Fantasia
Year: 1940
Directed by: Hope Grant & Dick Huemer
Starring: Leopold Stokowski, Deems Taylor & The Philadelphia Orchestra
Runtime: 126 mins
BBFC: U
Published: 14/01/21
Directed by: Hope Grant & Dick Huemer
Starring: Leopold Stokowski, Deems Taylor & The Philadelphia Orchestra
Runtime: 126 mins
BBFC: U
Published: 14/01/21
A film’s score and sound are often one of the most overlooked aspects of production by an audience, and by critics too. But the sound is one of the first things an audience member will notice is bad if it doesn’t quite sound right. Composers, musicians, and sound engineers are the unsung heroes of the film industry. For decades they have toiled away with little to no appreciation from Hollywood or audiences, and yet they rarely seek the praise they so rightfully deserve. Sound is half of the experience after all! In particular with films that include musical numbers and Walt Disney was no fool, he knew how important music was to the films he made. So much so in fact that the third Disney Animated Classic is hardly even a film, but instead an appreciation of music and the incredible things it can do for moving pictures.
I never saw Fantasia when I was younger and I’m going to consider that a good thing because I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it very much. It has no story or characters, well not any cohesive one anyway, and the main draw of the film is to see what Disney animators drew when inspired by particular pieces of iconic classical music. It’s a night at the Proms, but Disney style.
But having spent the last eleven or so years dancing I have a much greater appreciation for music, timing, and the visual representation of sound than I would have done when I was younger. So, despite Fantasia not being a particularly thrilling film, I couldn’t help but be captivated by what I was watching at times.
Fantasia consists of eight animated segments each set to a piece of classical music, performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, which was used as the inspiration for the visuals. Each segment is introduced by Deems Taylor, who at the start of the film outlines to audiences that some pieces of music were written with a clear story in mind by the original composer, whereas others did not. The ones that did not have a story envisioned by the composer had one of two outcomes by Disney animators, one where they could envision a story set to that piece of music, and one where no story could be conceived so instead an abstract approach was utilised.
I never saw Fantasia when I was younger and I’m going to consider that a good thing because I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it very much. It has no story or characters, well not any cohesive one anyway, and the main draw of the film is to see what Disney animators drew when inspired by particular pieces of iconic classical music. It’s a night at the Proms, but Disney style.
But having spent the last eleven or so years dancing I have a much greater appreciation for music, timing, and the visual representation of sound than I would have done when I was younger. So, despite Fantasia not being a particularly thrilling film, I couldn’t help but be captivated by what I was watching at times.
Fantasia consists of eight animated segments each set to a piece of classical music, performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, which was used as the inspiration for the visuals. Each segment is introduced by Deems Taylor, who at the start of the film outlines to audiences that some pieces of music were written with a clear story in mind by the original composer, whereas others did not. The ones that did not have a story envisioned by the composer had one of two outcomes by Disney animators, one where they could envision a story set to that piece of music, and one where no story could be conceived so instead an abstract approach was utilised.
The film is often incredibly beautiful to watch. The synchronicity between the visuals and music is quite unlike what you’re used to in film, even in musicals, where each frame in Fantasia has been designed specifically around the sound that will accompany it. It is a ballet of colour and sound that I wish I could have experienced on the big screen.
The pieces that have stories accompanying them vary in quality, the best among them being The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Night on Bald Mountain which are often the two most widely remembered sequences in Fantasia. But I have a particular fondness for the opening two segments, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor which is an abstract sequence; and The Nutcracker Suite which sees various animals and flowers dance to the iconic Ballet number.
My least favourite was The Pastoral Symphony which had a Greek mythology theme to it (I didn’t really like the animation all that much and felt it didn’t tie as well with the music as the rest), and Dance of the Hours which I simply felt went on a little too long (but maybe that says more about the music than the animation, I’m not sure).
Fantasia is a film for a particular kind of person. Whilst it certainly does give you a greater appreciation for the music that accompanies your visuals, I’m sure many will find the exercise of actually watching it tedious and unfulfilling. If you enjoy music more than just simply having some sound on in the background, then I feel Fantasia will be a delight for you as it was for me. An intellectually stimulating ‘high-art’ experience that is quite unlike anything else. Interesting, unique, but most definitely not for everyone.
The pieces that have stories accompanying them vary in quality, the best among them being The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Night on Bald Mountain which are often the two most widely remembered sequences in Fantasia. But I have a particular fondness for the opening two segments, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor which is an abstract sequence; and The Nutcracker Suite which sees various animals and flowers dance to the iconic Ballet number.
My least favourite was The Pastoral Symphony which had a Greek mythology theme to it (I didn’t really like the animation all that much and felt it didn’t tie as well with the music as the rest), and Dance of the Hours which I simply felt went on a little too long (but maybe that says more about the music than the animation, I’m not sure).
Fantasia is a film for a particular kind of person. Whilst it certainly does give you a greater appreciation for the music that accompanies your visuals, I’m sure many will find the exercise of actually watching it tedious and unfulfilling. If you enjoy music more than just simply having some sound on in the background, then I feel Fantasia will be a delight for you as it was for me. An intellectually stimulating ‘high-art’ experience that is quite unlike anything else. Interesting, unique, but most definitely not for everyone.