Fantasia 2000 (2000)
Out of every film within Disney's long filmography, none stand quite as imaginative and inspired as 1940's Fantasia. With the world of feature animation still being defined and understood, Disney took a wild swing by sacrificing narrative for artistic expression and letting animators create their own dreamy visuals to accompany several pieces of classical music with a certain poignance and weight given to both art forms that are not always seen within a medium now commonly associated with cheaper stories meant for children. This concept would be one Disney would return to over and over again over the next decade as an answer to the limitations put on the studio by World War II with diminishing returns being found each time. While it was once thought that Fantasia could be a concept that comes back as a series, the idea was scrapped and Disney pushed on with narrative features for the next 60-years. As the new millennium approached, Disney found itself looking for a unique way to celebrate with the studio eventually landing on Fantasia 2000. Evolving the Fantasia formula to hopefully find something both respectful to the original vision while also being enticing to modern audiences, Fantasia 2000 is a story of big swings and common misses leading to a disappointing return for the series.
Disney has defined itself by pushing new technologies and looking for the next big thing that they can use to produce something to awe audiences and set them apart from the rest of the western animation world. For the 2000s, this meant an increased use of computer-generated imagery to try and create fresh worlds to keep up with the impressive work being produced elsewhere such as Pixar. This is the first miss for the feature as, with many of Disney's efforts during this time, the form was still developing and the final results are clearly lacking. Especially in the film's second segment, Pines of Rome, the animation basically ruins an imaginative concept of a group of flying humpback whales traveling and a young calf exploring the inside of an iceberg. The aesthetic, colors, and concepts present in the short are all phenomenal, but the animation is so awkward at times that it consistently pulls the view out of the world they are supposed to be exploring.
Luckily, not every segment is touched by these lackluster effects with some really standing out. The unique Al Hirschfeld style of animation in Rhapsody in Blue brings to life a fresh and creative world with so much movement and energy that it is impossible not to become engaged. The final segment of the film, Firebird Suite—1919 Version is also genuinely stunning with some of the most magical animation seen within Disney's entire filmography. It is really in these two shorts that it feels like the soul and magic of what Fantasia is supposed to be is found.
While part of this is due to the animation, it also largely has to do with the writing of the film as a whole. Compared to 1940, it is clear that Disney lacked belief in their audiences to be able to engage with a more dramatic and serious effort so they consistently feel the need to inject attempts at comedy and entertainment. Outside of the shorts, the film brings in celebrities to add humorous transitions between segments which is disastrous. Not only does this undercut the point of Fantasia, to celebrate the power of music and the efforts of the orchestra which comes together to display them, but these jokes are also simply unfunny. Steve Martin has arguably never been worse while Bette Midler is completely out of place. It is a natural conflict to take a space designed for respect and artistic weight and insert these cheap attempts at comedy.
This writing also tragically can bleed into the shorts themselves. Especially in the film's version of Pomp and Circumstance – Marches 1, 2, 3 and 4 which sees Donald Duck (Tony Anselmo) assist Noah in of getting all the animals onto the Ark in a retelling of the biblical story, the use of slapstick comedy and goofy gags falls really flat and hurts the overall feature. While these missteps might lead to a disappointing viewing experience, they feel so much worse in context of what Disney was trying to do with the feature. The studio made a conscious choice to resurrect the Fantasia brand, even going as far as to replay the iconic segment, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, from the first film. Disney decided to take this concept and this series, and completely ditch the point of why it was special to begin with. The lack of both understanding and care for their own pieces of art is a telling sign of the changing mindsets behind the company that have been exposed time and time again from Fantasia 2000 on.
While those who love Fantasia might be hopeful that the sequel can find the same success as the first film, little but disappointment will be found in Fantasia 2000. Arguably, the best part of the film is when it literally replays the short from the original film. While some segments stand out in style more than others, most feel lackluster both in visual execution and writing. While one could imagine the series getting better with time if they continued to release editions regularly, something once again planned and even put into development after Fantasia 2000, this is a future that never came to be leaving this to end the duology on a weak note.
Disney has defined itself by pushing new technologies and looking for the next big thing that they can use to produce something to awe audiences and set them apart from the rest of the western animation world. For the 2000s, this meant an increased use of computer-generated imagery to try and create fresh worlds to keep up with the impressive work being produced elsewhere such as Pixar. This is the first miss for the feature as, with many of Disney's efforts during this time, the form was still developing and the final results are clearly lacking. Especially in the film's second segment, Pines of Rome, the animation basically ruins an imaginative concept of a group of flying humpback whales traveling and a young calf exploring the inside of an iceberg. The aesthetic, colors, and concepts present in the short are all phenomenal, but the animation is so awkward at times that it consistently pulls the view out of the world they are supposed to be exploring.
Luckily, not every segment is touched by these lackluster effects with some really standing out. The unique Al Hirschfeld style of animation in Rhapsody in Blue brings to life a fresh and creative world with so much movement and energy that it is impossible not to become engaged. The final segment of the film, Firebird Suite—1919 Version is also genuinely stunning with some of the most magical animation seen within Disney's entire filmography. It is really in these two shorts that it feels like the soul and magic of what Fantasia is supposed to be is found.
While part of this is due to the animation, it also largely has to do with the writing of the film as a whole. Compared to 1940, it is clear that Disney lacked belief in their audiences to be able to engage with a more dramatic and serious effort so they consistently feel the need to inject attempts at comedy and entertainment. Outside of the shorts, the film brings in celebrities to add humorous transitions between segments which is disastrous. Not only does this undercut the point of Fantasia, to celebrate the power of music and the efforts of the orchestra which comes together to display them, but these jokes are also simply unfunny. Steve Martin has arguably never been worse while Bette Midler is completely out of place. It is a natural conflict to take a space designed for respect and artistic weight and insert these cheap attempts at comedy.
This writing also tragically can bleed into the shorts themselves. Especially in the film's version of Pomp and Circumstance – Marches 1, 2, 3 and 4 which sees Donald Duck (Tony Anselmo) assist Noah in of getting all the animals onto the Ark in a retelling of the biblical story, the use of slapstick comedy and goofy gags falls really flat and hurts the overall feature. While these missteps might lead to a disappointing viewing experience, they feel so much worse in context of what Disney was trying to do with the feature. The studio made a conscious choice to resurrect the Fantasia brand, even going as far as to replay the iconic segment, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, from the first film. Disney decided to take this concept and this series, and completely ditch the point of why it was special to begin with. The lack of both understanding and care for their own pieces of art is a telling sign of the changing mindsets behind the company that have been exposed time and time again from Fantasia 2000 on.
While those who love Fantasia might be hopeful that the sequel can find the same success as the first film, little but disappointment will be found in Fantasia 2000. Arguably, the best part of the film is when it literally replays the short from the original film. While some segments stand out in style more than others, most feel lackluster both in visual execution and writing. While one could imagine the series getting better with time if they continued to release editions regularly, something once again planned and even put into development after Fantasia 2000, this is a future that never came to be leaving this to end the duology on a weak note.