Contents
Reviews
How
Discs Are Rated
#
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
News
Archives
DVD
Guide
Contest
Video
Game Reviews
About
DVDlaunch
Meet
The Staff
Contact
|
Fantasia/2000
review by Zach B.
Rated G
Studio: Disney
Running Time: 74 minutes
Retail Price: $29.99
Features: Roy Disney Introduction, Audio Commentary
with Roy Disney, James Levine and Don Ernst, Audio
Commentary with Segment Directors and Art Directors,
"Melody" animated short, "Toot, Whistle, Plunks and Bloom"
animated short, "Fantasia/2000" featurette, Collectible
Booklet, THX Optimode
Disc Specs: THX Certified, 1.85:1 Anamorphic
Widescreen, Digital Transfer, 5.1 Dolby Digital English, 5.1
DTS English, 5.1 Dolby Digital French, English Subtitles,
Chapter Search
Walt Disney's original idea for "Fantasia" was to expand
on it. Ever time you saw the film, you'd get a new piece.
This idea never really went anywhere sadly, but Walt's
nephew, Roy, still wanted to continue this idea. In the
early 90s, he started to develop "Fantasia Continued" (which
is now known as "Fantasia/2000" of course), a set of new
pieces with one returning classic favorite (That being "The
Sorcerer's Apprentice"). The project was in development
forever, but "Fantasia/2000" finally launched on New Year's
Day 2000 for a four month engagment in IMAX theaters across
the globe (and some began and still are showing after the
summer 2000 theatrical engagment ended). The film on IMAX
was a tremendous success (I saw it on IMAX and I still
believe it is the ONLY TRUE way to expierence the film, it's
a very breathtaking), and it had a limited one month
engagment in regular theaters across the United States. It
wasn't as succesful as the IMAX run, most likely because so
many people already dragged themselves to the closest IMAX
theater near them months before.
"Fantasia/2000" consists of eight segments. Seven are
new, and one is a classic. The film opens with a nice and
pretty short one, which is set to Symphony No. 5 by
Beethoven. It involves these abstract butterflies (which are
basically two triangles) in various colors and chases. It is
very nicely done and a good way to open a good film.
After that, the second segment is Respighi's "Pines of
Rome", which involves a loveable baby whale and other whales
who fly right out of the ocean. The animation on this one is
really breathtaking, it seems like a mix of computer and
regular hand drawn animation. The detail is wonderful in the
animation, and not only "Pines of Rome" is a very good
score, the story is also simple and enjoyable. This is
probably one of my favorite segments of the movie.
Also another favorite is the marvelous "Rhapsody in Blue"
by Gershwin. The animation is inspired by Al Hirschfeld
drawings, and deals with the rich, the poor, the young and
working in depression-era New York. There is a man who
dreams of being a musician, a poor man who yearns for a job
and money, a little girl who wants her parents to stop
bossing her around and a rich man who wants to be a little
bit more free from his wife. But what is best about this
sgement is that each story is interconnected.
Based on Hans Christian Anderson's "The Steadfast Tin
Soldier", comes "Piano Concerto No.2, Allegro, Opus 102".
The plot of this one follows a toy soldier who has a little
adventure while trying to win the love of a toy ballerina
and stop a madman jack-in-the box. The animation in this one
flows nicely and has a classic fairy tale look.
The fifth segment, which I really did enjoy and brought a
smile to my face, but was REALLY short (I wish it could have
been longer) was Saint Sanes "Carnival of the Animales,
Finale" . It's choreographed nicely, and involves a
fun-loving flamingo who plays with a yo-yo, which distracts
and annoys the other flamingos. The animation and color are
really nice, but I wish this one could have been a bit
longer.
After that is the classic segment, which has gone on to
symbolize Fantasia and is probably Mickey Mouse's most
famous role. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" by Dukas (which is
rightfully introduced by magic gurus Penn and Teller) tells
the classic story of the lazy sorcerer's apprentice, being
Mickey, as he takes his master's hat and has the broom do
work for him. Of course, there are consequences and
everything.
Elgar's "Pomp and Circumastance #1, 2, 3, &4", the
famous graduation theme is the topic for a segment involving
Noah's Ark, and Donald and Daisy Duck coordinating the
animals going on board. This also makes for some wacky
comedy, when each think the other is gone for good. Well
animated and light-hearted.
The big finale, "Firebird Suite (1919 Version)" by
Stravinsky is nice and a marvel to look at. I could tell the
ones working on this segment were influenced by the great
animation director Hayao Miyazaki and his film Princess
Mononoke, because the setting and themes were very similar.
It involves the forest and it growing renew and being
destroyed. It was good, but I thought it could have been
better. The animation is fantastic, though.
Before I even saw the movie, I did hear a lot about the
celebrities in the film, who introduce the segments. I felt
this made it even more commercial then it already was. But
it actually wasn't that bad. It wasn't the best, but it was
a lot better then I thought it would turn out to be.
Reactions to the "Fantasia/2000" were mixed. Nearly
everyone compared it to the original, and said that this
"add-on" was more like a sequel. Some critics gave it
lukewarm reviews, others embraced it with much love. The
main complaint though was that people felt the animations
that went with the music lacked what the original "Fantasia"
brought, and how different it was from the first film. I
personally loved the movie and was really impressed, it was
just so unique and well put together. Though I admit it was
a bit different than the original, the passion and feeling
was all there in the movie. I also do admit I slightly
prefer "Fantasia/2000" over the original. Why? Well, I have
to say the pace is much faster, and it does not tend to be
boring. Don't get me wrong, I love the original "Fantasia",
but you have to admit at some points it does move at a slow
pace.
"Fantasia/2000", on the other hand, is flawless, a true
reference quality disc. Being transfered directly from
digital files, and also THX-Certified, it's truly
breathtaking. Colors and hues are accurate, and I couldn't
find any oversaturation or bleeding. Shadow and black levels
are perfect. Check out "The Pines Of Rome", some of the
shots are mesmerizing, it looks pretty real. There is a
slight complaint though, I noticed some really, really
slight shimmering here and there. However, it's so small and
barley noticable, I won't detract anything at all. The film
is also anamorphic and benefits from the extra resolution
(the aspect ratio is 1.85:1, from when it was in regular
theaters). "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" however, is not
cropped and keeps the original 1.33:1 ratio, however, it is
windowboxed. Great job Disney! Don't forget to use your THX
Optimode.
"Fantasia/2000" on the other hand is reference quality
with audio. Boasting a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix and a DTS 5.1
mix, this time around you really do feel like you're trapped
in a concert theater and part of this amazing expierence.
The dynamic range is all over the place, the .1 LFE is made
to good use, and it creates this exciting feeling ("Pines Of
Rome", like the video, is also a great way to show off the
sound mixes). Also check out when Mickey does his intro, the
sounds of him calling are all over the place, giving some
great surround and range. I personally prefer the DTS over
the Dolby Digital, I felt it was a bit more aggressive and
responsive, plus I felt the music had more depth within it.
Still, the Dolby Digital is also very good if you watch the
movie with that track. Either way, you can't go wrong and
you won't be disappointed. A 5.1 Dolby Digital French track
is also included (of course, it's only really for the
presenters).
The disc begins with a nice introducting from Roy Disney,
which you shouldn't simply chapter skip over but watch, as
he gives some short insight on this next chapter of the
movie. It can also be accessed from the wonderfully animated
menus.
Two commentaries are also on the disc. The first is with
Roy E. Disney, conductor James Levine and producer Don
Ernst. Roy was responsible for bringing "Fantasia/2000" to
life, and this track gives all his insights and passion
about it. James Levine talks more about the music, and Don
Ernst shares his thoughts on production values. Each seem
really motivated and have such strong feelings of pride
toward the movie, which is good.
The next audio commentary is with the Art Directors and
Segment Directors for each piece. So every animation piece
you watch, you can hear what the creative forces had to say
about their shorts. Most are pretty interesting, and if can
get past some of the accents, you'll learn a lot. Though
it's hard to give all their thoughts in a mere few minutes,
they do a great job of doing so.
Two animated shorts are included on the disc (Disney has
been including them with their animated titles as of late,
why not release a set?): "Melody" and "Toot, Whistle, Plunks
and Bloom", which was nominated for an Oscar. They're a good
watch for kids as some musical insight is provided.
Another featurette is included giving more interviews and
some additional information on the movie, plus a special
commemorative booklet explaining each piece and their music,
plus some activities for the kids to do. A nice set of
features for a great, beautiful movie.
While thoughts on this movie were mixed, I sure did enjoy
it, despite the fact it is a bit different from the
original. Disney has delivered some nice features and a
wonderful presentation for "Fantasia/2000". If you missed
this one in theaters, be sure to check it out and judge for
yourself.
 (4.5/5, NOT included in
final score)
 (5/5)
(5/5)
 (3/5)
 (4/5,
NOT an average)
|
