A series of eight famous pieces of classical music, conducted by Leopold Stokowski and interpreted in animation by Walt Disney's team of artists.
Being the first of is kind, Fantasia is a cinematic musical experience that combines Western classical music with stunning visual animation from Walt Disney and his team of animators. Segments include "Ave Maria," "The Nutcracker Suite," "Night on Bald Mountain", "Rite of Spring" and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," with an appearance by Mickey Mouse. Conducted by Leopold Stokowski with the Philadelphia Orchestra.—Blazer346
Released in 1940, represented Disney's boldest experiment to date. Bringing to life his vision of blending animated imagery with classical music. What had begun as a vehicle to enhance Mickey Mouse's career blossomed into a full-blown feature that remains unique in the history of animation.—maschzentertainment
Disney animators set pictures to Western classical music as Leopold Stokowski conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" features Mickey Mouse as an aspiring magician who oversteps his limits. "The Rite of Spring" tells the story of evolution, from single-celled animals to the death of the dinosaurs. "Dance of the Hours" is a comic ballet performed by ostriches, hippos, elephants, and alligators. "Night on Bald Mountain" and "Ave Maria" set the forces of darkness and light against each other as a devilish revel is interrupted by the coming of a new day.—David Thiel <[email protected]>
An innovative and revolutionary animated classic from Walt Disney, combining Western classical music masterpieces with imaginative visuals, presented with Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra. The eight animation sequences are colorful, impressive, free-flowing, abstract, and often surrealistic pieces. They include the most famous of all, Paul Dukas's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" with Mickey Mouse as the title character battling brooms carrying endless buckets of water. Also included are J.S. Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor"; Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite"; dinosaurs and volcanoes in Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring"; the delightful "Dance of the Hours" by Ponchielli with dancing hippos, crocodiles, ostriches, and elephants; and Mussorgsky's darkly apocalyptic "Night on Bald Mountain."—Tim Dirks
Fantasia opens with live action scenes of members of an orchestra gathering against a blue background and tuning their instruments in half-light, half-shadow. Master of ceremonies Deems Taylor enters the stage (also in half-light, half-shadow) and introduces the program. The music has 3 kinds of stories, one with definite stories and narratives, two with no story, but definite pictures and third more abstract (music that exists for its own sake).. The eight animation sequences are colorful, impressive, free-flowing, abstract, and often surrealistic pieces.
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach. Live-action shots of the orchestra illuminated in blue and gold, backed by superimposed shadows, fade into abstract patterns. Animated lines, shapes and cloud formations reflect the sound and rhythms of the music.
The Nutcracker Suite by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Selections from the ballet suite underscore scenes depicting the changing of the seasons from summer to autumn to winter. A variety of dances are presented with fairies, fish, flowers, mushrooms (dressed in Chinese attire), and leaves, including "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy", "Chinese Dance", "Arabian Dance", "Russian Dance", "Dance of the Flutes" and "Waltz of the Flowers"
The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Paul Dukas. Based on Goethe's 1797 poem "Der Zauberlehrling". Mickey Mouse, the young apprentice of the sorcerer Yen Sid, attempts some of his master's magic tricks but does not know how to control them. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" with Mickey Mouse as the title character brings a broom to life to carry water for him. But forgets the magic formula to make them stop & ends up flooding the whole castle.
Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky. A visual history of the Earth's beginnings is depicted to selected sections of the ballet score. The sequence progresses from the planet's formation to the first living creatures, followed by the reign and extinction of the dinosaurs ("terrible lizard" in Greek). Journey of prehistoric Earth from molten lava to single celled organisms, to a surface filled with marine life & then dinosaurs (who rules for 200 MM yrs) which are depicted to have been rendered extinct due to a drought.
Intermission/Meet the Soundtrack: The orchestra musicians depart and the Fantasia title card is revealed. After the intermission there is a brief jam session of jazz music led by a clarinetist as the orchestra members return. Then a humorously stylized demonstration of how sound is rendered on film is shown. An animated sound track "character", initially a straight white line, changes into different shapes and colors based on the sounds played.
The Pastoral Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven. A mythical Greco-Roman world of colorful centaurs and "centaurettes", cupids, fauns and other figures from classical mythology of Mt Olympus is portrayed to Beethoven's music. Then a Greek odyssey with Pegasus (baby Pegasus learning to fly), half man half horse (Centaurs) male & females (Centaurettes) going bonkers over each other. Zeus having fun hurling lightening bolts (made by Vulcan) at them. Then the sun god Apollo riding his chariot to bring day & then the goddess of night Morpheus spreading her cloth to engulf the sky into the embrace of darkness.
Dance of the Hours by Amilcare Ponchielli. A comic ballet in four sections: Madame Upanova and her ostriches (Morning); Hyacinth Hippo and her servants (Afternoon); Elephanchine and her bubble-blowing elephant troupe (Evening); and Ben Ali Gator and his troop of alligators (Night). Ballet dancing conducted by elephants, Hippos & ostriches. The ballet is attacked by crocodiles also in ballet & is overridden by them, but eventually the elephants, hippos & ostriches fight back & take their stage back. The finale finds all of the characters dancing together until their palace collapses.
Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky and Ave Maria by Franz Schubert. At midnight the devil Chernabog awakes and summons evil spirits and restless souls from their graves to Bald Mountain. The spirits dance and fly through the air until driven back by the sound of an Angelus bell as night fades into dawn. A chorus is heard singing Ave Maria as a line of robed monks is depicted walking with lighted torches through a forest and into the ruins of a cathedral.
