Fantasia/2000 Review
By Joe Lozito
The Hum of its Parts
It is well known that Walt Disney intended his 1940 animated concert feature "Fantasia" to be a living film - with new animated musical sequences being added in certain increments. Sixty years later, the first new installment has arrived in IMAX format, with all new animation from the wizards at Disney, and one hold-over from the original film, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" featuring Mickey Mouse himself.
The seven new pieces of animation run the gamut of inspiration. Particularly impressive is the animation of the great caricaturist Al Hirschfeld to the tune of "Rhapsody in Blue". The Hirschfeld rendition of New York City depicted here is a throwback to the cartoons of the 50s, and contained within it is a story of finding happiness in the urban jungle. Also noteworthy is the retelling of Noah's Ark (a perfect venue for the Disney animators), featuring a sweet love story for Donald and Daisy Duck, and Respighi's "The Pines of Rome" which follows a school of whales from the sea to the air and eventually to space with an element of awe which is slightly undermined by the obviously computer-generated imagery. These segments, as well as a quickie dealing with a goofy flamingo and a yo-yo, come as close as any to the feeling of the original.
Too often however, the segments seem predictable and unremarkable. Beethoven's powerhouse fifth symphony - seemingly a perfect choice for this film - is given an odd and confusing treatment featuring butterflies with Tortilla chips wings. There is an egregiously eco-friendly segment to the tune of Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite" and an oddly disturbing take on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Steadfast Tin Soldier".
Interspersed among the animated segments are grating cameos from live celebrities. It is unclear what these sequences are meant to accomplish, except to introduce the musical piece - but a quick subtitle would have served that purpose just as well, and without the cornball humor.
At this point it's no secret that the Disney studio creates some of the finest animation around. In fact, maybe it's difficult to be impressed, or to find wonder in animation they way it was 60 years ago. Never is that point so jarring as when the new segments are held up in comparison to "The Sorcerer's Apprentice". After you get over the fact that the footage appears grainy when expanded to fit the enormous IMAX format, you remember the old joy that went into the earlier film - the feeling of magic and astonishment that made Disney what it is today. This new installment perhaps aims slightly lower than the original. There are certainly moments in this new installment - quaint musical glimmers - of what made the first "Fantasia" such a triumph, but the film as a whole lacks wonder.
