Fantasia 2000 (1999)

Fantasia 2000 (1999)

Walt Disney initially wanted Fantasia to be a continuing series, with new segments being added all the time; sadly, due to the initially poor reception to the original Fantasia, this idea was scrapped. Nearly sixty years later, Disney finally returned to this idea withFantasia 2000, which took the original idea of setting pieces of classical music to animation and created a whole new set of segments out of it. While the original Fantasiawas a very tough act to follow, I think Fantasia 2000 still stands on its own as another great expression of this idea.

Like the original, each segment in Fantasia 2000 is preceded by a short introduction; in the original Fantasia, these were hosted by Deems Taylor and tended to go on for a bit too long, redundantly explaining much of the segment before it had even been shown. While Fantasia 2000’s introductory segments are thankfully shorter, Deems Taylor at least had a sense of dignity to him, something that is at times lacking in his replacements. Instead of a single host, each introduction features a different celebrity cameo, which is unnecessary, distracting and, in some cases, rather obnoxious; Steve Martin’s gags, for example, hardly feel suited to a Fantasia movie. They aren’t hugely harmful, but they certainly aren’t helpful either and can put kind of a damper on your enthusiasm for the next segment. On the whole, Fantasia 2000 is much shorter than the original Fantasia, which is the longest of Disney’s animated features and though the films have about the same number of segments, the ones here tend to run a lot shorter. While this has the benefit of meaning that the segments rarely run on too long or get boring, it also means that it’s difficult for them to feel as epic and mesmerising as their counterparts from the original Fantasia; the reason something like “Rite of Spring” is so incredibly immersive and powerful is partly down to the sheer length of time it spans, a strength that few of the segments in Fantasia 2000 possess. With all that being said, let’s discuss the individual segments.

First is “Symphony No. 5 in C minor” by Beethoven, which acts in a similar manner to the opening segment of the original Fantasia, in that it attempts to visualise the kind of abstract imagery you might imagine while listening to music. Though a decent segment, it’s not as successful as its predecessor, which became wholly abstract in the ways it played with shape, perspective and environment; this segment becomes a little too focused on a singular idea and narrative, effectively defeating its initial purpose, to visualise a scattered and unfocused thought pattern. Nevertheless, the animation quality is incredibly crisp and clean, as are the colours and while not as interesting or experimental as the original, the segment still helps bring you into the world of Fantasiaand its style. Next is “Pines of Rome” by Respighi, a decent, if a little unfulfilled segment; the idea of whales flying through the sky evokes a powerful image, but one that I think the on-screen animation can’t quite visualise as well as the animator’s imagination could. The backgrounds are very nice, but the whales themselves are mostly computer animated and while the animation is not bad, per se, it just doesn’t have the right amount of life and detail to capture the sense of majesty the segment is trying to convey; this would be fine if it was just part of the background, which is how Disney typically used computer animation at this point in their history, but here it is at the centre of segment and since Fantasia is a concept that is so focused on visuals, it does let the segment down. The use of colour is also a bit dull, there’s just too much blue; again, not necessarily a problem in most cases, but most Fantasia segments use colour in such wonderful ways that it’s just a little disappointing to see such a limited and underutilised palette here. The animation doesn’t always fit especially well with the music either and, of all the segments in the film, this is the only one that feels a little too long to me. Not a bad couple of segments, but not the best to open with, in my opinion.

Next is “Rhapsody in Blue”, by Gershwin, a lengthier segment which follows the lives of four people as they go about their day in early 20th Century New York City; this segment is amazing and bursting with passion and excitement. It’s animated in the style of Al Hirschfield’s cartoons and, as a result, feels intrinsically linked to the world and culture of New York; it’s simplistic and stylised, allowing for a lot of creativity with the characters’ movements and expressions, without having to worry about maintaining too many details – the animators can basically do whatever they want with these characters and that’s exactly what they do. The energy with which these characters move, the way they express character and personality through so little, the way they match the rhythm of the music with their movements, it’s so fast paced and creative and the physical comedy is funny and timeless. This segment is an absolute joy, I would honestly love to see Disney animate a whole movie in this style, it’s that good; this kind of stuff is what animation is all about. Next is “Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major” by Shostakovich, which follows a narrative based on The Steadfast Tin Soldier, by Hans Christian Andersen, as a one legged tin soldier attempts to rescue a toy ballerina from an evil Jack-in-the-box. This is a nice idea and plays out kind of like a ballet, alongside the music, resembling The Nutcracker in many ways. The characters are computer animated, but I think it works better here than in “Pines of Rome”; the animation has a stylish and glossy effect that suits the living toys well, particularly the ballerina. Overall, it’s a nice segment, but I don’t really have much to say about it, it’s just okay.

Next is “The Carnival of Animals, Finale” by Saint-Saëns, which follows a flamingo who’d rather play with his yo-yo than try and match the dignified routines of his peers. This is a... bizarre idea, to say the least and it kind of resembles the “Dance of the Hours” segment from the original Fantasia, in its more comical and slapstick style. The colouring is very nice, the animation is energised and at times, the art style can resemble the illustrations of a Dr. Seuss book. The segment is very brief, but fun while it lasts; it’s a goofy idea that clearly didn't have the legs to go on for very long, but I still enjoyed it. Then we have “The Sorceror’s Apprentice”, from the original Fantasia; it’s just the same segment as the original, with no changes. This reflects the original concept for the Fantasia series, where they planned to add new segments to each film, while keeping some of the classics. It’s nothing new, but I’m certainly not going to complain about its inclusion, as it’s obviously still a wonderful segment. Next is “Pomp and Circumstance”, by Elgar, which features Donald Duck as Noah’s assistant, as he tries to round up all the animals onto the ark before the flood comes. This is very obviously supposed to be Fantasia 2000’s version of “The Sorceror’s Apprentice”, made even more explicit by its placement directly afterwards; unsurprisingly, “Pomp and Circumstance” is nowhere near as good as what it’s trying to emulate. It’s certainly not bad, the animation is good, the lighting is great and Donald is, well... Donald. He’s fun to watch and the idea isn’t a bad one, but I don’t think the animators really take it as far as it could have gone and, compared to some of the other segments, this one just isn’t all that visually impressive; it focuses more on the narrative than the visuals, which is fine, but if you’re going to push aside the visuals in a Fantasiamovie, you better have a darn good story to tell and this just doesn’t cut it.

Finally, we have “The Firebird Suite”, which tells the story of a Spring Sprite who accidentally restores the titular Firebird to life and must escape as he proceeds to destroy her forest. This is a wonderful, wonderful segment; the animation is nothing short of astounding, as there is so much detail in every frame and the movement is almost impossibly smooth and controlled. The Sprite’s design is great, at times she looks almost like a Studio Ghibli character; the way her whole body seems to melt into her flowing hair, the lines that constantly run through her, she looks like a creature made of silk or velvet, melting through the sky, it’s gorgeous. The Firebird also looks amazing, as do the breathtaking, pastoral backgrounds, one of Disney’s greatest strengths; the use of space, the muted colours, it’s all there. This is genuinely one of the most incredible pieces of animation I’ve ever seen, there is a real sense of unbridled joy and beauty to this segment, you can see the effort and love in every second of it; a lovely sequence and a perfect way to end the movie.

Ultimately, the question has to be asked, is Fantasia 2000 as good as the originalFantasia? Unsurprisingly, the answer is no; the same spark isn’t quite there, it doesn’t have the original’s sense of grandness or artistry and the shorts are mostly good, but not great. However, “Rhapsody in Blue” and the “Firebird Suite” are so good that they really pull the film up as a whole and the lack of any particularly bad segments means that the film’s only real problem is with its awkward celebrity appearances. Fantasia 2000 may not quite reach the heights of its predecessor, but despite a couple of hiccups, I still think it’s a worthy successor.

7.5/10