Rating: 
Summary: Not So High Fidelity
Review: Having lived for years with the very distorted audio of the VHS version of FANTASIA, I tried the 2000 release of the 60th Anniversary Special Edition of FANTASIA (1940), with its "completely restored" label. The original FANTASIA was allegedly recorded with "perfect" fidelity using an 8 channel optical process developed for FANTASIA called "Fantasound". At some point, the original sound track was apparently transferred over telephone lines. In 1955 a magnetic recording was made to save the deteriorating optical copy. The results were bad, and a new sound track was made in the 1980's, but it lacked the synergism of the Stokowski orignal, so they reverted to a best effort cleanup of the magnetic copy of the original. In 2000 a "complete" restoration was made of what sounds like the magnetic copy. Even though the 2000 "restoration" of the original score is better than the earlier VHS version, it is still distorted enough in places, that it is hard to stick with it. There is a lot of what I would call "modulation" of volume between different passages and much outright distortion at higher volumes. The voices are clearer, but still fuzzy in places. Probably no one really knows what FANTASIA sounded like at its Premier in 1940, but this wouldn't hack it today. The visual images have held up better. Good color, artistic originality that hasn't grown too old, and incredibly detailed animation. I won't say anything about Disney's self censorship of rereleases of its own products, except that it's obvious where this movie was altered since something like a digital zoom was used. This is probably the best soundtrack we will see for FANTASIA (1940) because it doesn't appear to be winning any viewing contests. This movie may be listed for Kids. It probably should be "Family", and a moderately liberal family at that. There are devils, witches, breasts and skeletons, naked human images and implications about evolution to go along with the dancing hippos and abstract musical images. Bottom line: buy this one if you have to choose from what's available today.
Rating: 
Summary: The ultimate Disney masterpiece
Review: It has been said that all good artists never see the fruits of their most brilliant work until they die. "Fantasia" is no exception for Walt Disney, it was a visionary idea and a masterpiece that he poured his heart and soul into. And when it was originally released...it flopped...hard. Years after his death when it was rereleased it seemed the public finally smartened up to this marvelous film -- and now his one dream, the continuation of this animated musical, finally gets its deserved treatment. I was a 10 or so when I saw the remastered original "Fantasia" in theaters and I can honestly say I was blown away. Watching the DVD of "Fantasia 2000" was pretty much the same thing. Diseny finally has hit its mark again with its "modern" classics -- and this was it. As a collector's edition DVD this is one of Disney's better packages. While, inevitably every Disney DVD is one huge commercial for other Disney products, this one is actually both informative and entertaining. Obviously, the two films are entertainment in themselves. But the extra features are rather enjoyable themselves. The "making of" featurettes, which are about an hour apiece, really give some nice background on how both movies were made -- and the original is interspersed with Walt's own commentary! The third disc is basically a huge "making of" and history featurette -- and a patient person will enjoy leafing through all of the neat sketches and other photos packed on this DVD. A worthwhile addition to any DVD collection, and definitely a must for a Disney/Fantasia fan!
Rating:
Summary: Pure Magic
Review: I originally saw this when it was re-released and I was in the first grade. It remains one of my treasured moments from childhood.
The classical compositions have been restored to brilliant clarity. The assault of color and the varying styles of animation are a feast for the eye. It is as mesmerizing today as it was when I first saw it.
Like many classics from a time long gone, it is a vivid reminder that there was a sweeter and more creative period in the 20th century when kids didn't have to tethered to computers and Nintendos to have quality downtime.
My kids and I went to see this in the theater a few years ago. Last year I bought this and the companion piece FANTASIA 2000. It was viewed on a big screen tv and was surprisingly effective inspite of the limitations of home theater.
I recommend this to anyone who wants to see Disney magic at its best. This is an excellent example of the varied talents of Disney's animation crew and a great chance to see Stokowski perform his own musical magic.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT the original, "uncut" theatrical version!
Review: The quality and presentation of this restored version of FANTASIA is wonderful. Finally restored, unseen since the initial release, are the complete introductory sequences, including a chimes player's accident with his instrument, the orchestra applauding Mickey Mouse, and the orchestra shuffling out for the intermission. Even the original title card has been returned to its proper place, during the intermission. (Some of the narration was rerecorded due to original voice tracks being no longer available.) But there is CONSIDERABLE CONTROVERSY over the continued censorship of the "Pastorale" sequence. Circa 1969, the seemingly racist shots of a black centaurette (similar to Our Gang's "Buckwheat") attending on the white centaurettes were cut from the film. Allegedly, the 1980 release's new soundtrack covered up the clumsy edit. Subsequent releases to video have used optical tricks to remove the appearance of black centaurs. In this "restored" version, some of the optical edits are still glaringly obvious. The film survives as a masterpiece of filmic art, and this presentation of a "politically correct, original version" (my description) is tempting. But Disney does this release, and all customers and fans, a disservice by inappropriately calling it a "restored" and "uncut" version, when in fact it is NOT the version that was seen in the 1940 road shows. Let your buying conscience be your guide, but consider the significance of buying an "uncut version" that is not uncut.
Rating:
Summary: A classic rediscovered, a new classic, and a lot more
Review: I already owned the original "Fantasia" (on VHS), and bought "Fantasia 2000" when I bought my DVD player. I wanted to buy the "Legacy" DVD when I was down in Orlando, but the Disney people told me that the only way I could get it was to buy the Anthology boxed set. So I bought it, and I'm glad I did. I'd forgotten how wonderful the original "Fantasia" is. I worked as an usher at my local movie theatre when I was in high school (in the 70's). For several summers back then, Disney ran their own little festival of their greatest animated films, and the kids flocked in to see them. Sadly, one summer they showed "Fantasia" as part of the festival. I say "sadly" because "Fantasia" is NOT in the same vein as "Snow White", "Cinderella", or even "The Jungle Book". Although it is an animated film I see it as too sophisticated for young children (with the single exception of the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" segment with Mickey Mouse) - and my point was proved when at least two thirds of the audience fell asleep during the film. But for older kids (ages 14 and up) it is a marvelous introduction to classical music - they can listen to several pieces of music and watch one man's interpretation of that music. And adults can both appreciate the music, and relive their childhood for a time by watching the animation. "Fantasia 2000" will never really have the same emotional impact as its predecessor, but to compare these two films is really to compare apples and oranges. The animation in this film is completely different than the animation in the original. It's not a question of evolution, although the process has indeed evolved. The original "Fantasia" showed what could be done with the animation available at the time; so too does "Fantasia 2000" show what can be done with animation as it now is. Each in their own way, these films are the ultimate achievement of their time, and will serve as guideposts for animators for years to come. The major difference here is that "Fantasia 2000" was never marketed as a children's movie, even though Disney included the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" sequence in it. But the major reason to buy this set is the third disc - "The Fantasia Legacy". There are so many extras in here that it would take far too long to describe them all. I'll just focus on one set - the pieces that Walt Disney had to drop from the film because they made it too long. There is only one complete sequence - "Clair de Lune". The music and animation are just as spectacular as those that made into what is now considered the final cut. The others contained on this disc are only storyboards, but the music is included on a sequential showing of each of them. What a pity that World War II forced Walt to abandon his dream of replacing some of the existing sequences from time to time with some of those shown here - if the artwork is any indication at all, "Fantasia" could have been something REALLY special.
Rating: 
Summary: Still brilliant after sixty years
Review: "Fantasia" is a Disney movie for the older crowd. I don't think small children can truly appreciate the blend of animation and classical music in this one. My mother says I watched it when I was little and fell asleep. Must have been the calming sounds of violins and flutes. :)
But she brought it back to my attention when I was twelve. I was delighted to see sequences like the beautiful fairy and flower dances to "The Nutcracker," the parade of centaurs and cupids set to Beethoven, and Mickey Mouse stirring up trouble in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice."
Some people balk at the restoration quality of the original film. All I can say is this: I remember seeing "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" sequence on the Disney Channel when I was a kid. It was grainy, muddy and dull. When I saw the first attempt at restoration on VHS in the early 90s, it was a HUGE improvement. Sixty years can take its toll on film strip. We cannot possibly expect perfection.
You may ask, why did you only give it four stars? I will tell you why, and I will tell you that I will feel this way until the day that I die. I absolutely despise the "Night on Bald Mountain" sequence. I thought it was too scary, too evil to be part of a collection of much lighter cartoons. I have only watched that sequence all the way through ONCE and that was enough. It gave me nightmares for days (and now that I'm thinking about it...oh, not again). I'm not overly religious or anything, I am just not a fan of cartoon demons. Even at 22, they still scare me.
Even though the "devil" cartoon haunts me, I do enjoy the rest of the film. Each animated clip is perfectly suited to the musical piece, creating a synchronicity between art and music. It paved the way for the more technologically-advanced "Fantasia 2000," another great film that unfortunately lacks the hand-drawn authenticity of the original. "Fantasia" was one of many of Disney's revolutionary cinematic statements.
Rating:
Summary: Timeless Disney classic
Review: Fantasia is one of my favorite videos, and once I get my hands on the DVD version, it will also be my one of my favorite DVDs! I watched this movie countless times when I was a kid, but I recently saw it again and appreciated it even more. I've been playing classical piano since I was 4 (I'm 16 now) and since I know from experience that music can put images and stories in your head, I loved what they did with it. My favorite ones include the dancing fairy sequence, the appropriately scary "Night On Bald Mountain" animation, and Beethoven's pastoral symphony with the flying ponies, cupids, and centaurs. Another thing I noted when I saw Fantasia was the year it was made in, along with the stunning animation. In the early 1940s, with the technology being what it was, each frame had to be individually drawn by the animator. The beautiful scenes flow by so effortlessly you'd never guess how much work went into each frame. When you think about it, it's mind-boggling. If you haven't seen Fantasia, you haven't lived. It's that simple. ;)
Rating:
Summary: A must own for music fans
Review: Musicians who love music are all over classical music. No other style can be more expressive, and more effective in causing the mind to create its own "images", if you will, than classical. Classical music is also the most under apreciated music out there. There isn't enough focus on it, and the vast majority of music sales fall under the rock catagorey. But classical, and neo classical remain my favorite genre. As such, the two Fantasia films are amoung my favorite DVD collection on a shelf for all to see, rather than in a DVD storage box like the majority of my collection. I will confess that I never got around to watching the third disk of this collection, but I really enjoyed the movies despite the agrivating cuts made to the original to make it more "politically correct" (I don't know why people get so upset about such trivial things, but oh well.) My only concern is the condition of the original. Neither the sound or the video was as good as it could have been. Perhaps it is because the original footage is so old, but it does make one wonder why Disney didn't take the oportunity to try and restore the film during the nineties. Mr. Lucas did it with Star Wars, and granted Fantasia is much older than Star Wars, but the film preservation could have been better. They could have restored it earlier, thus saving more of the visual flare that I believe this film has lost due to the age of the footage. Because they did not do this the film looks pretty bad. But the movie is more so about the music anyway, which thankfully was restored earlier in the films "life". While Fantasia may be boring for some, for music lovers it is a must have, and the DVD format will give you the best possible presentation of these two spectacular films.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful Fantasia Collection...
Review: The value of this anthology lies in thebonus material disk, which includes a wealth of background information, artwork, and reconstructed scenes and storeyboards for "The Fantasia That Never Was." The true jewel is the reconstituted "Clair de Lune" sequence, finished but cut from the original Fantasia in 1940. You may have seen portions of the animation, re-edited and rescored, as "Blue Bayou" in "Make Mine Music." If so, I'm sure you'll agree that the animation is much better used in its original context. The Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 disks are wonderful too, but not nearly as epiphanic as the bonus disk, with its inclusion of "Clair de Lune." One tragedy of the Fantasia 60th anniversary DVD is the failure to include the original Deems Taylor voiceovers in the interstitials. Apparently, the disc producers had within their control ALL original interstitial material (some of which had been cut from previous editions), but could not locate ALL of the audio for the previiously cut portions. As a result, they were left with a choice to either present a full and complete version of the original with a new or partially-new voiceover, or present another edited version completely voiced by the original narrator, Deems Taylor. They went with the decision to include all of the scenes with a new voiceover. Their voice choice was Corey Burton - an excellent choice, yet, sadly, no substitute for Taylor. Rediscovering Fantasia has, for me, refreshed the notion of Walt Disney as an artist and friend of the intellectual. It's tremendously easy, in this tepid Eisnerian era, to dismiss 'Disney' as a commercialistic, pap-spewing corporate evil. But in Walt Disney's lifetime, that wasn't necessarily the case. Fantasia made Mr. Disney the darling of the intelligentsia! So. Don't throw away your old Fantasia videos, but DO add this wonderful anthology to your collection. It offers some fresh material, encouraging you to make fresh insights regarding the film, the men who created it, and the time in which it was made. Plus, it offers the added fun of the visually-breathtaking Fantasia 2000, the darling of the IMAX screen.
Rating:
Summary: The First and the Best
Review: Fantasia, crafted via Disney Studio hand-painting in the late 30s, is the first real video and the best. Period. The visual themes are far more logical than the PC pablum of Fantasia 2000, and the art -- not being computer-derived -- is far superior. Mind you, Fantasia 2000 is a good work. But I am the first of three generations in my family to have seen both productions and all three of us are of like mind. I saw it first when I was eight and never forgot it. My 32-year-old saw Fantasia in Ann Arbor when she was four and made sure her son saw it by the time he was six. All of us agree the original sets the class by which one measures the second (and all others) and against which the second (an all others) simply doesn't measure up. It is a pure, incomparable, thrilling visual and aural treasure of Western culture. By all means, show your kids Fantasia 2000. But keep the original for your kids to view at least once a year. In years to come, they'll be back with your grandkids to repeat that defining wonderful childhood experience.
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