Fantasia is the classic 1940 film that features the iconic Sorcerer s Apprentice short. Fantasia is a different sort of film from anything else that Disney Studios has ever produced. It is a very experimental film, and one that must have been very daring to release at the time (as it would still be so today). Rather than hold to a normal sort of storytelling, Fantasia is more like going to see an orchestral concert. Fantasia is a marriage between music and image, and this time around it is the images that are on screen that only support the music. The music is the focus of this film.
On one hand, this is a fascinating film. The music is conducted by Leopold Stowoski and we are taken on a journey of music with the images serving only to complement what we are hearing. Narrated by Deems Taylor, we are told what is going to happen in each segment and what music we are going to hear. We begin with the animation just being shapes and colors reacting to the music, giving us the impression of what we might see if we closed our eyes while listening to the music. When we move into the next song, we are given more definite images and then the music starts to tell an actual story.
There are several excellent selections in this film. The Nutcracker Suite , The Sorcerer s Apprentice , and The Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria are standout selections in my mind and are the ones that have stuck with me several days later. Despite this being an animated film, this isn t a movie for young children. They are likely to be scared by The Night on Bald Mountain and perhaps even by The Sorcerer s Apprentice , and they may not understand or appreciate this film as it does not truly tell a story (like The Lion King does). The bottom line is this is a good film, and an interesting movie experiment, but on the same token it is not a movie for everyone. It is a symphony with animation.
I did not list a director for this movie because each segment apparently has a different director. Full list can be found at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032455/
Loading...
Loading...