Rating: 
Summary: Disney's 3rd Animated Masterpiece!
Review: Although just as Pinocchio, Fantasia proved to be a financial failure during the time of its intial theatrical release, but it is considered a true masterpiece by music lovers. The film is colorful and features many different musical sequnces, the most famous ones being "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" featuring a mischevious Mickey Mouse making a big magical mess, and "Ave MarÃa" a sequence featuring the evil demon Chernabog. Fantasia is really a masterpiece although not quite for children, it might be very boring for them, I mean, it is boring for me, so I never really watched it from beginning to end, all I can say is that the film is wonderfully animated.The DVD isn't the most brilliant in bonus features but it does bring a few interviews with Walt Disney, some audio commentaries and a "making of" featurette, this DVD is pretty much like a Gold Collection edition. Luckily for fans of Fantasia, there's a new edition being planned, as part of the new Platinum Edition line, which will take this feature into a majestic release.
Rating: 
Summary: See the music and hear the pictures!
Review: FANTASIA is a wonderful movie that can truly be called a masterpiece. I'm not sure that some little kids would appreciate it, though; I know that as a kid I liked certain parts, but I didn't really understand what it was all about. It's pretty long, too, and there's a little bit of...um, things you wouldn't normally expect to see in a Disney movie. I mean, in the mythological Beethoven segment, those half-lady horses are swimming with *GASP* no tops on! But, hey, if it's what the animators saw by listening to that piece of music, it's fine. FANTASIA really is very, very beautiful. The Sorceror's Apprentice, with Mickey Mouse as the star, is a terrific and famous segment with a musical selection that fits it absolutely perfectly. They could not have picked a better one; in fact, it's like that piece was written just for that purpose. The beginning is an abstract song with abstract art, that is, no characters or plot, just shapes. I find it quite beautiful, and at times quite scary. Or at least, it used to scare me. The part with the rolling striped hills and that rock thing moving through the tunnel freaked me out. But you have to see it for yourself. I LOVE the second piece, with the dancing fairies. The best parts are the pretty goldfish with the silk fins, the Chinese mushrooms (which rule, like, the whole movie! Who doesn't love them?), and those Russian-looking dancing weed things. The segment with the dinosaurs is amazing. It really shows the theory of evolution very plainly. Then there's the segment in which we see ballet dancing elephants, hippos, swans, and alligators-a humorous animal one similar to the Carnival of Animals in Fantasia 2000. For those who didn't see it, it depicts the flamingoes playing with the yo-yo, and is probably my favorite part of the sequal. And, of course, there's the finale of Fantasia, with that frightening devil creature pictured on the back of the box. I love this movie, so chances are you will too.
Rating:
Summary: an interesting film experiment
Review: "Fantasia" is the classic 1940 film that features the iconic "Sorcerer's Apprentice" short. "Fantasia" is a different sort of film from anything else that Disney Studios has ever produced. It is a very experimental film, and one that must have been very daring to release at the time (as it would still be so today). Rather than hold to a normal sort of storytelling, "Fantasia" is more like going to see an orchestral concert. "Fantasia" is a marriage between music and image, and this time around it is the images that are on screen that only support the music. The music is the focus of this film. On one hand, this is a fascinating film. The music is conducted by Leopold Stowoski and we are taken on a journey of music with the images serving only to complement what we are hearing. Narrated by Deems Taylor, we are told what is going to happen in each segment and what music we are going to hear. We begin with the animation just being shapes and colors reacting to the music, giving us the impression of what we might see if we closed our eyes while listening to the music. When we move into the next song, we are given more definite images and then the music starts to tell an actual story. There are several excellent selections in this film. "The Nutcracker Suite", "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", and "The Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria" are standout selections in my mind and are the ones that have stuck with me several days later. Despite this being an animated film, this isn't a movie for young children. They are likely to be scared by "The Night on Bald Mountain" and perhaps even by "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", and they may not understand or appreciate this film as it does not truly tell a story (like "The Lion King" does). The bottom line is this is a good film, and an interesting movie experiment, but on the same token it is not a movie for everyone. It is a symphony with animation.
Rating:
Summary: One of Disney's greatest cinematic achievements!
Review: This is truly a triumph of animation technology; one that is suitable for the entire family to enjoy. First, we have the original "Fantasia," featuring crocodiles dancing with hippos to Beethoven's 6th, Dinosaurs marching to Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" and much more! The 2nd edition ("Fantasia 2000") lives up to the quality of its predecessor. We get whales prancing about to Resphigi's "Pines Of Rome" as well as a literal nature-themed interpretation of Stravinsky's "Firebird" suite. Both DVDs have the classic "Sorcerer's Apprentice," starring Mickey Mouse. Arguably, this is the most infamous and recognizable animated feature in Disney history. This DVD collection is highly recommended for all people, all age groups & all cultures. Simply said, "Fantasia" has something for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful animation and music.
Review: This Australian fan firstly got the region 4 version of Fantasia 2000.Well,as usual the Disney organisation has short-changed fans outside the USA as both Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 are missing commentaries and featurettes as well as some other things.I got the region 2(British)version of the box set only to find the same thing-only the third disc has the extras listed on the USA version.WHY didn't they include Walt Disney's interviews and the featurettes? The world wants to see them from this genius.Why not have the same booklet as the American booklets which have much more information?Why did I buy it?Because PAL gives a better picture than NTSC,so it is a pity that the American extras weren't included.And why didn't they clean up the famous 'Clare De Lune' ommitted sequence from Fantasia? A computer could have deleted the scratches and marks easily.The Disney organisation needs to get it's act together as the job needed to be finished.On the brighter side,the 'Fantasia that never was' has some very interesting alternate sequences,such as the original ending of the Firebird episode of Fantasia 2000.Simply fantastic!The third disc has some wonderful stuff,but I would have liked to have seen more interviews with Walt Disney.
Rating:
Summary: A Musical Mountain
Review: This really is the best way to introduce kids to classical music. If your having a hard time educating your kids on the classics. I really think this will help. Kids seeing their favorite character in scenery with the classic arts. Really is a wonderful idea.
Rating:
Summary: Fantasia
Review: No other Disney film can top this landmark movie. The animation is gorgeous and the music only adds to its sophistication and vibrance. FANTASIA is my favorite Disney movie. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!
Rating:
Summary: Fantasia is Brilliant, But 3 Disk Set is Overrated
Review: Walt Disney's 1942 FANTASIA was a groundbreaking film and remains a landmark to this day, a brilliant series of animated sequences set to notable concert music conducted by Leopold Stokowski of The Philadelphia Orchestra. The three disk FANTASIA ANTHOLOGY, however, is extremely overrated. The first disk is the original FANTASIA, which Disney describes as restored. This is not strictly true. First and foremost, the restoration of visual elements is sloppy at best, with the film plagued by streaks and blips, and at least one sequence ("Dance of the Hours") appears to be slightly cropped. That aside, portions of the Deems Taylor narration have been completely lost, and these have been rerecorded by Tim Matheson--and Matheson's voice is not a good match for Taylor and the sychronization is poorly done. Lastly, one selection ("Pastoral") has been censored: a brief image, which would be considered racist by today's standards, has been deleted from the sequence. Even so, it is still FANTASIA, and it overcomes all of these liabilities. The animation, which was created by hand and photographed through a number of laborious processes, shows Disney Studios at the height of its powers. Every one is certain to have their favorites among the selections (mine are "Dance of the Hours" and "Night on Bald Mountain"), but every selection is brilliantly conceived and executed, and although the content varies from sequence to sequence the overall style of the film hangs together in a most remarkable way. FANTASIA was, is, and will no doubt will forever remain a touchstone in animation art. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the second disk, FANTASIA 2000. This particular film is extremely uneven, the sequences lack the same cohesive style that held the original FANTASIA together, and the entire film is beset by a series of often obnoxious "celebrity" introductions that give the film the feel of a made-for-TV variety show. Still, some of the visual ideas are very impressive, and while they are too few to offset the portions of the film that do not work, they still make FANTASIA 2000 mildly entertaining. Both the FANTASIA and FANTASIA 2000 disks include documentaries and commentary tracks on each film. The third disk, called "The Fantasia Legacy," is a bonus packed with interviews, archieval footage, and sketches that show how each sequence in both films was developed and then filmed. Some of this material is redundant, for it is included on the documentaries on the first two disks, but most of it is unique to this disk alone. Disney originally saw FANTASIA as a film that could be re-released with a mix of old and new selections every few years, and the most interesting material on the "Legacy" disk is a restored "Clair de Lune" (made for and then cut from the original FANTASIA) and various storyboard ideas for future sequences. The only way one can obtain the "Legacy" disk is to purchase this three disk package--and therein lies the rub. The original FANTASIA is brilliant, and even in its so-so state it is worthy of a place in any DVD library. FANTASIA 2000, however, is trivial, occasionally interesting but not greatly memorable and not a piece that one would normally go out of the way to purchase. And the price for the three disk package is quite steep. If you are a Disney fan who must have every scrap of material available, I would recommend the investment this package requires. But if your primary interest is the original FANTASIA, you are much better off simply purchasing a DVD of that film alone--the other two disks are simply not worth the expense. Purchasers should alos remember that the original FANTASIA does not often appeal to very young children, and if the purchase is being made for a child you are likely to be disappointed in their response. Final thought: the original FANTASIA is brilliant, FANTASIA 2000 is so-so, and the bonus disk is for hardcore fans. This pricey package is recommended to the latter only.
Rating: 
Summary: Less than I expected this time around
Review: Don't get me wrong -- this film is fantastic, and by itself it rates 5 stars. But this DVD edition is not all its cracked up to be. First, there's the editing in the Pastoral Symphony, as noted by other reviewers. This is nothing new -- that editing was originally done back in the 60s -- but it makes for some very grainy frames in an otherwise beautiful print. Then there's the re-dubbing of Deems Taylor's parts. As I understand it, this was necessary because the original soundtrack was missing for parts of the extended interstitials. However, I can't believe that they couldn't find a better voice match for Taylor, given the wealth of voice talent in Hollywood these days. If you're used to the original, the difference is kind of jarring. My biggest gripe, though, is the apparent re-mixing of the music. The original soundtrack was full-on surround sound (what Disney called Fantasound) that had the music literally surrounding the viewer, often sweeping about the room to follow movement on the screen. The 1990 theatrical and video releases contained this Fantasound mix, but the DVD seems re-mixed as a static symphony recording, with the rear channels carrying only reverb. The sound is a bit cleaner than the last go-round, but it's far less dramatic. And the differences are noticable even in plain stereo. All of these things add up to considerably less than a faithful rendering of this film. The editing is understandable since racial stereotypes are unacceptable these days, but the rest is a shame, and hard to understand in view of Disney's usual attention to detail. As I noted, the film itself is well worth seeing, and aside of the editing, it has never looked better. But the original laserdisc/VHS release is far more interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and still unmatched
Review: I have just seen the remastered version of the 1940 version of Fantasia on DVD and I think it is just wonderful. The colourfulness and creativity is amazing, especially when you consider that they had no computers in those days. A delight to the eyes and ears at once, and the experience in theatres must have been even greater.
Fantasia 2000 is not bad, but it is frankly outclassed by its predecessor. It may be that Disney will have to set up a collaboration with its rivals, concentrating all the best creative talent of a generation, as Walt Disney did in his day, to hope to match this masterpiece.
Most highly recommended.
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