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Fantasia
sticks out of the
Disney vault like no
other film that the
company has ever
produced. Whether it
sticks out like a
ray of light or just
a sore thumb is in
the eyes of the
beholder. In 1940
Walt Disney was just
coming off of the
amazing success of
Snow
White.
Disney’s first
animated feature was
a big success at the
box office and made
him a renowned
personality in the
entertainment
business. Right
after the success of
Snow
White,
Disney went right
back to work and
began production on
Fantasia
and
Pinochio.
The two movies were
difficult
productions with
Walt being extremely
busy and dealing
with union issues
and worker issues at
the same time.
Greeted at the box
office
Fantasia
was a disaster. It
didn’t make the
money that Walt
thought it would and
essentially his
long-term plans for
the show, to have it
always changing and
moving, were
scrapped.
Now,
70 years removed
from its original
release… I repeat…
70
years
removed from its
original release,
Fantasia
comes to Blu-ray in
a combo pack that
looks and sounds
more immaculate than
it ever did. Really,
it looks like it was
produced and
polished from the
1980’s not the
1940’s.
Fantasia
comes to Blu-ray in
a special 4-disc
pack that features
the original
Fantasia
on Blu-ray and DVD
and Fantasia 2000 on
Blu-ray and DVD.
Fantasia
looks and sounds so
unbelievably
masterful on Blu-ray
that it’s almost
impossible to
describe. It doesn’t
matter if you
watched an old DVD
or VHS copy of the
movie yesterday.
When you put it into
your Blu-ray player
it’s like you’re
watching it for the
first time. Igor
Stravenzky’s music
work on the
production plays
remarkably, like
you’re there
listening to it… but
better. It really is
a technological
wonder to have this
movie look and sound
this good on Blu-ray.
Fantasia 2000
is noticeably
shorter than
Fantasia
but it’s a great
piece of art as
well. Utilizing the
advancements in
animation, Disney
went through the
process again and
came up with some
amazing pieces. Just
like the original
Fantasia
people like and
dislike different
songs on the
release. With
Fantasia,
it’s The Sorcerer’s
Apprentice; it’s one
of the most
magnificent things
that the company has
ever done and it’s
more popular than
the feature itself.
With
Fantasia 2000
most people tend to
gravitate towards
"Rhapsody in Blue" a
piece by George
Gershwin. Part of
the reason why
people like it is
because the music is
modern, timeless,
and brilliant. That
song seems to
imitate the busy-bee
setting of
modern-day life,
there’s never been
another song like
it. It’s brilliant.
The animation to go
along with it
reflects tough times
for different
characters and that
has to resonate with
people in 2010 as
well.
The
bonus features on
the Blu-ray discs
are more than you
could ask for.
There’s commentary
from the DVD release
a few years ago
featuring the late
Roy Disney among
others. There’s also
a commentary that
has excerpts from an
interview with Walt
Disney. Then there’s
a commentary with
Disney Historian
John Canemaker. All
three are
insightful. The one
classic bonus
feature is “Destino.”
This
documentary
chronicles the story
of a short that was
originally conceived
by Disney and
Salvador Dali in
1946 but the two
never got to finish
it- Disney finished
it in 2003 and it
earned them an
Academy Award
nomination. The
bonus feature tells
the story of
finishing the
feature and getting
it done in 2003
after so much time
had passed.
Fantasia
is somewhat
polarizing for
people. Some people
hate it and claim it
to be boring, other
people love it and
get energized
talking about it.
It
has that polarizing
effect, but everyone
respects its
artistic qualities.
It was decades ahead
of its time when it
was released
theatrically. It’s
remains an amazing
achievement by the
animators at Disney
and for Walt Disney
itself. It’s another
big achievement on
Blu-ray. 70 years
from its release
Fantasia
is valid and
respected… Not bad
for a box office
flop.
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