Fantasia 2000
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Movie Reviews of Fantasia 2000
Movie Review: Not as good as the original
Summary: 3 Stars
The original Fantasia is two hours long. Fantasia 2000 is only 75 minutes long. Sure, it's more attention-grabbing, but this is even less compelling than the original.
Beethoven's 5th is underused (only four minutes worth of music compared to the twenty minutes of the 6th). The second movement of "Pines of Rome" by Ottonio Respighi is entirely cut out. WHY? The Finale to "Carnival of the Animals" is more bombastic than it should be. "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin has some good points, so no loss there. "Pomp and Circumstance" by Sir Edward Elgar is a hit and miss. Donald Duck is supposed to be a nonchalant, hot-headed duck, but I guess political correctness got its wish here. Shostakovich's "Piano Concerto" is uninteresting, and it lacks the beauty and charm that's found in the original. And finally, they could've used the complete 1910 version of Igor Stravinsky's "Firebird" rather than the 1949 suite. The villain of the sequence is awe-inspiring, however.
So the animation is much better-looking than the original, but it lacks the intrigue and extreme risk-taking that was found in the original. So I give this a C+.
Movie Review: Not the original, but still nice
Summary: 4 Stars
I know that "Fantasia" was suppose to be a continual work-in-progress, but this is several decades too late to capture Walt's true vision, I'm sure. Still, I think it warrants 4 stars for beautiful music and some great animation.Movie Review: Continuing Walt's Fantasia Legacy
Summary: 4 Stars
Roy E. Disney has worked tirelessly to bring Fantasia 2000 to the big screen. Created as a continuation of the dream of a concert movie experience created by Walt Disney 60 years ago with the original Fantasia this new film provides eight more animated segments presented with classical music.
The musical selections are unique. Many of them first broached by Walt Disney himself when making selections for the original film in 1940. Starting with an abstract rendering of Beethovan's Fifth Symphony, the selections include Ottorino Resphighi's Pines of Rome showcasing flying whales, Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (a New York story rendered in Hirshfeild line drawings); Piano Concerto No. 2, Allegro, Opus 102 by Shostakovich; Carnival of the Animals (Le Carnaval des Animaux), Finale by Saint Saens; Dukas Sorceror's Apprentice (the lone holdover from the original film); Pomp and Circumstance, Marches #1, 2, 3, & 4 by Edward Elgar and Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, 1919.
The animation techniques are quite good and varied in style and technique. The film was designed to be viewed on the Imax system and the print is nearly flawless. The sound carries over quite well on the Dolby DTS track that I listened to. The disc features quite a few outstanding extras including an hour long making of feature called Fantasia the Legacy Continues; two excellent commentaty tracks featuring Disney, Conductor James Levine and Producer Don Ernst and the second featuring the animators and art directors; a production reel and two shorts.
This one is well worth seeking out to complete your collection.
Movie Review: Much more enjoyable than the dated original
Summary: 5 Stars
As much as I enjoyed the original Fantasia, this new installment tops it. Fantasia 2000 is much more bright, entertaining, and re-watchable. 2000 prefers upbeat and even humorous animation to the slow and often gloomy sequences that saturated the original. The vibrant colors and dramatic song intros are welcome and significant improvements over the dark animation and dry, dull silhouettes of the first. The animation matches the music to a much greater level of detail, offers drama and humor, and does not demand nearly as much patience. The Sorcerer's Apprentice is really the only piece that could stand up to Fantasia 2000's selection, and even this classic reveals the weaknesses of the original Fantasia.Movie Review: The Art Form Of The Future
Summary: 5 Stars
It's interesting to note that while the entertainment industry is bellyaching about piracy and the copying of DVDs, Disney being among the loudest bawlers, you can't buy a new copy of this marvelous DVD for love or money, either here or at Disney's own store, and the price for a used copy is higher than that of most new movies. Apparently the demand is there, but Disney doesn't care about supply. Disney is said to put their movies in "a vault," bringing them out only every ten years, but other animated features such as "Kronk's new Groove" (2005) and "Mickey's House of Villains" (2002) are readily available. Meanwhile, free segments of "Fantasia 2000" are being given away on YouTube. Smart.
I may've paid top dollar for my copy of "Fantasia 2000" but I have no buyer's remorse, as it's a great show. Those who remember the original (1940) "Fantasia" as something suitable only for children and the anile would be well advised to take a look at this production. The quality of the animation is at Disney's highest standards, but the concepts and the images depicted are far more sophisticated than almost any other animated feature I've seen, the sole exception being Tomek Baginski's "The Cathedral."
This sets the standard of what can be done in presenting visuals to serious music. When classical music is shown on television, there is absolutely nothing original or creative about the camera work, as they use the same shots they've used since the 1940s. There is the master shot of the orchestra, and each time an individual instrument or section makes an entrance, there is a close-up, as if to assure you that, Yah, dot iz ah trumpet. There is always the mandatory close-up of the mallets whenever the timpani has a roll, and you get to see the conductor waving his arms and making faces at the orchestra - none of which augments my enjoyment of Beethoven at all. The Naxos company is selling videos of rustic European towns and landscapes providing the visuals for the classics, but such a slide show is as dull as . . . as a slide show.
But this is different. The combination of images in motion, coordinated to the music, and intelligent story lines really do compliment the great music, and the most popular chapter, Respighi's "The Pines of Rome," is especially inspired. If your idea of "aht" is Jackson Pollock or Karen Finley, you may not feel exhilarated by it, but for the rest of us, it is American art at its finest.
Of interest to audiophiles is the astonishing sound of this DVD. As CDs were an obvious improvement over the sound of LPs (disputed only by the senile), the sound of the best DVDs is as much an improvement over CDs, and the sound here is spectacular. There is, I would judge, no compression and no limit to the frequency response. My 18-inch Velodyne HGS subwoofer has trouble reproducing the ultra-low frequencies at the beginning of "The Pines of the Appian Way," so those playing it on toy computer speakers should take caution.
This is a genuine work of art fit for grownups - now if only Disney would market it.