Fantasia (1940)

 

'Fantasia' has always been a bit of an oddball in the entire Disney catalogue. This is because the entire purpose of this anthology is to get people introduced to and enjoy certain pieces of classical music, mainly some very well known ones. A noble effort to be sure, but not everyone understood it as most people will always expect an adventure and not - well - this.

Broken up into various segments, 'Fantasia' is a celebration of classical music coupled with some of the most iconic silent shorts you will ever encounter. But to that end, it is a bit of a shame that the entire film takes a bit of a wonky start, with colours and shadows of the orchestra. It's not hard to see what they were trying to do (heck, it even gets spelled out by our narrator), but it isn't the strongest start ever. Fortunately everything after this immediately clicks.

You get fairies bringing the seasons to life; the absolute classic of 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice', with the first ever modern version of Micky Mouse; the dinosaurs; the ballet with hippos and ostriches and to top it all of a double whammy of Satan himself partying it up on a mountain before the entire film cools down into dawn and the 'Ave Maria'. 

It really is good stuff.

The animation is still among some of the best Disney has ever produced and so many scenes are iconic for the right reasons. The musical pieces have been carefully selected to appeal to a broad audience without alienating more rigorous fans of the classics, which isn't an easy feat. 

It sucks you in and grabs hold and when it is all over and done, you'll feel uplifted. But if you have absolutely no affinity with classical music or Disney, then this will most certainly not be the film for you. However, you should give it a chance, because the imagery is so vivid there's little that compares.