A film review by Mark O'Hara Copyright © 2000 Mark O'Hara

If you didn’t catch FANTASIA 2000 at an IMAX theater, you can see it in regular theaters currently. With few qualifications, this work is every bit as strong as the original, which is six decades old.

James Levine directs the Chicago Symphony in renditions of the following classical pieces:

Paul Dukas                   (from "L'apprenti sorcier")
Edward Elgar                (from "Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1")
George Gershwin           (from "Rhapsody in Blue")
Ottorino Respighi           (from "Pines of Rome")
Camille Saint-Saëns      (from "The Carnival of the Animals")
Dmitri Shostakovich       (from "Piano Concerto No. 2")
Igor Stravinsky               (from "The Firebird Suite")
Ludwig van Beethoven    (from "Symphony No. 5 in c minor, Op. 67")

The list above comes from the Internet Movie Database. Notice the word “from,” denoting the pieces are excerpts, a fact not made clear enough to the viewer. Could it be the folks at Disney catering to short attention spans, viewers unwilling or unprepared to listen to entire works?

Complaints aside, the animation and choice of music are excellent. Strong in interpretation, humor, and animation, all of the segments are captivating in various ways. In a nod to the parent piece, one original segment, James Algar’s, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” treats younger viewers to a vintage, very early “music video.” It’s an engaging piece, with the mischievous but well-meaning Mickey Mouse animating a broomstick to do his menial duties.

My favorite segments were “Rhapsody in Blue” and “Pomp and Circumstance.” Gershwin’s piece is accompanied by a plot with many threads, a nod to a true twentieth-century crossover piece using a modern storytelling technique. The pace is quick and the phrasing perfectly coordinated with the images. Elgar’s “#1” is mixed with at least one other “Pomp and Circumstance” march to form stately background for the animals marching into Noah’s Ark. Yes, Donald Duck finally has his turn at starring in a domain formerly dominated by Mickey! And it’s a touching, if rather predictable, love story with Daisy that frames the story of Donald working as a foreman for Noah.

Other segments are no less well done. Saint-Saens’ “The Carnival of Animals” is a hoot; it’s what happens, as the host for the segment says, when you give a yo-yo to a flamingo! And the graceful flying whales in “The Pines of Rome” are fascinating and very original. It was a brushstroke of genius to combine the talents of the Russian Shostakovich with the storytelling talents of Hans Christian Andersen: his “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” is a well-drawn mini-thriller, the underdog triumphing in the end. The excerpt from Stravinsky’s “The Firebird Suite” is animated beautifully, and features a figure nearly as dark and intimidating as the demon in “Night on Bald Mountain” from the original FANTASIA.

Perhaps the least captivating segment is the lead-off, a portion of the first movement of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, some of the most recognizable phrases in all of music. The animation is top-notch; we watch a virtuoso ballet of shapes, much like the experiments in color and geometry pulled off in many early Disney cartoons.

I have heard criticisms of the host segments, but would have to say they are necessary bridges between the musical interludes. They certainly lend glimpses of varied personalities, ranging from the goofy Steve Martin to the dignified Angela Lansbury. James Earl Jones, Quincy Jones, Bette Midler – all of these figures smoothly introduce portions of the new FANTASIA. We also get to visit with master violinist Itzhak Perlman and conductor James Levine; it is so refreshing when directors decide to go with artists themselves instead of polished or pretty faces. What’s cool too is the inclusion of the old shots of Leopold Stowkoski, nodding to Mickey Mouse.

This is a sure bet for a video collection, particularly for fans of music. I can see it being used in music classes in all grades, in fact – a versatile teaching tool. It’s also a very entertaining 75 minutes of story and music, a worthy though long-overdue sequel. Let’s hope to see another before the next sixty years!

	Running Time: 75 Min | Rated: G | US Release: June 16th | More >>

Related Links:

• Official Site
• Daily Box Office - Fantasia 2000
• Upcomingmovies.com: Fantasia 2000