VHS : Fantasia 2000 (Walt Disney Pictures Presents)

Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9780788824685
Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, THX
ISBN: 0788824686
Label: Walt Disney Home Video
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Home Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Walt Disney Home Video
Release Date: November 14, 2000
Running Time: 74 minutes
Studio: Walt Disney Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: 2000
Sales Rank: 2955

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Editorial Review:

Description:
Disney animators and filmmakers have again burst the boundaries of imagination with FANTASIA 2000. Fulfilling Walt Disney's original vision of uniquely fusing sight and sound in a full-length motion picture, this film begins where its predecessor, FANTASIA, left off, with seven completely new segments and the return of the popular "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." In this fun-filled movie, breathtaking images are coupled with classical music favorites. From Beethoven to Gershwin -- from flamingos bobbing yo-yos to a city in bluesy motion -- vivid animation brings the music of the masters to colorful life. Sixty years after the original masterpiece, Roy E. Disney has orchestrated a brilliant collaboration of more than 1,200 artists and technicians, including the animators of THE LION KING, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, and ALADDIN -- to present FANTASIA 2000, a film filled with "dazzling moments" (The New York Times) and "arguably the greatest Disney film ever" (KNX/CBS Radio), that is sure to captivate viewers of all ages!

Amazon.com essential video:
More ambitious in scope than any of its other animated films (before or to come), Disney's 1940 Fantasia was a dizzying, magical, and highly enjoyable marriage of classical music and animated images. Fantasia 2000 features some breathtaking animation and storytelling, and in a few spots soars to wonderful high points, but it still more often than not has the feel of walking in its predecessor's footsteps as opposed to creating its own path. A family of whales swimming and soaring to Respighi's The Pines of Rome is magical to watch, but ends all too soon; a forest sprite's dance of life, death, and rebirth to Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring too clearly echoes the original Fantasia's Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria sequence. But when it's on target, Fantasia 2000 is glorious enough to make you giddy. Hans Christian Andersen's "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" is a perfect narrative set to Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2, and Donald Duck's guest appearance as the assistant to Noah (of ark fame) set to Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance marches is a welcome companion piece (though not an equal) to The Sorcerer's Apprentice, the one original Fantasia piece included here. The high point of Fantasia 2000, though, is a fantastic day-in-the-life sequence of 1930s New York City set to Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and animated in the style of cartoonist Al Hirschfeld; it's a perfect melding of music, story, and animation. Let's hope future Fantasias (reportedly in the works) take a cue from the best of this compilation. The music is provided by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by James Levine, interspersed with negligible intros by Steve Martin, Bette Midler, Itzhak Perlman, James Earl Jones, and others. --Mark Englehart

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Not as good as the original
The original Fantasia is two hours long. Fantasia 2000 is only 75 minutes long. Sure, it's more attention-grabbing, but this is even less compelling than the original.

Beethoven's 5th is underused (only four minutes worth of music compared to the twenty minutes of the 6th). The second movement of "Pines of Rome" by Ottonio Respighi is entirely cut out. WHY? The Finale to "Carnival of the Animals" is more bombastic than it should be. "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin has some good ... Read More

Rating:

- Not the original, but still nice
I know that "Fantasia" was suppose to be a continual work-in-progress, but this is several decades too late to capture Walt's true vision, I'm sure. Still, I think it warrants 4 stars for beautiful music and some great animation.

Rating:

- Continuing Walt's Fantasia Legacy
Roy E. Disney has worked tirelessly to bring Fantasia 2000 to the big screen. Created as a continuation of the dream of a concert movie experience created by Walt Disney 60 years ago with the original Fantasia this new film provides eight more animated segments presented with classical music.

The musical selections are unique. Many of them first broached by Walt Disney himself when making selections for the original film in 1940. Starting with an abstract rendering of Beethovan's Fifth ... Read More

Rating:

- Much more enjoyable than the dated original
As much as I enjoyed the original Fantasia, this new installment tops it. Fantasia 2000 is much more bright, entertaining, and re-watchable. 2000 prefers upbeat and even humorous animation to the slow and often gloomy sequences that saturated the original. The vibrant colors and dramatic song intros are welcome and significant improvements over the dark animation and dry, dull silhouettes of the first. The animation matches the music to a much greater level of detail, offers drama and humor, and does ... Read More

Rating:

- The Art Form Of The Future
It's interesting to note that while the entertainment industry is bellyaching about piracy and the copying of DVDs, Disney being among the loudest bawlers, you can't buy a new copy of this marvelous DVD for love or money, either here or at Disney's own store, and the price for a used copy is higher than that of most new movies. Apparently the demand is there, but Disney doesn't care about supply. Disney is said to put their movies in "a vault," bringing them out only every ten years, but other animated ... Read More

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