Rating: 
Summary: A brilliant film!!!
Review: One of the premier movies of the 20th century, I believe, and one of the first to put classical music and animation together. Leopold Stokowski and Disney collaboration has lasted over the years as a testament to what can be creatively accomplished with men of integrity and vision.From the opening scenes, as we learn about the different aspects of music, and as the panorama opens up with the brilliant hues of the colors of the rainbow in all its splendor, you know you have arrived at a place of wonder. There are so many wonderful moments in this film - Rite of Spring, as the animators show what they believe to be the beginning of time (just the animators' vision), then on to the Pastoral Scenes, with the music of Beethoven, and then on into the latter parts of the movie with Night on Bald Mountain by Mussorgsky - another brilliant take on what might be viewed as when darkness descends and the demons come out of hiding. (This might be a little intense for the youngsters.) Following this, in a wonderful way, is "Ave Maria," as we see the dawn approaching and lines of nuns with candles paying tribute to the Creator. You want to talk about the chills and the laughter and the thinking processes which engage the mind? This is the grand-daddy of all animation. A marvelous addition to any video library!!
Rating: 
Summary: Only because it's an "anthology"...
Review: ...do I rate it at four stars. Given that the original "Fantasia" doesn't tell a single story, as most Disney films do, but instead interprets eight distinct pieces of classical music, it's inevitable that each viewer will prefer some to others. (Personally I fast-forward through "The Dance of the Hours" and am not particularly entranced by "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," but I love the "Pastoral Symphony," "Rite of Spring," and "Night on Bald Mountain"--what a gorgeous mountain devil!) Deems Taylor, who was a noted music critic of the time, provides a clear and excellent narration, and of course the score is beautiful. Interestingly, when rereleased theatrically during the hippie era, the movie was promptly hailed as a "psychedelic experience" by the counterculture, but viewing it today it doesn't seem so at all. It may have scary moments for the youngest kids, but would serve as a good introduction to "highbrow" music if they're unfamiliar with it.
Rating:
Summary: Like watching your own dream.
Review: When I first see this at age (?), I originally think it's a documentary. The opening shot is live action: an orchestra pit which slowly fills with musicians. They mount and tune up their instruments, and there's an on-camera host who actually *tells* you that this is going to be a concert- and you realize that nothing could possibly be more boring. Then you begin to see the accompanying animation, and you're taken somewhere else. And that's the genius, the beauty, the magic of "Fantasia." Made over sixty years ago, it still thrills, moves, and dazzles. The eight animation sequences are vastly different from each other and not all generate the same excitement (the 'Rite of Spring' pageant is a competent, albeit cold lesson in palentology; the Beethoven 'Pastoral Symphony' is stirring in music but overly dainty in image- in my opinion), but the film leaves you breathless when all ends. The first sequence to Bach's 'Toccata & Fugue' is more abstract than concrete animation, but it gets the film off to a good start. The sequences to 'The Nutcracker,' 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice,' and 'Dance of the Hours' are just right- the latter being absolutely hilarious! But the finale with the contrasting images of 'Night on Bald Mountain' and 'Ave Maria' is sublime, to say the least. I always thought the sequence was telling the story of All Hallows Eve (Halloween)- which is followed (on the calendar, anyway) by All Saint's Day. The course of action in the pantomime- with the all-night demonic images coming to an end at 6:00 in the morning, followed by a quiet, serene procession of nuns in a cathedral-shaped forest- seems to further confirm this idea. When it played in the theater this sequence (particularly the 'Ave Maria' half) hushed the entire audience. Then the screen went dark and the musicians left the pit. And I felt like I had a surreal dream for 2.25 hours.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect marriage of animation and music...
Review: This is truly a match made in Heaven; beautiful classic music and incredible animation, and now on DVD...I saw this as a child, only five years old, but I remember it vividly, and how fascinated I was throughout the entire movie. Of course, the dinosaur segment scared me (oddly enough, "Night on Bald Mountain" did not...)at the end of the movie, during the "Ave Maria" sequence, dazed and infused with the powerul, haunting images and sound, I asked my mother "What happened then?" And she said "The World was born, and then you were born, and everything was all right." I have had more than one occasion to remember those words, with a terrible longing to go back in time. I loved the "Dance of the Hours", the ballerina hippos, the Centaurs, and Bacchus being set upon by Thor, Zeus, the various gods, and the beauty of Night coming, after the storm, after the sunset, and the Goddess of Hunting, Diana, shooting her arrow into the sky and thousands of stars appearing; and she (Night) was a wonderfully soothing image, and also reminded me of my own bedtime and my mother tucking me in, safe for the night and safe from the storm; would that that were still true today!!!! This is the essential Disney DVD; along with Snow White and Dumbo and Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty and 101 Dalmatians...a must for your DVD library.
Rating:
Summary: "My congratulations, Mr. Stokowski!"
Review: I think Walt Disney would be happy in knowing what a hot seller the original Fantasia was and be proud of his nephew Roy with Fantasia 2000. The Fantasia Anthology does include the original Fantasia with previously deleted scenes from Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony reinstated (at least my copy does). In addition, some of Deems Taylor's dialogue had been edited out on the 1991 re-release. Ironically, the title card was originally not at the beginning of the movie but right after the intermission ( just before the orchestra breaks out into an impromptu "jam" and Deems introduces the soundtrack). As for both movies, I'm more familiar with the original and my main regret about Fantasia 2000 was not seeing it in the theatre. The 1st includes Bach's Toccota and Fugue (the animation is impressionistic and leaves much to the viewer's imagination). Selections from Tchakowski's Nutcracker Suite follow this (cleverly done with seasonal fairies, mushrooms, fish and flowers dancing). To follow is my favourite segment, Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice (if you haven't seen it, Mickey Mouse tries his hand at magic while his master's back is turned and is more successful at performing the magic than he is controlling it!). Immediately after the segment, Mickey shakes conductor Leopold Stokowsky's hand! Stravinksy's Rite of Spring follows this with the beginning of time animated to the impressionistic piece. Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony follows with unicorns, cupids and centaurs. Then we move onto Ponchielli's Dance of the Hours. This is one of the funniest sequences here, with hippos, ostriches and alligators dancing around (I think it inspired Allan Sherman's novelty record "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah" and a scene in Animaniacs where one of the Warner Bros belches out the melody!). Probably not what Ponchielli originally had in mind, oh well! The animation used for Moussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain is very stylistic and quite frightening (I probably wouldn't show it to kids too young!). Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera were probably quite inspired by it. Immediately following is Schubert's Ave Maria. After seeing what was meant to go in, the animation here was a bit of a letdown. Fantasia 2000 builds on Walt's plans 60 years later (technology has changed in the course of time but Roy has assembled a worthy "sequel"). This time, there are several narrators including Steve Martin, Penn and Teller, Quincy Jones, James Earl Jones, Bette Middler Angela Lansbury and conductor Jim Levine. The animation for Beethoven's 5th Symphony is very abstract. Ottorno's Pines of Rome is an impressionistic piece with surrealistic animation of whales dancing in the heavens. Gerschwin's Rhapsody in Blue is my favourite piece on F-2000(musically and visually) with cartoon-strip style animation inspired by the late Al Hirshfeld. An interpretation of The Steadfast Tin Soldier accompanies Shostakovich's Piano Concerto 2. This had been in the planning since 1938. There's a brief sequence of Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals with a carefree flamingo annoying his friends with his yo-yo! Afterwards, the original Sorcerer's Apprentice follows and then Mickey gets Donald Duck ready for the next movement. Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance (aka The Graduation Song) includes an animated reading of Noah's Ark featuring Donald and Daisy Duck (Donald is depressed when he is temporarily separated from his beloved Daisy). Stravinky's Firebird Suite helps translate an environmental tale as the wrath of the firebird erupts from a volcano and a surviving elk and Sprite try to re-vitalise a damaged forest. Give yourself a week to enjoy the extras here, which include full-length commentaries on both films, interviews with Roy Disney and some of the crew, alternate ideas which never made either films (sketches and animated sequences for other musical pieces that didn't make it), 2 classic Disney cartoons and stock footage of Walt Disney explaining his secrets for Fantasia. If it weren't for Fantasia, cartoons featuring classical music probably wouldn't exist.
Rating: 
Summary: Becareful
Review: Please becareful when buying this DVD. The package say it's uncut but it really isn't. Disney felt they needed to censor some scenes because they might offend some black people. I'm a black person and I'm more offended by Disney lying to me then the scenes. I hope someday in the future Disney will think I'm mature enough to own a real uncut version.
Rating:
Summary: Fantasia Fantastic!!
Review: This is the set for showing off your home theatre, and for enjoying one of the best films of all time (Fantasia -1940) and its worthy successor Fantasia 2000. There are not hours, but DAYS of ancillary materials, interviews, commentary, old reminiscences and inside stories here. This set could be the basis for a film-school course on animation or on Disney. Classy all the way, the visuals are flawless and the loving reconstruction and remastering of the original Fantasia shows the dedication of these talented artists and technicians. The sound quality is also a treat, from the THX swoosh to the rich orchestrations in the film.
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring
Review: One of the few good things about "Fantasia 2000" is that after I saw it, it compelled me to dig out the original Fantasia and watch it again. I fell in love with it all over again. When I first saw it in 1990 at its theatrical re-release, I was only 8 years old. Ten years later, in 2000, I had taken up the violin and I was about to graduate from high school. Watching this film with a new appreciation for classical music that I didn't have in 1990, this film inspired me to stick with the violin and pursue a music major. Another thing that changed when I watched it again in 2000, was my view on the final segment, Night on Bald Mountain and Ave Maria. Today it is my favorite segment of Fantasia. Fantasia's presentation of "Ave Maria" is one of the most spiritually uplifting endings in the history of cinema. The music in this segment is just gorgeous. It showed me that music can have an impact and that it is just as important as any other form of entertainment. Of coarse, it wouldn't be fair not to list some of the other highlights of this film. Highlights include J.S. Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" which shows off the orchestra and then dissolves into an abstract dream with flashes of light and flying bows and quaking landscapes, Beethoven's "Pastoral symphony" which is a pretty accurate perception of Greek Mythology, except for the centaurettes. Those are purely Disney's idea. Then we have "The Dance of the Hours" Fantasia's funniest and second-most famous (next to the `Sorcerer's Apprentice') this segment features dancing hippos, elephants, ostriches and alligators throughout the coarse of a day from morning to the afternoon, then into the evening and night. This is shown through some very beautiful animation. Sense I was only 8 when I saw this the first time, I was mainly focusing on the cartoon part of it, and the quality of animation made me think it was a new release, and not a 50 year old classic. Forget Fantasia 2000. This movie is the real deal.
Rating:
Summary: Fantasia
Review: Let me start my saying that I only gave this DVD 4 Stars because of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice". It is the only entertaining part of this movie. There is some great music in it, but the animation is weird. The Sorcerer's Apprentice is great. They should put it on a single DVD by itself for me to buy. Good-bye.
Rating:
Summary: One of The Greats
Review: *Fantasia (G)- Fantasia is quite simply one of the greatest films ever made. In fact, it is a milestone in Art and Pop culture. I believe it stands just as high as Citizen Kane in important American films. How a US film, albeit a "cartoon", was able to get away with nudity and cultist revelry at the height of Hays' Code hysteria stands as an achievement that few even comprehend. Few people love all 2 hours of Fantasia, but there are also few who don't like a single piece. And that is a testament to art in and of itself. Fantasia is a walk through an art gallery and a symphony hall. Some of it may draw you to tears, some of it may baffle you and some may enrage you but at least it made you feel and think something.
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