Fantasia (1940)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Directors:

James Algar
Samuel Armstrong

Writers:

Joe Grant (story) &
Dick Huemer (story) ...

Release Date:

6 January 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Family | Fantasy | Music

Tagline:

Walt Disney's Technicolor FEATURE triumph

Plot:

A collection of animated interpretations of great works of Western classical music.

Plot Keywords:

Classical Music | Elephant | Orchestra | Sorcerer | Dinosaur

Awards:

5 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Leopold Stokowski	...	Himself (Conductor, The Philadelphia Orchestra)
Deems Taylor	...	Narrator (1940 original)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Julietta Novis	...	Soloist (segment "Ave Maria") (voice)

Also Known As:

The Concert Feature (USA) (working title)
Walt Disney's Fantasia (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

120 min | USA:124 min (restored roadshow version) | USA:125 min (original release) | USA:80 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (1956 re-release) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints) (re-release) | Fantasound (original release) | Mono (1941 roadshow screenings) | Mono (1947 re-release)

Certification:

Australia:G | USA:Approved (PCA #5920) | South Korea:All | Portugal:M/12 | USA:G (re-rating) (1969) | Netherlands:AL | Argentina:Atp | Canada:G | Chile:TE | Finland:K-10 | Germany:6 | Peru:PT | Sweden:11 (re-release) | Sweden:15 | UK:U | Brazil:Livre

Filming Locations:

Walt Disney Studios, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Pictures

Trivia:

The filming of the final "Ave Maria" sequence was plagued by mishaps. To achieve the effect of moving through the scene, several panes of painted glass were used. The whole setup was over 200 feet long, and had to be redone three times. The first time the wrong lens was placed on the camera, and the subsequent film showed not only the artwork but the workers scurrying around it. The second time around, an earthquake struck the studio, and the shot was once again scrapped. The next morning, the shot was redone, the film was shipped to the lab, processed, and couriered to the premiere in New York where it was spliced into the final print with only four hours to spare.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When introducing the "Pastoral" sequence, Deems Taylor gives explanations of Greek mythology, but uses many of the deities' Roman names.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: How do you do? My name is Deems Taylor, and it's my very pleasant duty to welcome you here on behalf of Walt Disney, Leopold Stokowski, and all the other artists and musicians whose combined talents went into the creation of this new form of entertainment...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Nanny: Canasta Masta (#2.16)" (1995)

Soundtrack:

A Night on Bald Mountain

Almost a masterpiece

Disney's best feature combines animation and classical music. Most of the sequences work. "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" has some interesting abstract images to fit the music. "The Nutcracker Suite" is superb--simply masterful animation perfectly matching the beautiful music. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is a cute Mickey Mouse cartoon--probably your only chance to see Mickey wielding an axe! "Rites of Spring" is dull--seeing creation from the very beginning to the dinosaurs--VERY slow and boring. "The Pastrol Symphony" is lots of fun--it uses Greek mythology very well and has great animation--also topless females! "Dance of the Hours" is hilarious--ostriches, hippos, alligators and elephants dancing! "Night on Bald Mountain" is (even by today's standards) strong stuff. Very scary and frightening. "Ave Maria" is lousy--slow slow SLOW!!! Looks good though. Also the needless narration (explaining every single sequence in detail) is not needed. Still, well worth watching.