Fantasia 2000 Rating (out of five): ***1/2 Starring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, James Earl Jones, Quincy Jones, Angela Lansbury, Steve Martin, Bette Midler and Leopold Stokowski Directed by Don Hahn, Pixote Hunt, Hendel Butoy, Eric Goldberg, James Algar, Francis Glebas and Gaetan and Paul Brizzi Written by Hahn, Irene Mecchi and David Reynolds Rated G (suitable for all ages) Theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1 Released in 1999 Running 75 minutes
In 1940, Walt Disney and company released what would come to be known as one of the definitive movie musicals; a spectacular, awe-inspiring blend of classical music set in time to striking animated visuals. Their masterwork, aptly titled Fantasia, was originally slated to be a work in progress, containing something new each time it was presented to the viewing public.
While this idea didn't exactly pan-out (in fact, Fantasia bombed upon initial release), Disney has made the wise decision to put together another assortment of animation to ring in the new millennium, this time taking advantage of modern technology and presenting Fantasia 2000 on IMAX screens across the nation.
Now, anyone who has ever seen an IMAX movie before is well aware of what they are in store for. With the screen over seven stories high, seeing something like Fantasia 2000 ala IMAX isn't so much a movie-going experience as it is an event.
And thankfully, Disney has chosen some material worthy of such technology. While the seven new animated segments vary in quality (ranging from mediocre to masterpiece status), the overall effect of the film is quite intoxicating. In fact, Fantasia 2000 features a piece of animation set to George Girshwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" that is so brilliantly structured and delightfully magical that all I could do was sit in my seat with a child-like grin on my face for the duration of its running time.
However, a couple of the sequences are so tired and contrived that it's a wonder how they made it into the film in the first place (especially the grueling "Pines of Rome" flying-whale piece).
In addition to the seven new shorts, Disney has also decided to include a popular piece from the original Fantasia titled "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", in which Mickey Mouse goes head-to-head with an army of mischievous brooms. While the notion to include this, one of the finest works of animation the world has ever seen, was undoubtedly a stroke of genius, it would be an understatement to say the Mickey suffers in the IMAX format. With grain spots the size of my fist filling the screen, it's difficult (and sometimes impossible) to make out the fine details the artists spent so much time putting into "The Sorcerer's Apprentice".
Thus, Fantasia 2000 doesn't quite live up to the liveliness and inventiveness of the original. Still, the majority of the segments work very well, particularly the "Rhapsody in Blue" sequence. It will go down as one of the finest works the Disney studio has ever developed, and even alone would warrant an enthusiastic recommendation.
Copyright 2000 Jason Wallis
*Find all of Jason's reviews at http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Boulevard/7475
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