Fantasia (November 13, 1940)

This film was a technical masterpiece at the time of release. It is the quintessential ‘package film’ and disney actually used it as a template for a few movies from the late 40s. The film is comprised of 7 famous classical pieces performed by a live orchestra set to wonderous animated visuals. There is no coherent story through line- the only thing connecting the pieces is a conductor which serves as a narrator telling the audience about the upcoming piece and its accompanying animated sequence. Fantasia, and its follow up, Fantasia 2000 contain some of the most famous disney scenes. I had watched some of these in music class years ago, but I had never sat down to watch it in its entirety. Firstly, I acknowledge the brilliant animation on display throughout the spectacle. It is beautifully done, and it is amazing that Disney was able to do this in 1940. That being said, I did not enjoy sitting through the film; honestly, it was a low point in my watching (even though it was only my second film!) and remains one of my least favorite disney films. My biggest complaint is that it is too long. At roughly two hours, it is the longest Disney animated film I have watched. I also prefer films with a story and the scenes do not have cohesive stories, they only serve to accompany the songs. Perhaps I would have enjoyed the film at the time, but now, particularly having watched Disney’s golden age and renaissance films, Fantasia does not hold up. It is still a fantastic film for its musical selection, however.

Final Rating: 3.5/10