Fantasia 2000

As a follow-up to Walt Disney's Fantasia, Disney animators teamed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to introduce a new generation to classical music.  The Chicago Symphony Orchesta was under the direction of James Levine.  Every segment is introduced by a celebrity.

•  Symphony No. 5 in C minor-I. Allegro con brio by Ludwig van Beethoven. (Directed by Pixote Hunt)
  Paper butterflies dancing.
• Pines of Rome by Ottorino Respighi. (Directed by Hendel Butoy)
  The story of a family of humpback whales, with a curious baby, that can fly.
• Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin. (Directed by Eric Goldberg)
  The day in life of four very different people in 1930s New York City.  Animation in the style of Al Hirschfield.
• Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major-I. Allegro by Dmitri Shostakovich. (Directed by Hendel Butoy)
  Based on the "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" by Hans Christina Anderson, this is the story of a one-legged toy soldier who falls in love with a toy ballerina and protects her from an evil jack-in-the-box.
• The Carnival of the Animals, Finale by Camille Saint-Saens. (Directed by Eric Goldberg)
  Answers the question: what would happen if you gave a yo-yo to a flamingo?
• The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Paul Dukas (Directed by James Algar)
  The scene from the original 1940's Fantasia.
• Pomp and Circumstance - Marches 1, 2, 3 and 4 by Edward Elgar. (Directed by Francis Glebas)
  Donald Duck is the assistant to Noah, and needs to get all the animals on the Ark, without losing Daisy.
• Firebird Suite - 1919 Version by Igor Stravinsky. (Directed by Paul and Gaetan Brizzi)
  A Spring Sprite and her elk friend, accidentally awaken a Firebird that leaves destruction in it's wake.

Walt Disney originally planned for Fantasia to have new sequences every few years.  But that vision was unrealized for decades.  In 1974, Disney's nephew Roy Disney had the idea to make a sequel to Fantasia.  He pitched the idea in the 1980s, with production beginning in 1990.  The animation used a combination of computer-generated images on top of hand-drawn animation.  I appreciate that they wanted to honor Walt's vision and update the formula... but some aspects just don't work.

This time, they decided to have celebrities introduce each segment, but the introductions are mostly jokes, instead of introductions of the piece of music and the animation you are going to see.  The most successful introduction is Quincy Jones, the rest are painful.  It also felt like a mistake to include The Sorcerer's Apprentice.  Yes, it is a beloved classic, but it doesn't fit with the new shorts.

The new shorts and music are a mixed bag.  Rhapsody in Blue is brilliant.  The animation is unique and tells a compelling story while complimenting the music.

I enjoyed Pomp and Circumstances, but it felt like a strange combination: the graduation song paired with Donald Duck in Noah's Ark.  I enjoyed the animation, but I think a different song would work better.  The ending Firebird Suite is great as well.  Visually stunning and the the music is great as well.  The Carnival of Animals sequence is short and slapstick, but cute.  The Steadfast Soldier is a good idea, but the animation is terrible.  The same problem plagues the Pines of Rome sequence.  And the opening is ok, but never really lives up to it's potential.

It was a nice attempt, but inconsistent.  Better song choices and consistent quality in the animation would help.  Again, I appreciate that they are trying to introduce children to classic songs in a way that they will enjoy, but the original is better.

Fantasia 2000 (1999) 74 minutes