Rating: 
Summary: The Fantastic Fantasia
Review: The guys at the Disney studios did a great job with Fantasia 2000 each section was well coriographed.1. Beethoven's "Symphony #5" -- the opening sequence (after the introduction) used the whole spectrum of colors in what seemed to be no particular pattern was in reality kind of a way for them [both the musicians and the artists] to flex their muscles. Oh, and by the way, they DID pick out the right 2m 51s of the piece. 2.Respighi's "Pines of Rome" was one of my favorite pieces . . . I can still see those whales flying through the night sky . . . breathtaking piece. 3. "Rhapsody in Blue", while the longest of the pieces tells the story of life in 1930's New York through the eyes of Al Hirschfeld all done in various tones of blue. There is a definate story to this one -- four to be exact, all of who are discontent with their lives until the circumstances put them all on the right track. 4. Shostakovich's "Piano Concerto #2" tells the story of "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" the one-legged toy soldier who falls in love with the beautiful ballerina, but has competition with the evil and towering jack-in-the-box, a fight breaks out between the two and . . .. Well, I don't want to give the story away now do I? 5. Saint-Saens' "Le Carnaval Des Animaux: Finale" was done just for the comic relief and answers the age old question -- "What would happen if you gave a yo-yo to a flock of flamingos?" Great fun although the shortest piece in the batch at 1m 54s. 6. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is lifted from the original Fantasia, but is a great piece for connecting the two together. The unfortunate FLAW in this one, (which will show up in the widescreen) us that they lifted the print from the pan-and-scan version, then placed it in the wide-screen version which makes it seem like you're looking at a much smaller picture than you really are. Oh well, at least you still have something to connect the two! 7. Picking up on the heels of "Sorcerer's..." is Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance, Marches 1, 2, 3 & 4" and tells the story of Donald Duck serving as an apprentace to Noah. Although only portions of each march are used, they are used in a way that they all blend together in the telling of what would happen if Donald and Daisy were seperated during the great deluge. A great and touching story. 8. Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite -- 1919 Version" opens with a deer (an adult Bambi?) waking up a farey who is to help usher in spring, but as she does she comes across an obsticle . . . in the form of a volcano which destroys her beautiful creation and almost her as well. Only with the help of Bambi can she re-create things even more beautiful than the first time around. 8. Finally, all of the actors who spoke during the intermissions were all chosen to usher in a particular piece, and they were pieced together beautifully from magicians Pen and Stiller ushering in the Sorcer's Apprentice to James Earl Jones' lion-like voice ushering in "The Carnival of the Animals". Also on the DVD version which I enjoyed were two classic cartoons while were somewhat irritating, were still enjoyable and an audio commentary which you could optionally listen to instead of the music. All around Fantasia 2000 was one well rounded piece, and is one of the perfect animated movies.
Rating: 
Summary: It's pretty, but it lost the spirit of the original
Review: The idea of the original Fantasia was to give sound a graphic aspect. The relatively simple animation would echo the music, supposedly adding impact (it did). Fantasia 2000 divorces the music from the animation and thus turns into a sequence of moderately entertaining animated shorts set to classical music. Sadly, only a few of the "shorts" are genuinely good. Don't misunderstand me: Fantasia 2000 is still entertaining on its own; it just lacks the inspiration of the original. I sincerely enjoyed the light-hearted comedy of Hirschfeld's NYC set to Rhapsody in Blue, describing the misfortunes of a construction worker who hopes to join a band, a spineless, bullied husband of a wealthy dame, a jobless man, and an energetic child. On the other end of the spectrum I enjoyed the storm of fluttering triangles set to Beethoven's Fifth, which is as close as Fantasia 2000 gets to its progenitor. Everything in between is either too separated from the music to engage the viewer, or not entertaining enough to stand on its own. Start with the "Pines of Romany" bit, where the camera is permanently glued to a cartoony young whale, who stands a stark contrast to its photorealistic adult brethren, and where the music quiets at the most dramatic events. Proceed to the "Pomp and Circumstance" where Donald, Noah's assistant (only because I can't imagine him being Noah himself) jabs a hippo in the behind with a porcupine in order to make it go into the arc. Ha, ha. Pile on the short set to the Piano Concerto No. 2 which follows the tale of Andersen's Steadfast Tin Soldier. It would be excellent if it didn't feature slapstick comedy and a happy ending (everyone who read the story knows that the troll knocked the tin soldier into the fireplace, and his paper balerina sweetheart followed him there). Last is the excerpt from "Firebird", detailing the story of a forest nymph whose domain is devastated by Mt. Helena's eruption. The molten entity is a far cry to Chernobog. It seems that Disney was afraid to go ahead and make Fantasia 2000 a purely conceptual work, like the original. If not for the young whale, the "Pines of Romany" would be the embodiment of majesty. If not for the slapstick, the jack-in-the-box from "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" would be the embodiment of evil, etc. Somebody thought that superior art would do the trick. They were wrong.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating.
Review: I must admit, I was captivated during my entire viewing of Fantasia 2000. Apart from "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" which may not be suitable for younger viewers, the whole show was breath-taking with marvelous co-ordination and music. Wonderfully directed and animated. Definately recommeded to anyone. My favorite act was the Noah's Arc story. It was funny seeing the dragons and unicorns laughing at all the other animals while boarding the arc :)
Rating:
Summary: Walt would be elated
Review: "Fantasia" was Walt Disney's passion and obsession. Likewise, "Fantasia 2000" became the same for Roy Disney who became preoccupied with completing his uncle's vision. Walt had originally envisioned "Fantasia" as a continually running feature that would metamorphose over time, adding new segments to replace the originals one by one. F2000 is essentially a fast forwarding of that process, producing an animated feature that is almost completely new. Only "Sorcerer's Apprentice" remains from the original. F2000 is an excellent work that suffers from unfair comparisons to the original. The problem with any sequel that follows a groundbreaking film is that the novelty has worn off. A launch of the Space Shuttle just doesn't have the same drama and excitement as the launch of the first manned Mercury capsule, even though the Mercury program was crude by comparison. F2000 represents a giant leap forward in animation technology, blending hand drawn animation with digital animation. I was actually surprised at how much hand drawn animation was still used in this film, and I was impressed that Disney didn't opt for the easy way out by creating a completely computer generated feature. The marriage of old and new was very evident, not only in the technology, but in the themes. They matched highly digitalized new age flying whales with Ottorino Respighi's "Pines Of Rome" in the same feature as a retro 1930's New Yorkeresque rendering of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue". Ironically, both pieces were composed in the same year, 1924. If there is one area that is clearly better in F2000, it is the sound. As advanced as Fantasound was in the original, it still can't compare with the crispness and channel separation of modern audio technology. The DVD really brings this difference to the fore, creating a true concert hall experience. The finale in F2000 was magnificent, even better than the finale of the original. The theme of death and rebirth was uplifting and inspirational, and the meld of animation and music was powerful. All the segments were wonderful in different ways and marked a level of creativity and entertainment that matched the original, far ahead of anything else available. I took issue with a few areas. I could have done without the introductions by the comedians, especially Steve Martin. They trivialized an otherwise superb work. In addition, at 75 minutes, this was a good deal shorter than feature length. However, these are minor criticisms of a great film. "Fantasia 2000" is another example of Disney's utter dominance of animated films. Despite my slight preference for the original (probably just sentimental from my childhood), F2000 is a brilliant film in its own right. I rated a 10/10. Walt would have been proud of his nephew's work, and elated at the realization of his dream that "Fantasia" live on as an evolving animated feature.
Rating: 
Summary: Vulgarians on the March
Review: If Walt Disney isn't spinning in his grave, he should be. Those familiar with the tragically beautiful story of the Steadfast Tin Soldier will recognize this happy-ending version as a desecration. And just how is the original "Sorceror's Apprentice" improved by the addition of a trash-talking prologue by Penn and Teller, suitable for a college crowd but not for young kids, about how "magic is lies"? (Who is it at Disney that thinks snide, wisecracking irony is the stuff of good children's fare?) The "Rhapsody in Blue" segment is indeed impressive, but on the whole, "Fantasia 2000" does not approach its celebrated predecessor.
Rating:
Summary: Better than the original!
Review: When I first saw "Fantasia", I loved about three of the segments. The rest of them were nothing short of boring. When I bought this DVD of "Fantasia 2000", I had high expectations from the previews, and figured it couldn't be that bad. I was right! This one is definitly my favorite, and I am glad to say that I own it! This one would rank number 2 among my favorite Disney films! My favorite segments were: Pines of Rome (with the 3D whales. Wonderful!), Rhapsody in Blue (a story of New Yorkers in the late 30's. Touching.), Carnival of the Animals (what would happen if you gave a yo-yo to a flamingo? Find out in this hilarious short!), Piano Concerto #2 (The story of the Steadfast Tin Soldier), Pomp and Circumstance (featuring Donald Duck as Noah's assistant on the Ark), and finally The Sorceror's Apprentice (The old classic from the original starring Mickey Mouse). The first and last segments were just as intriguing, but those stuck out as my favorites! Buy the DVD! You will be pleased! The special features were wonderful!
Rating:
Summary: This is a wonderful moive,and good form of art
Review: I love art,in fact i am an artist....well an artist in training.I saw the previews for this movie and i was stunnded that how amazing it was. then when it finelly came out i was like i have to get this moive.So my mother bought it for me for christmas. we watch it that night and i was just blown away by this piec of art,the grphics was just superv. I watch the moive again and right then i started drawing the characters. I also have The first Fantasia I got when i was just a baby, that was about 17 years ago. Althought Fantasia 2000 is a wonderful moive,The orgianl Fantasia is the best,its a classic. Both of these moives are great, I watch them all the time. I would recommand these moives to anyone young are old, trust me you wont be disappointed. Thank you
Rating:
Summary: Not what I'd hoped for
Review: I expected something better from all the things I've heard about it.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent collection -- but not a cohesive whole
Review: Yes some of the animation is spectacular and the music is stirring, and yes seeing the image on an IMAX screen is eye-popping to say the least (sensory overload at worst) but in the end what it all boils down to is a showcase for the Disney animators, who are once again free to run wild with their own interpretations of some of the world's greatest music. The result is a mish-mash of hits and misses, a string of unrelated sequences which aren't expected to (and don't) synergize into the fulfilling impact offered by a cohesive feature film. Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue is set to an entertaining New York serenade inspired by the line drawings of Hirshfeld but which seems unnecessarily constricted since the group of animators seem compelled to match every beat of the score with some visual beat (hammering of rivets, skipping of characters). Respighi's Pines of Rome isn't about pines or about Rome, but is rather a fanciful tale of two flying whales who momentarily lose their baby but are all reunited in the end (a real crowd-pleaser). My own personal favorites are Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2, which inspires a computer-generated version of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" and Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance against an amusing tale of Donald Duck and Noah's Ark. Elgar has never sounded better, though the addition of the female vocalist, to further heighten the emotional level (a characterstic device of Disney) is not only unnecessary but jarring to those familiar with the piece. And finally, one of the best pieces of this film is, ironically but perhaps not surprisingly, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," the only piece brought over from the original film (unfortunately, the transfer from the original 35mm film to the huge IMAX format results in an unescapable amount of graininess on the huge image).
Rating:
Summary: Great Music and Animation but it's weak in some places.
Review: This second Fantasia somewhat suffers from the actors indro to the various different music scores, but other then that, the animation and the classical music that goes with each segment is rather well blended. Very good visually, but it needs work.
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