Review: Fantasia 2000 (2000)

This is a Resurfaced review written in 2002 or earlier. For more information, please visit this link: Resurfaced Reviews.

Fantasia 2000

Rating

Director

James Algar, Gaëtan Brizzi, Paul Brizzi, Hendel Butoy, Francis Glebas, Eric Goldberg, Don Hahn, Pixote Hunt

Screenplay

Eric Goldberg, James Fujii, Joe Grant, Perce Pearce, Carl Fallberg, Gaëtan Brizzi, Paul Brizzi, Don Hahn, David Reynolds, Irene Mecchi, Brenda Chapman, Elena Driskill, Mel Shaw

Length

1h 15m

Starring

Steve Martin, Itzhak Perlman, Quincy Jones, Bette Midler, James Earl Jones, Penn Jillette, Teller, James Levine, Angela Lansbury, Wayne Allwine, Tony Anselmo, Russi Taylor

MPAA Rating

Review

When you look back at the history of animation, no studio was more visionary than Walt Disney Pictures. In 1940, Disney’s third full-length animated feature took the studio in a new direction. “Fantasia” strayed from the first two films by taking various well-known musical works and adding animation to them. There was no unifying story other than a silhouetted orchestra led by Leopold Stokowski and the narrator Deems Taylor.

Since then, Disney tried to recapture the magic and success with other similar works, but never succeeded. Originally, “Fantasia” was meant to be a work in progress with new segments added and old ones taken away over time. It took 60 years to achieve this feat, but “Fantasia 2000” continues in the tradition of the original as Disney’s 38th full-length animated motion picture.

The only piece to make it from the original to the updated version is the obviously antiquated “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” featuring a naughty Mickey Mouse bringing a broom to life to do his work and causing a flood that the sorcerer must stop. They pulled the original work into the new film without sprucing it up for the big screen.

Along for the ride are seven other short segments. The opening piece mirrors the original using abstract images, in this case butterfly-like creatures and animating them to the Beethoven’s well-known “Fifth Symphony.” Not as impressive as other works in the piece, but the beat-synchronous animation is still interesting to watch.

Following that is a partially computer animated segment featuring a group of whales sailing through the seas and skies of the arctic. Ottorino Respighi’s “Pines of Rome” isn’t the best of choices for the film, but works fine for the piece. It pays for your audience to recognize the music and this is the least recognizable of the entire film.

Another interesting, but unremarkable piece is Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Piano Concerto” which showcases Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Steadfast Tin Soldier.” “Soldier” is about an unlikely love affair between an one-legged soldier and a ballerina with a jack-in-the-box as villain. Reminiscent of the lackluster work in old Disney cartoons like “Make Mine Music” and “Fun and Fancy Free,” “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” is neither inspiring nor incredibly interesting.

The most lively and funny piece is animated to the tune “The Carnival of Animals” by Camille Saint-Saëns. Four haughty flamingos try to force a yo-yo loving one into being just like them. There’s never a dull moment when Saint-Saëns music beats majestically along with the comedic action, it’s not hard to see why it’s one of the film’s best segments.

The remaining three pieces are perfect examples of what “Fantasia” and its descendants were meant to be. Edward Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance,” best known for its use during graduations, showcases an animated rendition of the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark. Donald and Daisy Duck make a fitting duo in this triumphant and emotional journey into the religious past. Perhaps it’s the memories of graduations past, but “Pomp” is the best fit for the story.

The finale, is terrific, easily the classic choice for the ending. As “Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria” was for the original, Igor Stravinsky’s “The Firebird” is for “Fantasia 2000.” Described in its introduction as a story of life, death and rebirth, “Firebird,” has beautiful animation and a terrific story. A young sprite brings new life in the spring, but is nearly destroyed in a volcanic eruption, but resurfaces as nature always does.

There’s no question that “The Firebird” is a suitable ending, but the best piece overall is George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” probably the best known composition in the movie. In a tribute to the late Al Hirschfeld, “Rhapsody” accompanies four down-on-their-luck New Yorkers whose disparate lives one day unite. There’s pathos, action and humor flowing through every line-drawn-inch of the segment.

Of course, what’s a “Fantasia” film without an interconnecting theme. Quite frankly, what passes for connection is little more than unrelated actors and comedians who introduce each number with moments of humor and others of pure agony. Steve Martin, Angela Lansbury and James Earl Jones mark the bright spots while non-acting musical artists Itzhak Perlman and James Levine are as wooden as Pinocchio’s head.

Overall, if you look past the pompous narration, you’ll find 8 beautifully animated segments that bring “Fantasia” into a new millennium and a new generation of viewers. You may not recognize every piece, but you’re sure to enjoy every tragic and comic moment of the year’s best animated feature.