Fantasia 2000 [G]

Become immersed in the wondrous spectacle that is Fantasia 2000. See the majestic flight of the whales, the humdrum life of the common New Yorker, the heroic tale of the steadfast tin soldier, a flamingo with a yoyo, and the perilous journey of Noah and his ark. 

It occurred to me the other day that my Disney education is incomplete, as a) until early this year, I had never seen the original Fantasia all the way through, and b) I had never ever seen Fantasia 2000. To be the committer of such heinous crimes makes it blasphemous for me to call myself a Disney fan, but tonight I have righted the wrongs and stabilised by status as a Disney fan. 

Become immersed in the wondrous spectacle that is Fantasia 2000. See the majestic flight of the whales, the humdrum life of the common New Yorker, the heroic tale of the steadfast tin soldier, what happens when a flamingo becomes in possession of a yoyo, a magical flight of Spring, and the perilous journey of Noah and his ark. 

Although the basic structure of the movie is identical to the original Fantasia of the 40s, Fantasia 2000 is very different from its predecessor. The major difference is that, instead of the classic, original, and these days, primitive animation that made Fantasia so wondrous, Fantasia 2000 features an array of many different types of animation, some of which are very realistic, almost Pixar-like, like the flight of the whales in the first segment. We then see an intriguing sample of cartoonist animation in the second segment, which incidentally is the first and only segment to use a combination of orchestral and jazz music, and finally we see the evolution of the hand-drawn animation that put Disney films in a league of their own. 

Most of the film is new stories set against the classical music that missed out in the original, but the film does feature a segment from the original gem. It would not be right to celebrate the magic of Fantasia years later without including that memorable piece starring Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. A piece of real magic and history that is. 

Featuring special appearances by Steve Martin, James Earl Jones, Bette Midler, Quincy Jones, and Angela Lansbury, Fantasia 2000 is a stunning visual treat that’s filled with magic, colour, animals, comedy, drama, and classic music. It’s just stunning.