Amazon.co.uk Review
Groundbreaking on several counts, not the least of which was an innovative use of animation and stereophonic sound, this ambitious Disney feature has lost nothing to time since its release in 1940. Classical music was interpreted by Disney animators, resulting in surreal fantasy and playful escapism. Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra provided the music for eight segments by the composers Tchaikovsky, Moussorgsky, Stravinsky, Beethoven, Ponchielli, Bach, Dukas and Schubert. Not all the sequences were created equally, but a few are simply glorious, such as "Night on Bald Mountain", "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and "The Nutcracker Suite". The animation ranges from subtly delicate to fiercely bold. The screen bursts with colour and action as creatures transmute and convention is thrust aside. The painstaking detail and saturated hues are unique to this film, unmatched even by more advanced technology. --Rochelle O'Gorman
Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 are also available together in the 3-disc DVD Fantasia Collection.
Customer Reviews:
A boxset unlike any other from Disney.......2007-04-12
Well! What can you say about such a special, one of a kind collector's boxset? The Disney company created something incredible here - for Walt's best film ever, I think of it as his best film.
The fact about the Uncut Roadshow Edition edition of FANTASIA is that although all the scenes that were deleted from the movie are back in the actual film (where they belong, I'd say) Deems Taylor's voice had to be dubbed in order to be able to experience this masterpiece properly as the audio for his extra personal sequences was apparently missing. That's fine by me, I guess, but what a poor choice of a man whose voice was meant to match Deems'! Corey Burton sounded absolutely nothing like him! I was outraged! Anyone could tell that that was not Deems Taylor's voice! There are people I know from this country in England (be it friends or family) who would make a better match than HE did! Whoever chose him in 2000 must be deaf for god's sake! I'd probably choose to write and complain about this to the person who wrongly selected Corey for the role but I'm not native to America so it wouldn't be so practical but I hope at least one American finds out who permitted Mr Burton to impersonate Deems Taylor and passes this message on them: "on the next DVD re-release of the movie, please try and find a replacement voice that matches Deems Taylor's voice perfectly. Corey Burton did his best but, just the same, did a poor and deficiant job of dubbing Mr Taylor's voice." That is, of course, if that future re-release IS the Restored Roadshow Edition. I'm sure that if you purchase this stunning boxset yourself, you'll agree with me completely! The difference of the two voices is that Deems' Taylor's own voice is very soft and very much like milk chocolate and Corey's voice is the exact opposite of that; sharp, painful and irritating - you did a bad job, Corey, pal!
FANTASIA 2000 is also included - a more modern yet less powerful sequel. Though the pieces are a little too short and too cute for this day in age, it is impressively well made. A very good film as a whole!
THE FANTASIA LEGACY is not yet another film but an interactive DVD full of featurettes, interviews, close-ups of the original storyboards, the story behind each and every segment, biographies of the people who made each film possible e.t.c - and this is for both FANTASIA
FANTASTIC FANTASIA.......2007-03-12
FANTASIA IS A CARTOON OF RARE BEAUTY , IT IS MAGNIFICENTLY COMPOSED (PARDON THE PUN!) IT IS BREATHTAKING IN IT'S ARTISTIC VALUE AND IS EXTREMELY EASY ON THE EYE TO WATCH.
IT COMPRISES OF A SERIES OF SHORT ANIMATIONS THAT ARE BASED AROUND CLASSICAL MUSIC AND THEMES , IT WAS NOT WELL RECEIVED WHEN IT WAS RELEASED AND THE DISNEY STUDIOS LOST MONEY OVER THE VENTURE, HOWEVER IT GAVE US ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE IMAGES OF MICKEY MOUSE , HOLDING HIS WAND ALOFT , HIGH ON A PEAK WITH WATER CRASHING AROUND HIM AS A RESULT FROM DABBLING WITH MAGIC AND A CERTAIN BROOM.
I FIRST BECAME AWARE OF THIS FILM WHEN MY DAD SAID HE HAD SEEN IT IN A PICTURE HOUSE WHEN HE WAS A YOUNG MAN AND EVERYBODY GASPED WHEN THE LAST SEGMENT "NIGHT ON BARE MOUNTAIN " WAS SEEN.I MANAGED TO SEE GLIMPSES OF THE FILM DURING XMAS AND BANK HOLIDAY SPECIALS ON TV AND WAS ENTRHRALLED LIKE MOST SMALL CHILDREN, AT THE FAIRY SEQUENCES , I COULD NOT GET ENOUGH AND WHEN THE FILM WAS FINALLY RELEASED TO DVD , I RUSHED TO PURCHASE IT , HAVING NEVER SEEN IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH , IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT-IT WAS EVERYTHING THAT I HAD EVER IMAGINED.THE SHEER BEAUTY OF THE ANIMATION AND DIFFERENT STYLES OF THE ARTISTS ARE AN ABSOLUTE DELIGHT , FROM THE BEETHOVEN PASTORAL SEQUENCE OF TYPICAL ART DECO STYLE LAYOUTS WITH FLYING PEGASUS TYPE HORSES AND NYMPHS AND CENTAURS TO THE ABSOLUTELY INSANE SEQUENCE THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS WITH THE HIPPO IN A TUTU - SHEER HEAVEN ! MY ADVICE IS IF YOU LIKE WELL KNOWN CLASSICAL MUSIC , TURN THE VOLUME UP AND PREPARE TO ENJOY YOURSELF.
MY TIP , DO NOT MISS THE DEBUSSY "CLARE DE LUNE" SEQUENCE WHICH WAS DELETED FROM THE ORIGINAL CINEMA RELEASED FILM , DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUNNING TIME."IT'S A GEM!" IT REMAINS FOR ME ONE OF THE MOST ENDURING AND INNOVATIVE ANIMATIONS OF THE 2OTH CENTURY.
joke?.......2006-06-28
I have been looking into gettin Fantasia for a long time - but is this a joke? Director: "T. Hee" ?
A fake copy or something? Or just coincidence?
Breathtaking!.......2006-06-14
If you only ever see one Disney movie PLEASE make it Fantasia. From the opening sound of the orchestra until the last note dies away it is a total joy. Eight legendary pieces of music by some of the world's most beloved composers joined by characters that only Disney could come up with. The most well known section, of course, revolves around a certain Mouse but that aside there is definitely something here for everyone. My advice is watch this once but don't judge it immediately watch it again and I think you too will fall in love with Fantasia.
Disney's classic take on classical music.......2005-06-17
Fantasia is a film that has stood the test of time thanks to its originality and the magic that is Disney. Unlike most movies, this one has no story to follow. Instead what we have is vignettes of Disney animation set to some of the best classical music to be found, played by the Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by the renowned Leopold Stokowski).
The film begins with Bach's Toccata and Fugue being played to a backdrop of kaleidoscopic images. There are no real forms to see, just random moving images that fit the music perfectly. The second segment uses more 'classical' animation, and shows fairies, fish, and flowers, and so on through the changing seasons. This section has Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker suite as its theme. Particularly good is the 'Chinese Dance' featuring dancing toadstools.
Segment three is the best known by far, Mickey Mouse as the sorcerer's apprentice which is set to Paul Duka's music of the same name. Here we see the famous cartoon of Mickey trying to use magic on brooms in order to lighten his work load only for it all to go disastrously wrong as the brooms run out of control. From here, the film moves on to 'Rites of Spring', by Stravinsky, and this animation shows evolution, from the beginning of the universe through to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
There is then a short 'respite' in the form of 'The soundtrack', a thin beam of light that changes pattern as the music alters of the instrument playing changes. Soon the movie is back in full flow with Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony set to idyllic country images, complete with cherubs, unicorns and centaurs. This section includes a dramatic scene of a thunderstorm complete with the god Vulcan hurling his lightening bolts.
Segment six has the wonderful ostrich and hippo ballets, who wouldn't laugh at the sight of an alligator trying to run off with the hippo he has 'fallen' for. All of this is played out to Ponchielli's 'Dance of the Hours'. Finally we end up with the dramatic 'Night on a Bald Mountain' (Mussorgsky) which depicts evil being celebrated during the witches Sabbath. This section is actually divided into two and in the second half we hear the beautiful, haunting Ave Maria (Schubert) and see pilgrims crossing a bridge into a picturesque meadow. The image is one of good triumphing over evil.
This is a truly magical film, matched only by Fantasia 2000, and one that should be in any film/music lovers' collection.
Amazon.co.uk Review
Groundbreaking on several counts, not the least of which was an innovative use of animation and stereophonic sound, this ambitious Disney feature has lost nothing to time since its release in 1940. Classical music was interpreted by Disney animators, resulting in surreal fantasy and playful escapism. Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra provided the music for eight segments by the composers Tchaikovsky, Moussorgsky, Stravinsky, Beethoven, Ponchielli, Bach, Dukas and Schubert. Not all the sequences were created equally, but a few are simply glorious, such as "Night on Bald Mountain", "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and "The Nutcracker Suite". The animation ranges from subtly delicate to fiercely bold. The screen bursts with colour and action as creatures transmute and convention is thrust aside. The painstaking detail and saturated hues are unique to this film, unmatched even by more advanced technology. --Rochelle O'Gorman
Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 are also available together in the 3-disc DVD Fantasia Collection.
Customer Reviews:
A boxset unlike any other from Disney.......2007-04-12
Well! What can you say about such a special, one of a kind collector's boxset? The Disney company created something incredible here - for Walt's best film ever, I think of it as his best film.
The fact about the Uncut Roadshow Edition edition of FANTASIA is that although all the scenes that were deleted from the movie are back in the actual film (where they belong, I'd say) Deems Taylor's voice had to be dubbed in order to be able to experience this masterpiece properly as the audio for his extra personal sequences was apparently missing. That's fine by me, I guess, but what a poor choice of a man whose voice was meant to match Deems'! Corey Burton sounded absolutely nothing like him! I was outraged! Anyone could tell that that was not Deems Taylor's voice! There are people I know from this country in England (be it friends or family) who would make a better match than HE did! Whoever chose him in 2000 must be deaf for god's sake! I'd probably choose to write and complain about this to the person who wrongly selected Corey for the role but I'm not native to America so it wouldn't be so practical but I hope at least one American finds out who permitted Mr Burton to impersonate Deems Taylor and passes this message on them: "on the next DVD re-release of the movie, please try and find a replacement voice that matches Deems Taylor's voice perfectly. Corey Burton did his best but, just the same, did a poor and deficiant job of dubbing Mr Taylor's voice." That is, of course, if that future re-release IS the Restored Roadshow Edition. I'm sure that if you purchase this stunning boxset yourself, you'll agree with me completely! The difference of the two voices is that Deems' Taylor's own voice is very soft and very much like milk chocolate and Corey's voice is the exact opposite of that; sharp, painful and irritating - you did a bad job, Corey, pal!
FANTASIA 2000 is also included - a more modern yet less powerful sequel. Though the pieces are a little too short and too cute for this day in age, it is impressively well made. A very good film as a whole!
THE FANTASIA LEGACY is not yet another film but an interactive DVD full of featurettes, interviews, close-ups of the original storyboards, the story behind each and every segment, biographies of the people who made each film possible e.t.c - and this is for both FANTASIA
FANTASTIC FANTASIA.......2007-03-12
FANTASIA IS A CARTOON OF RARE BEAUTY , IT IS MAGNIFICENTLY COMPOSED (PARDON THE PUN!) IT IS BREATHTAKING IN IT'S ARTISTIC VALUE AND IS EXTREMELY EASY ON THE EYE TO WATCH.
IT COMPRISES OF A SERIES OF SHORT ANIMATIONS THAT ARE BASED AROUND CLASSICAL MUSIC AND THEMES , IT WAS NOT WELL RECEIVED WHEN IT WAS RELEASED AND THE DISNEY STUDIOS LOST MONEY OVER THE VENTURE, HOWEVER IT GAVE US ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE IMAGES OF MICKEY MOUSE , HOLDING HIS WAND ALOFT , HIGH ON A PEAK WITH WATER CRASHING AROUND HIM AS A RESULT FROM DABBLING WITH MAGIC AND A CERTAIN BROOM.
I FIRST BECAME AWARE OF THIS FILM WHEN MY DAD SAID HE HAD SEEN IT IN A PICTURE HOUSE WHEN HE WAS A YOUNG MAN AND EVERYBODY GASPED WHEN THE LAST SEGMENT "NIGHT ON BARE MOUNTAIN " WAS SEEN.I MANAGED TO SEE GLIMPSES OF THE FILM DURING XMAS AND BANK HOLIDAY SPECIALS ON TV AND WAS ENTRHRALLED LIKE MOST SMALL CHILDREN, AT THE FAIRY SEQUENCES , I COULD NOT GET ENOUGH AND WHEN THE FILM WAS FINALLY RELEASED TO DVD , I RUSHED TO PURCHASE IT , HAVING NEVER SEEN IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH , IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT-IT WAS EVERYTHING THAT I HAD EVER IMAGINED.THE SHEER BEAUTY OF THE ANIMATION AND DIFFERENT STYLES OF THE ARTISTS ARE AN ABSOLUTE DELIGHT , FROM THE BEETHOVEN PASTORAL SEQUENCE OF TYPICAL ART DECO STYLE LAYOUTS WITH FLYING PEGASUS TYPE HORSES AND NYMPHS AND CENTAURS TO THE ABSOLUTELY INSANE SEQUENCE THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS WITH THE HIPPO IN A TUTU - SHEER HEAVEN ! MY ADVICE IS IF YOU LIKE WELL KNOWN CLASSICAL MUSIC , TURN THE VOLUME UP AND PREPARE TO ENJOY YOURSELF.
MY TIP , DO NOT MISS THE DEBUSSY "CLARE DE LUNE" SEQUENCE WHICH WAS DELETED FROM THE ORIGINAL CINEMA RELEASED FILM , DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUNNING TIME."IT'S A GEM!" IT REMAINS FOR ME ONE OF THE MOST ENDURING AND INNOVATIVE ANIMATIONS OF THE 2OTH CENTURY.
joke?.......2006-06-28
I have been looking into gettin Fantasia for a long time - but is this a joke? Director: "T. Hee" ?
A fake copy or something? Or just coincidence?
Breathtaking!.......2006-06-14
If you only ever see one Disney movie PLEASE make it Fantasia. From the opening sound of the orchestra until the last note dies away it is a total joy. Eight legendary pieces of music by some of the world's most beloved composers joined by characters that only Disney could come up with. The most well known section, of course, revolves around a certain Mouse but that aside there is definitely something here for everyone. My advice is watch this once but don't judge it immediately watch it again and I think you too will fall in love with Fantasia.
Disney's classic take on classical music.......2005-06-17
Fantasia is a film that has stood the test of time thanks to its originality and the magic that is Disney. Unlike most movies, this one has no story to follow. Instead what we have is vignettes of Disney animation set to some of the best classical music to be found, played by the Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by the renowned Leopold Stokowski).
The film begins with Bach's Toccata and Fugue being played to a backdrop of kaleidoscopic images. There are no real forms to see, just random moving images that fit the music perfectly. The second segment uses more 'classical' animation, and shows fairies, fish, and flowers, and so on through the changing seasons. This section has Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker suite as its theme. Particularly good is the 'Chinese Dance' featuring dancing toadstools.
Segment three is the best known by far, Mickey Mouse as the sorcerer's apprentice which is set to Paul Duka's music of the same name. Here we see the famous cartoon of Mickey trying to use magic on brooms in order to lighten his work load only for it all to go disastrously wrong as the brooms run out of control. From here, the film moves on to 'Rites of Spring', by Stravinsky, and this animation shows evolution, from the beginning of the universe through to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
There is then a short 'respite' in the form of 'The soundtrack', a thin beam of light that changes pattern as the music alters of the instrument playing changes. Soon the movie is back in full flow with Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony set to idyllic country images, complete with cherubs, unicorns and centaurs. This section includes a dramatic scene of a thunderstorm complete with the god Vulcan hurling his lightening bolts.
Segment six has the wonderful ostrich and hippo ballets, who wouldn't laugh at the sight of an alligator trying to run off with the hippo he has 'fallen' for. All of this is played out to Ponchielli's 'Dance of the Hours'. Finally we end up with the dramatic 'Night on a Bald Mountain' (Mussorgsky) which depicts evil being celebrated during the witches Sabbath. This section is actually divided into two and in the second half we hear the beautiful, haunting Ave Maria (Schubert) and see pilgrims crossing a bridge into a picturesque meadow. The image is one of good triumphing over evil.
This is a truly magical film, matched only by Fantasia 2000, and one that should be in any film/music lovers' collection.
DVD:
- Gone To Earth [1950]
- Gothic Bellydance (All Regions)(NTSC)
- Harry and His Bucketful of Dinosaurs
- Harry Nilsson: The Point [1971] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- Jakers! - School Days In Tara
- Jakers! - Treasure Hunt On Raloo Farm
- Julius Caesar [1953] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- Kiss Me Kate [1953] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- Labyrinth (Collector's Edition) [1986]
- Life Size [2000]
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Fantasia 2000
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Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs [1938]
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