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Amazon.co.uk Review
More ambitious in scope than any of its other animated films (before or to come), Disney's 1940 Fantasia was a dizzying, magical and highly enjoyable marriage of classical music and animated images. Fantasia 2000, originally made for the IMAX large-screen format, features some breathtaking animation and storytelling, and in a few spots soars to wonderful high points, but it still more often than not has the feel of walking in its predecessor's footsteps as opposed to creating its own path. A family of whales swimming and soaring to Respighi's The Pines of Rome is magical to watch, but ends all too soon; a forest sprite's dance of life, death and rebirth to Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring too clearly echoes the original Fantasia's Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria sequence. But when it's on target, Fantasia 2000 is glorious enough to make you giddy. Hans Christian Andersen's "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" is a perfect narrative set to Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2, and Donald Duck's guest appearance as the assistant to Noah (of the Ark fame) set to Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance marches is a welcome companion piece (though not an equal) to The Sorcerer's Apprentice, the one original Fantasia piece included here. The high point of Fantasia 2000, though, is a fantastic day-in-the-life sequence of 1930s New York City set to Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and animated in the style of cartoonist Al Hirschfeld; it's a perfect melding of music, story and animation style. Let's hope future Fantasias (reportedly in the works) take a cue from the best of this compilation. The music is provided by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by James Levine, interspersed with negligible intros by Steve Martin, Bette Midler, Itzhak Perlman, James Earl Jones and others. --Mark Englehart
From the Back Cover
Embracing Walt Disney's original vision for a feature-length "extravaganza" of sight and sound, a whole new generation of Disney animators and film makers push the boundaries of the medium to present Fantasia 2000
In this electrifying feature, vivid imagery is the backdrop for classical compositions from Beethoven, Shostakovich, Respighi, Gershwin, Dukas, Saint-Saens, Elgar and Stravinsky. From the antics of playful flamingos to a modern city in bluesy motion, brilliant animation brings a visual counterpart to the music of the masters.
This all-new film begins where its predecessor, Fantasia, left off, with seven completely new segments and the return of one favourite - Mickey in "The Sorceror's Apprentice." Sixty years after the first incarnation of this masterpiece, the magical innovation of Fantasia 2000 is sure to captivate audiences of all ages.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
When word came out that Disney will be updating a film classic, I was euthastic about it and my wonderment was put to rest. The repotoire chosen was just simply amazing and the selection featured ranges from simplistic to breathtaking imagery. Music wise, we are served with composition from the romantic era right to modern renaissance, resulting in a perfect blend of superb animation and wonderful music. I am a fan of the original and when I saw the new Fantasia, I was totally blown away. Animation was never been so wonderful and cleverly crafted and neatly interwoven with great music, resulting a magnificient display of sight and sound. Like the original, Disney's animators conjures little short stories to compliment the music and some just abstact images. It is this abstract segment that opens this Fantasia programme and uses Beethoven's 'Fifth Symphony'. Some stories literally soars with the music especially 'The Pines of Rome' by Reshigi which incidently is the second piece and 'The Firebird Suite' by Stravinsky segments which closes the programme. Hightlight of of the film is Gershwin's 'Rhapsody In Blue'and it is here where simplicity is used to portray life in New York. Shostokovich's 'Piano Concerto' was used in a Hans Christian Anderson fable, 'The Steadfast Tin Soldier', which uses CGI to tell the story and it is brilliant. Then we have a fanciful trip with Saint-Seans's 'Carnival Of the Animals' segment which focuses on some flamingoes and a yo-yo. As a tribute to the original Fantasia, we have 'The Sorceror's Apprentice' to cherish and it is still a joy to watch even after all this while. Elgar's 'Pomp and Circumstances Marches' was superbly use as a vechicle for Disney's under-rated character, Donald Duck to have his turn in the limelight. This segment uses the story of Noah's Ark and it is rather delightful. Fantasia 2000 closes with 'The Firebird Suite' and I have to admit this is the best segment to me. The animation was ingenious and the story was uplifting. Unlike its predecessor. Fantasia 2000 is presented in IMAX and it boast a array of artists to co-host the entire preceedings. The music performed by The Chicago Symphony Orhestra conducted by James Levine certainly does justice to these well beloved music treasures. Even on video it is still a gem to behold. A thumbs up for the Disney folks. Fantasia 2000 is another milestone for the world of animation and a great salute for classical music. A MASTERPIECE!
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
When I bought the Fantasia 3 DVD box set,I was delighted with the third DVD which has great extras covering animation history,film of Walt Disney,music history,alternate endings(I really liked this extra),disgarded concepts recreated(another good extra),posters,release history etc.A fantastic third disc,however,the first two discs do not have the audio commentaries,do not have the featurettes and only have one extra each,namely the wonderful Clare De Lune and the Toot Whistle Plunk Boom cartoon.The removal of these extras was disappointing to say the least.Still,it's worth buying for the superb extra DVD as well as the wonderful animation.I also have to say that the decision to remove the original host was the correct one and they should not have brought him back as it slows the original Fantasia down.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Disney's groundbreaking film "Fantasia", released in 1940, stands today as one of the most incredible films to come out of the studios glittering array of films. It symbolises Walt Disney's pursuit for experimentation in the art form he did so much to create. Disney's dream was to turn Fantasia into a constantly changing film that audiences would return to year on year, much like a live concert, to see different pieces set to music. It never happened... that is until "Fantasia 2000".
In Fantasia 2000, Disney's new generation of animators got their chance to carry on that legacy. It is of course a legacy almost impossible to surmount, but the miracle is that at times they achieve it. Eric Goldberg's animated versions of "Rhapsody in Blue" and Carnival of the Animals", hit the mark perfectly and the Brizzi brothers electrifying adaptation of the Firebird Suite has rightly been referred to as the 'Sistine Chapel' of Disney animation. Other segments, such as "Pines of Rome" and "Pomp and Circumstance" (Fantasia 2000's answer to "The Sorcerers Apprentice") fair less well and the interstitials are more frivolous that the original. However in my view, the short films that succeed are worth the DVD by themselves. It certainly is no surprise to see the original Fantasia standing proud and undiminished, and after seeing it previously on VHS, the DVD transfer reveals details and colours previously never seen. Baring in mind "Fantasia" is one of the few colour films made in the era and the first to experiment with a surround sound score, to see and hear the film in this quality is, I think, stunning.
The bonus disk, "Fantasia Legacy" is a treasure chest of achieve material, viewing galleries, interviews and rare animation footage, one of those rare bonus disks you find yourself actually returning to. Echoing the history of Fantasia, another new Fantasia was going to be made after this, but recent changes at Disney have put all of that on hold. Sadly two completed award-winning short films for this new Fantasia, Mike Gabriel's "Lorenzo and Salvador Dalí's "Destino" have as yet no distribution outside the festival circuit. Perhaps it will be for the next generation of Disney artists to take up the challenge of leaving their mark on Disney's masterpiece. Let hope so. For now, it makes this DVD compilation all the more special.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
cheapo
I got this by mistake when looking for the original (which i found later at a reasonable price even if it did come via thailand!!)and boy what a mistake it was. Read more
Published 23 months ago by R. Poole
Progress and loss
The original Fantasia was a wild, ragged mixture of the conventional and the truly experimental, showing how in the 1940s it was still possible to reach for high culture and the... Read more
Published on 30 Jun 2009 by Caroline Galwey
absolutely breathtaking
Having loved the original Fantasia I was desperate to see this when it came out at the cinema so I remember dragging my dad along to see it. Read more
Published on 8 Dec 2008 by Ms. F. I. Macdonald
totally unimpressed
i loved the original fantasia - despite being 20 now, it still has its place on my video shelf. but this had nothing at all on the original - the music scenes were much shorter,... Read more
Published on 13 April 2005
Great Film, Lacking DVD Release
I guess many people are aware that Walt Disney's Fantasia is a masterpiece of the arts and the imagination. If it weren't, it would've long been forgotten. Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2005 by Julian Carter
Superb!!
The original Fantasia of course was released in 1940 and it is still popular today as it was then. This new version is superb for a number of reasons. Read more
Published on 5 Aug 2002 by E. A. Redfearn
Very Disappointing
I have been a great fan of Fantasia since I first saw it many years ago, and I never fail to be enchanted when I watch it. Read more
Published on 1 Feb 2002 by devlin_peter@hotmail.com
Spectacular!
Despite the negative comments about this, I feel it does the term "A Brand New Masterpiece" justice. The animation is breathtaking and the music accompanies it well. Read more
Published on 16 Nov 2001
A disappointment
I'm afraid this video does not live up to the hype accompanying it's launch and I was very disappointed with it. Read more
Published on 20 Mar 2001 by T. P. Spowart
Not nearly as good as the original
I hoped my son would like this as much as I remembered liking the original. But we both found it dragged. Read more
Published on 10 Jan 2001 by "bishopthorpe"
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