Fantasia 2000 Review
What better way to start off the new year, then with some good old fashioned Disney. That would have been a nice opening statement, but unfortunately Fantasia 2000 is a mixed bag, with some great acts (The Steadfast Tin Soldier) and some that will put you to sleep (Pines Of Rome). Unlike the original Fantasia, this one has far less appeal. There are 8 sequences that round out the film, some good some mediocre, but all visually fascinating none the less. The first shows a pack of triangles dancing to Beethoven's 5th Symphony, secondly is the whale segment, in which they begin flying and evntually enter space. "The Pines Of Rome" is played throughout that one. The third is the illustrious "Rhapsody In Blue" by George Gershwin. This piece is by far the most poignant, showing us the ups and downs of life. The fourth and finest sequence (The Steadfast Tin Soldier) is played with Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2. The Fifth piece is Saint Sean's "Carnival Of The Animals" in which a Flamingo discovers a yo-yo. It is the most charming and surely the most enjoyable for the kiddies. The sixth section is the only returning segment from the original Fantasia, and that of course is "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", in which Mickey Mouse gets in trouble with the power of magic. The 7th piece is another likable one for the kid's, and that is Elgar's "Pomp And Circumstance", in which Donald Duck helps Noah on his ark. The final segment is almost similar to Princess Mononoke, in which an angel like creature trys to restore the world, until a demon destroys it. Stavinsky's "Firebird Suite" is played throught this segment. For those who have not been to an IMAX theater before, this will be a delightful treat, but I can't help but find it lacking in interest. Sure, "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", "Rhapsody In Blue" are very good, but the rest of the film lacks pizzaz. The original Fantasia had dazzling segments, and it didn't need fancy animation to help boost it. They were far more imaginative, and were constantly surprising the viewer, because it was like a dream. Fantasia 2000's segments however were formulaic. Nothing ever changed, it simply followed a story line. I personally like the bits in Fantasia that made no sense, because they were the most enjoyable. It was like one imaginative collection of dazzling images that didn't need to be pieced together, because it was so stunning to watch. Plus they were never boring. In Fantasia 2000 I saw people sleeping through the "Pines Of Rome" story. It was just a complete bore. I doubt even the children will fully enjoy this movie, even with the giant screen awing them. They only seemed to pay attention to cute creatures, or someone recognizable like Mickey Mouse. That only adds up to 4 that they will really watch. That's not the bad, considering there's only 5 worth watching. The other 3 could have been cut as far as I'm concerned. Speaking of cut, Bette Middler (one of the hosts before each sequence) stated that there were quite a few optional sections that were cut. Soemthing that caught my attention was the fact that there was a Salvador Dali based act, supposively using baseball as a metaphor for life. Now, why didn't they use this one! If you've seen some of his paintings in a museum before, you know that they are twisted, obviously a perfect match for an animated feature in Fantasia. They should have replaced that instead of the grainy "Sorcerer's Apprentice". It looked absolutely dreadful compared to the rest of the film. Another disappointing feature. While it's often magical, Fantasia 2000 lacks pizzaz, and really isn't worth the $11 price of admission. Take it from me, it's better to wait until it reaches regular theaters.
Grade: C+
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