ages.

In addition to the film there are two musically-based animated shorts, "Melody" and "Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom." Both are clever and have made appearances on one of the original "Worlds of Disney" weekly shows and on The Disney Channel. There are also extensive commentaries and making of features that are okay if you are into the reasoning behind making of the movie and the process by which the music and concept for each of the features was selected, but much of it was pretty dry.

On the down side, this DVD does feel like it should have been part of the original "Fantasia" to create a single work of adequate length and scope. I suspect that one day Disney will re-release both works on a single DVD, and I'll likely have to have that one too to keep my collection complete. On the up side, all of the animation is equal to or better than traditional Disney animation, and two particular works I thought were extremely good. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra provided the excellent music throughout, and makes this DVD and the original an easy way to introduce anyone to classic works of music. While the DVD is too short, the quality is excellent and well worth having in any collection of Disney animation, especially if you liked the original "Fantasia."

Rating:
Summary: A worthy successor to the original
Review: Continuing the legacy of the original Fantasia was planned as far back as 1940 (with concepts developed and a Clair de Lune sequence fully produced), but due to the failure of Fantasia in 1940, the closest Disney ever came to replicating Fantasia was with Fun and Fancy Free, Make Mine Music, and Melody Time. However, as the 60th anniversary of Fantasia neared, Roy Disney saw fit to continue his uncle's legacy, and the result is Fantasia/2000.

While a significantly different feature in many respects, Fantasia/2000 owes much stylistically to its predecessor. Firstly, as with Fantasia, much of the music has been adapted to better fit the animation. Secondly, many pieces correspond with sections from Fantasia: Beethoven's 5th is an abstract piece much like the Toccata And Fugue In D Minor, Carnival Of the Animals is a humorous piece in the vein of Dance Of The Hours, and The Firebird Suite concludes this sequel much like Night On Bald Mountain and Ave Maria ended Fantasia.

The centerpiece of this new Fantasia is clearly Rhapsody In Blue, which is a dynamic use of jazz and the art of Al Hirschfeld to bring forth a uniquely New York-themed piece. Other highlights include The Sorcerer's Apprentice (returning from the first Fantasia, and still a wonderful Mickey Mouse cartoon), Pomp And Circumstance (a fittingly humorous retelling of Noah's Ark with Donald and Daisy), Carnival Of The Animals (which answers that oh so important question, "What happens when you give a flamingo a yo-yo?"), and the beautiful Firebird Suite.

The DVD is equally well presented, with commentaries, a booklet, and two of Disney's (and, more importantly, Ward Kimball's) finer short subjects, "Melody" and "Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom" (the latter having some racial stereotypes that are surprisingly still present given the continued editing of the original Fantasia). While a different beast from its predecessor, Fantasia/2000 is just as wonderful and highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: You're judging this the wrong way...
Review: Okay, so there were some dissapointments, in particular I was disspointed at the opening piece, it didn't close things up right for me. However, one must also realize that this is not one continuous movie, it is a collection of shorts. Different animation teams worked on different pieces, take a look at the credits. There is one segment on this DVD that makes it worth buying, the Firebird. It is the only thing that keeps my Faith in that there are americans that can out-animate Hayao Miyazaki, and I am a huge Miyazaki fan. This is so much better than the other Disney works because it has imagination that you don't get with even Disney's latest and cutting edge works. Also, the animation seems like paintings at times. Okay, it doesn't have all of features of the original compilation, but what were you expecting? This is a great collection in it's own right. The only thing that I would have changed is bringing back the Sorcerer's Apprentice, I wanted to see Night on Bald Mountain. But, who am I to complain.

Rating:
Summary: DVD worth the purchase for the extra goodies!
Review: Even if you thought the film Fantasia 2000, a "continuation" of the original Fantasia, was sub par, you may want to pick up the DVD if only for the two animated shorts that are included: "Toot, Whistle, Plunk & Boom" and "Adventures in Melody".

If you qualify as a Generation X'er (or older) you may recall "Toot..." being beamed from a clunky 16mm projector onto the blackboard of your grade school classroom. Its a stylish and funny peice explaining the evolution of musical instruments, and was one of Disney's first forays into the widescreen format.

"Adventures in Melody" was originally viewed in the Fantasyland Theater at Disneyland in full-color 3-D. Unfortunately the version on the DVD is in plain ol' 2-D, but the colors are amazing and practically leap off the screen in spite.

The DVD is worth purchasing if only for these two gems... I only wish more Disney releases would include such worthwhile extras from their vaults.

Rating:
Summary: THE Animated masterpiece!!!
Review: I don't understand all of these one star reviews! I saw Fantasia 2000 in an IMAX theater when it first came out and I was knocked out! I grew up on all the animated Disney classics and this one is by far the most advanced artistically and creatively. With Fantasia 2000, Disney finally gives us an 'adult' production that is an excellent depiction of how far 'traditional' animation can go into scope, symbolism, expression, and stylistic ranges. There's something for everyone here, from the charming Tin Soldier to the Rebirth of the Firebird Suite. Some reviewers call this pretentious, but who cares! I like something that will make me think, nothing wrong with that.
The new Fantasia is better than the original, having recently watched them back to back. The original is great but slightly dated compared to it's sequal (or it's continuation). Mickey's segment is preserved in the 2000 version however. Fantasia is a work of art worthy of standing next to films the likes of 2001 Space Odyssey, Amadeus, Clockwork Orange, Godfather 1-2,or Lord of The Rings. Highly recommmended! Broaden your outlook, and grow up along with Disney studio's triumphant Fantasia 2000.

Rating:
Summary: A sentimental failure.
Review: The original Fantasia was one of the most creative endeavors in movie history, and the closest music and image have ever come to complete and utter unity.

Fantasia 2000 falls way short of anything like the above achievement... it didn't even come close to a second rate sequel. My biggest problem with this movie was it's approach and the inherent flaws therein. It feels like the angle that was supported in Fantasia 2000 was that of image forming music or animation guiding sound and not the other way around. The synchronicity between music and animation that the original Fantasia achieved was pushed roughly aside and replaced with sappy crappy sentimentality with an emphasis on heavy handed story telling of the Disney 1990's style (you know, the kind that worked for The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Best, and The Lion King but has since gone stale).

The Beethoven piece was an attempt to either re-capture, re-integrate the original Fantasia style with flying Doritio chips as the primary focus... I'll take the truly abstracted Bach piece from the original over this tripe any day.

It goes down hill from there with the only bright spot being the Carnival of the Animals piece. It almost seems to be a parody that pokes fun at the rest of the production in some strange way. Perhaps it's because it actually is a good reflection of the music and the mood with some pretty attractive synchronicity that's reminiscent of the old shorts from the 20's, 30's, 40's, and 50's.

Overall, the sentimentality and the lack of artistic variety really watered down this production. As an earlier review stated, it's most suitable for the Suburban masses and for children who need to be shielded from the difficulties of the real world. Children should learn that Dinosaurs died, that control is often taken out of our hands (the whims of Zeus) and that evil and good exist side by side (A night on bald mountain). Really... in the end, what this feature lacked was Walt himself and his creative artistic vision intact.

.... I'm still waiting for a Mozart piece too!

Rating:
Summary: Started out good enough...
Review: This film is just over an hour. I started out extremely positive about the film but it quickly dove in quality. It is noxiously pretentious and has irritating cameos from annoying celebrities (though I like S.Martin). I enjoyed the opening, and the whales flying. The big problem I had was the PREDICTABILITY of it all, the introduction of Christian and New Age aspects (which I'm sure will thrill the boring suburban mom collecting these vids like a squirrel does acorns). All of the stories have an emptiness, a lack of feeling. The Hirschfield bit was fine as well. I disliked the 'Donald's Ark' moment the most, secondly the closing part with the ratty haired flying girl making the world green again *sigh*. I don't think this is worth owning on your tv, though IMAX must have been something. I'm glad the work of Fantasia is continuing, and if they changed a few things I would gladly pay to see a new one every 5 years or so. The bonus materials outline what they planned for Fantasia. Though there are a wonderful collection of characters behind-the-scenes, it is not worthwhile to view, it's like hearing the story of your dad doing the dishes, drawn out. "Well, I knew I wanted to wash the cups first, so there was just the matter of rinsing first." And then secondary commentary "What's spectacular about him washing the cups first is that this really is his VISION for what washing dishes should all be about. *He* was the one who kept the dream alive for ...20 years." They didn't create anything good enough to share FANTASIA's name, that's the bottom line. There are music animated shorts from the fifties, actually more entertaining and invested in character than all of the elements of F2OOO put together. 'Sorceror's Apprentice' is really up there with the moon landing to me, it's like Walt painted each cell with his own hand. It was Magic. It's also the only old clip included with this print (I thought there would be more). The Disney company can never match what it created with the original Fantasia, by all means, stick with that.

Rating:
Summary: A Mediocre attempt of recreation
Review: I think the main problem with Fantasia 2000 is the fact that Fantasia is so much better. If there was no original Fantasia to set the bar for this type of film I would probably love Fantasia 2000, but the original holds me back from enjoying this one as much. The music in the original was better, the introductions were more natural, and I would even say that the animation is better. I liked the older Fantasia's look better, now it's too glossed over.
Another big problem is that with the stories. The original Fantasia had a much more mature and darker feel to it, but Fantasia 2000 seems much too childlike. I absolutely detested the age old question of what a flamingo would do with a yo-yo part. It is the shortest part in the movie but it is still too long. And Fantasia 2000 is also much too short, it is about 50 minutes shorter then the orginal, most likely because of the complaints on how kids couldn't stay focused that long for the original Fantasia. This to me is just terrible. Fantasia is more of an adult oriented type of film and to have it made for kids just seems like a bad marketing decision. This is a movie that is just as much about the music as it is about the animation, and the music is definately not a popular genre for children.

Rating:
Summary: a Insult to Music lovers and those of the Original
Review: "What do you think of a three minute version of Beetoven's 5th? The right three minutes would be beautiful" and "I'm sure glad Elgar's not around to complain about me messing with his music" are just 2 of the apalling remarks in the Featurette of the DVD.
This movie is outrageous. The producers make a big deal about how they're trying to match the original Fantasia, and they proceed to offer edited(Beetoven's fifth, Pomp and Circomstance, Pines of Rome, Firebird suite)and dated music(Rhapsody in blue). Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against George Gerswin, but JAZZ does not belong in Fantasia. The steadfast toy shoulder and the Carnival of the Animals are the only segments in Fantasia 2000 where the stories were changed to fit the music, and not the other way around. My opinions are that if the full compositions were too long, then they should have choosen differant peices all together. Granted, I have to cut them some slack over the Firebird suite (the story, not the music) not being equel to the Stunning "Night on Bald Mountian/Ave Maria" of the original, because the original Finale was definately religious in nature, and would certainly appeal to religious people like me. However, the ending of a sunrise was a universal symbal of hope that could appeal to every one. That is the only excuse. The Rest of this movie is an insult to music lovers and people who loved the original.
Stick with the original Fantasia. It is so much better.
(I did not say anything about the Sorcorer's apprentice in this review because to me, it will always be a part of the Original Fantasia, and should remain so.)