Fantasia (1940)

User Review

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  TheMovieDiorama

  7 / 10

  Fantasia is easily Disney's most experimental "film". The animation studio only just started becoming popular back in 1940, and so did the medium of film. Moving pictures edited sequentially to create a cohesive story, it was an art form that remained questionable as to whether or not people would leave their houses. Walt Disney himself decided to push the boundaries by making Fantasia. Typically music accompany film however the "House of Mouse" decided to reverse it by crafting film to accompany music. Six short animations providing imagery for the orchestral pieces of music that power these pictures. Safe to say this was incredibly experiment. There's no dialogue (aside from Deems Taylor introducing each segment), just a symphony or classic pieces conducted by Leopold Stokowski. The concept immediately had me hooked for the first few segments. One consisting of a montage of famous pieces from Tchaikovsky's 'The Nutcracker', Mickey Mouse returning in arguably the most memorable segment of the program titled 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' and from there we have multiple tonal changes with each segment. It's certainly something I've not seen before, and for that I have to give it credit. It truly does deserve the critical acclaim that is has garnered throughout the years. However, I found Fantasia to have a slight novelty factor that made the "film" repetitive. After the intermission, you start to realise that you have another three segments to go through which nothing new will be introduced. I became numb to the revolutionary concept. The animated shorts are pleasant to watch that both entranced and enthralled me, yet I just felt like something was missing. It wasn't a "film" more so just an experiment to prove that the idea works. It's clear it does, so the next step would be to create a fully fledged story that involves classical music where there is emotional investment and a sense of wonderment. Experimentalism at its finest that evokes whimsical magic boasted by a euphoric selection of classical pieces and beautifully hand drawn animation.

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