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| Fantasia 2000 | 
 enlarge | Directors: Paul Brizzi, Hendel Butoy, Eric Goldberg, James Algar, Francis Glebas
Actors: Kathleen Battle, Paul Brizzi, Hendel Butoy, Eric Goldberg, Ralph Grierson
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.99
Buy Used: $16.98
You Save: $13.01 (43%)
New (5) Used (40) Collectible (5) from $16.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  159 reviews
Sales Rank: 6585
Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dts Surround Sound, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language)
Rating: G (General Audience)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 74
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.5
UPC: 717951008374
EAN: 0717951008374
ASIN: B00003CWPX
Theatrical Release Date: 1999
Release Date: November 14, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Used DVD in excellent condition
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| Customer Reviews:
 "Fantasia 2000" was a whoopee-cushion. January 29, 2007
6 out of 15 found this review helpful
F2K represents what's wrong with Disney. Yes, Walt did intend for "Fantasia" to be a perpetually-updated film, and yes, the production values are above the industry standard. However, this is where all the goodness ends.
First of all, the idea itself is another manifestation of Disney's grave-robbing. Not just recycling "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (yes, I know that the original concept called for some of the segments to come, go, and return), but the whole concept. We seem to be getting these direct-to-video part II and part III of their classic cannon. Come on! This is obvious exploiting of their thirty- and forty-year old cash cows . Fortunately, Disney has surrendered everything to Pixar, so hopefully the new blood will help.
Then there was the tedious drip of self-congratulating cameos. A host, be it Rod Serling in "Twilight Zone," Cecil B. DeMille in "The Ten Commandments," or Deems Taylor from the original "Fantasia," unifies the disparate stories, thereby allowing the movie to flow from segment to segment. What we got was a jangly kaleidoscope of talking heads and forced humor that would only appeal to missing links.
Lastly, you had a celebration of the ugly-absurd: flamingoes with yo-yos, flying whales (very Politically Correct), flying fat men (it was funny in "Dune" but not here), and the odd environmental piece at the end. OK--volcanoes are part of nature, "red in tooth and claw" just as much as the green flatfish-sprite. Destruction is part of nature, just as it is part of life. To preserve the forest (more Political Correctness again), therefore, is unnatural.
This is Disney's overall problem: it used to be good, then Walt died; it slumped, then it used to be good when Eisner was hired in the 1980's; it has now slumped again, and hopefully Pixar can get them out. However, in the mean time we are stuck with a likeable brad name--and nothing else.
(In fact, every time I see a Pixar movie, I always think "Disney used to make films like this. USED to.")
I do congratulate them on the wonderful way they brought to life Al Hirschfeld's distinct style. It was a wonderful marriage of period music to period art, and in a way, it almost saves the project. However, the storytelling left much to be desires. The Flying Fat Man seemed out of place--even for a cartoon. And the characters seemed cliched and flat. They managed the threads well, and story worked on a Movie-of-the Week level, but more was desired.
The "Pomp and Circumstance" segment comes close to the feel of the original. We had a familiar piece of music, that we associate with processionals. The processional, in turn, became the procession of animals to Noah's Ark. The subplot of the missing Donald was genuinely tender, considering the danger--and if we willfully suspend disbelief about a duck being able to fly and swim. And the scene with the dragons and unicorns was hilarious, a joke my mother had been telling me since I was a lad.
The film was a technical masterpiece, and it had its moments. But the annoying interlude gags had a "gala celebration" feel to it. But what was missing was a sense of "we are approaching beauty" which the first film emanated. "Fantasia" was about visually interpreting classical music--a high concept film combining art, music, and culture. "Fantasia 2000" was a whoopee-cushion.
Or a flamingo with a yo-yo.
 A Great Sequel! January 3, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
After seeing the first Fantasia, and loving it, I decided to watch Fantasia 2000. It is much shorter than the first, but I actually ended up loving the movie! There are many good pieces in this movie, mine being the Firebird. Some little children might find this piece a little frightening, but I found it beautiful, especially at the end, where there is beauty and renewal. Some other favorites of mine are the Pines of Rome which had gorgeous computer animated backgrounds and characters. I especially like the ending. I also enjoyed the (very) short piece "Carnival of the Animals" finale, and it also is fun to see the Sorcerer's Apprentice, restored and remastered too.
Overall, Fantasia 2000 is (in my opinion) Disney's best sequel, and also one of my favorite Disney movies! Better than the first, and I think everyone will like this movie, if you liked the first one!
If Fantasia Was A Perfect 100, Fantasia 2000 Is About An 89 September 30, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Not quite up to par with the original, this LONG awaited second installment (not the same thing as a sequel) was hampered by interruptions when celebrities came on-screen to discuss the works. Not only did this in my opinion disrupt the continuity of the visual accompaniments to some of the human species' most beautiful music, but in fifty years people aren't going to know who most of those by-then long-dead women and men are, and this is supposed to be a classic for the ages. I also think Fantasia 2000 was missing the delight elements of abstraction and darkness the first film had. Finally I wish it had broken the mold of modern animation by being hand-drawn and painted, instead of making the extensive use of computers as the producers so clearly did.
Now, what this film did right it REALLY did right. The Firebird segment is absolute perfection that thrills me with each viewing, and the centerpiece of the film, wherein an Al Hirschfeld-themed New York City panorama spreads out to an unabridged accompaniment of George Gershwin's magnificent Rhapsody In Blue, THAT was one to love! The re-use of The Sorcerer's Apprentice took up time that might've been made available for fresh material, but seeing that old favorite restored to lavish color was a treat. Some segments in Fantasia 2000 were more uneven than others, but I don't think there was a bad one in the bunch. This, like 1940's Fantasia before it, is a joy to watch time after time.
Fantasia 2000 stands on its own as a work of originality, and I hope a third volume in this series will be arriving soon.
WONDERFUL MUSIC MARRIED TO DISNEY'S PUREST ANIMATION EFFORTS: WHAT COULD BE BETTER? September 19, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
FIRST THOUGHTS:
FANTASIAS' ARE ARTISTRY IN ANIMATION, MUSIC & THE COMPUTER ALL PUT TO FANTASTIC EFFECT,
IN A NUTSHELL: LET FANTASIA SPEAK FOR ITSELF & IT SPEAKS MAGICALLY
I have hesitated to comment on this, "The Fantasia Anthology (3-Disc Collector's Edition)" simply because I feel I can't possibly describe it adequately. The Fantasia Anthology is a transcendental, magical mystery trek into an animated world made alive with music. Excellent music and Excellent animation.
EXCELLENT MUSIC & EXCELLENT ANIMATION
One thing must be considered while viewing either Fantasia or Fantasia 2000; these pieces may take time for one to fully appreciate all their sensory richness. This is true - really! I can recall the first time I saw the original Fantasia with my oldest son around 1984. [Somehow this is one Disney feature I missed when I was growing up.] I can recall that he and I were both waiting through the first two segments for the 'story' to begin. Really, we had no idea what Fantasia was all about and it seemed completely off-the-beam. Where was the story? When were characters going to start talking? What was it that we were watching. This is significant, because although I can to truly love seeing and hearing Fantasia, as often as possible, I had almost the same reaction to Fantasia 2000, when I first saw it 6 years ago. The difference is that I 'thought' I knew what to expect - I was wrong. For several years and about two dozen viewings Fantasia 2000 was not terribly interesting or moving, but gradually my attitude toward it grew fonder until now, when I enjoy both the original and new Fantasia almost equally well. Obviously, the delay in appreciating both Fantasias' is derived from subjective, emotional sources from within.
WHAT FANTASIA AND FANTASIA 2000 ARE ALL ABOUT:
The legend of the birth of Fantasia goes something like this: The animated short produced for the "SILLY SYMPHONY" series titled, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" was considered too good and also too costly not to be the centerpiece of a Disney Feature Film. Problem was, that as grand and expensive as it was, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" was only eight minutes long. So strong was this notion that this animated sequence even found its way into Fantasia 2000, as a kind of commemorative to the original impetus for producing the first Fantasia in the first place. The result in 1940 was a 125 minute animated epic which featured the famous Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra plus a plethora of new arrangements for classic music.
Obviously, the new arrangements by Leopold Stokowski were made to condense these pieces and to match them to the action more neatly. In all, there were 8 [including "The Sorcerer's Apprentice"] musical animated pieces with appropriate narration by music famous music critic [and composer] Deems Taylor. It worked wonderfully, but believe it or not it lost money and hurt Walt Disney deeply and personally. Though Walt Disney originally planned to keep Fantasia alive by adding peices periodically and showing it around the county like a kind of 'road-show' the lack of commercial success wrecked his plan and the update in Fantasia waited until 1999 and 'Fantasia 2000'. Sadly, Fantasia 2000 was not a big money-maker either, but it will probably endure as the original Fantasia has forever.
WHAT YOU GET IN THIS FANTASIA PACKAGE
-----> THE ANIMATED SEGMENTS OF 'FANTASIA' -
"TOCCATA & FUGUE IN D MINOR" - J.S. BACH - 'OPENING SEGMENT' - introduces the Fantasia concept to the audience. In essence, a story with a lack of story but plenty of appropriate visual stimulation and great music!
2] "THE NUTCRACKER SUITE" - PYOTR TCHAIKOVSKY - 'OLD STANDARD' now we can see what one might imagine while listening to this great classic!
3] "THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE" - PAUL DUKAS - FAMOUS MICKEY MOUSE SEGMENT THAT WAS ORIGINALLY SLATED FOR SILLY SYMPHONIES BUT IT COST SO DARN MUCH TO PRODUCE!
4] "THE RITE OF SPRING" - IGOR STRAVINSKY - 'STORY OF EVOLUTION' - includes dinosaurs! This segment was to incredible that Ray Harryhausen [revealed in an interview within the special features of his video trilogy collection] decided not to develop an evolution story line using stop-action-animation. Dinosaurs for him would take a different route.
5] "THE PASTORAL SYMPHONY {6th} - LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN 'CHERUBS & CENTAURS' - love story for human-esque beings with perfect music for the occasion and setting or vica versa!
6] "DANCE OF THE HOURS" - AMILCARE PONCHIELLI - we've got hippos and alligators and naughty elephants and more. And they are all dancing to the music!
7] "NIGHT ON BALD MOUNTAIN" - MODESTE MOUSSORGSKY 'HALLOWEEN CLASSIC REPRESENTING THE PROFANE' - for years I wondered where this segment came from as it was inserted in many Disney Halloween specials in part. Warning - this segment is a bit scary!
8] "AVE MARIA" - FRANZ SCHUBERT - 'REPRESENTATION OF THE SACRED' - emotionally moving vocalizaton with a sacred procession moving on by torchlight as the theme plays on!
-----> THE ANIMATED SEGMENTS OF 'FANTASIA 2000' -
1] "BEETHOVEN'S 5th SYMPHONY"
2] "RESPIGI'S PINES OF ROME"
3] "GERSHWIN'S RAPSODY IN BLUE"
4] "SHASTAKOVICH'S PIANO CONCERTO NO.2"
5] "DUKA'S SORCERER'S APPRENTICE"
6] "SAINT-SAENS' CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS"
7] "ELGAR'S POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE"
8] "STRAVINSKY'S FIREBIRD SUITE"
***** SPECIAL FEATURES: ORIGINAL 'FANTASIA'
-----> MAKING OF FANTASIA FEATURETTE;
-----> RARE ARCHIVAL INTERVIEWS WITH WALT DISNEY - SPANNING 3 DECADES;
-----> AUDIO COMMENTARIES BY ROY DISNEY AND JAMES LEVINE
-----> RESTORED - REMASTERED - ORIGINAL THEATRICAL VERSION
********** FANTASIA SPECIFICATIONS **********
-----> THX CERTIFIED, DTS DIGITAL SURROUND, DOLBY DIGITAL 5.0 SURROUND, ORIGINAL THEATRICAL ASPECT 1.33:1
***** SPECIAL FEATURES: 'FANTASIA 2000'
-----> AUDIO COMMENTARIES BY ROY DISNEY AND JAMES LEVINE;
-----> 2 ANIMATED SHORTS, "MELODY", "TOOT, WHISTLE, PLUNK & BOOM"
-----> SPECIAL 'FANTASIA 2000' COMMEMORATIVE BOOKLET
-----> FRENCH LANGUAGE TRACK
********** 'FANTASIA 2000' SPECIFICATIONS **********
-----> DIGITAL-TO-DIGITAL TRANSFER, THX CERTIFIED, DTS 5.1 SURROUND SOUND, DOLBY DIGITAL 5.1 SURROUND SOUND, 1.85:1 ASPECT RATIO ENHANCED FOR 16 x 9 TELEVISIONS;
BOTTOM LINE: IT'S A GOOD THING DVDs DON'T WEAR OUT
Amazing September 15, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
See, THIS is what Disney should be aspiring to these days! This film was a wonderful example of what Disney artists USED to do, and no longer seem capable of producing.
I have to say, I was a little trepidatious going into this movie --- I had heard so much negativity about it. But I was most pleasantly surprised! It was really good! I couldn't believe people would think so badly of it. But I console myself with the realization that people didn't much like the ORIGINAL "Fantasia" when it first came out, either, but now that is considered an all-time Disney classic. Perhaps in a few years this will join it.
Contrary to what some other reviewers have said, much more of this film WAS actually hand-drawn than other recent Disney films. And it shows. The artists made a conscious effort this time around to make it look less digitized and more heartfelt and warm, and they did a very good job of it.
Another thing that should be noted is that this type of movie, just so people are fully aware going into it, is not MEANT to have an underlying plot. Each little piece is a separate short plot unto itself, it is not supposed to be unified as a whole. Nor is the score meant to be original, the whole point of "Fantasia" was to revive many classical pieces and ingrain them into people's minds by a visual means, not merely auditory. They deliberately take famous works of music and put pictures to them.
The treats included in this edition of "Fantasia" include: First, an abstract visual interpretation of "Beethoven's 5th Symphony," which is in keeping with the first number in the original film, which shows simply unconnected images that carry no plot.
Then we have "Pines of Rome," which features flying whales --- and for those who have issues with flying whales, just take a look at a whale in its natural water habitat and tell me it doesn't look like it's flying! This number is sweet and emotional and just plain creative.
After the whales, we have one of my personal favorites, "Rhapsody In Blue," which features the artwork of famed illustrator/cartoonist Al Hirschfeld. This stylized number has humor, heart, and a truly New York tang.
Then, set to Dmitri Shostakovich's "Piano Concerto No. 2," we have Hans Christian Anderson's famous story "The Steadfast Tin Soldier." Unlike the original story, this version is Disney-fied and has a sweet and happy ending. The animation looks just like a picture book, which is perfect for the subject matter.
My very favorite number happens next. As James Earl Jones states in his introduction of this number, "Disney answers the age-old questions, 'What happens when you give a yo-yo to a flock of flamingos?'" Set to the finale of "Carnival of the Animals," this whimsical, colorful number continues to make me laugh every time I see it. It's short and simple, and reminds me of an old-time Disney short film. It has all the charm of classic Disney, and is an absolute delight to giggle at.
After the flamingos, we get the classic "Sorcerer's Apprentice." This is NOT a remake, but the same piece as in the original "Fantasia." The original idea Walt had was that "Fantasia" would be an ongoing project, with new pieces coming out all the time, replacing some older ones, so that each time people saw it, there would be a mix of both old favorites and new pieces. However, when the original movie flopped, Walt stopped the project in its tracks, and it was not for another 50 years that people began to catch the vision again and started to rethink the "Fantasia" project. Three old pieces from the original movie were kept at first, but eventually the only one they decided to retain for "Fantasia 2000" was the most famous Mickey cartoon of all time.
And now we also get a DONALD cartoon. Set to "Pomp and Circumstance," this new number stars the ever-lovable Donald Duck as a helper to Noah of ark fame. It's both humorous and sad, sweet and silly.
And finally, in keeping with the mix of dark and beautiful that we see in the finale of the 1940 "Fantasia," we end with a selection from Igor Stravinsky, "Firebird Suite." It's a beautiful but also frightening piece, fiery doom that turns into serene peace.
This movie will DEFINITELY be going into my personal DVD collection at the earliest possible date. Anyone who doesn't like this movie...well, I don't think they really understand it.
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