Fantasia (1940)

A collection of animated interpretations of great works of Western classical music.

Directors:

James Algar (uncredited), Samuel Armstrong (uncredited)

Writers:

Joe Grant (story direction), Dick Huemer (story direction)

Stars:

Leopold Stokowski, Deems Taylor, Corey Burton

8 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Leopold Stokowski	...	Himself - Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra
Deems Taylor	...	Himself - Narrative Introductions

Storyline

Disney animators set pictures to Western classical music as Leopold Stokowski conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" features Mickey Mouse as an aspiring magician who oversteps his limits. "The Rite of Spring" tells the story of evolution, from single-celled animals to the death of the dinosaurs. "Dance of the Hours" is a comic ballet performed by ostriches, hippos, elephants, and alligators. "Night on Bald Mountain" and "Ave Maria" set the forces of darkness and light against each other as a devilish revel is interrupted by the coming of a new day.

---

Plot Keywords:

classical music | disney | mouse | orchestra | apprentice | 

---

Taglines:

The Final Release of the Original Masterpiece! (1991 VHS/Laserdisc release)

---

Genres:

Animation | Family | Fantasy | Music

---

Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 June 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

Walt Disney's Fantasia

Filming Locations:

Walt Disney Studios, 500 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,280,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$980,798, 10 February 1985

Gross USA:

$76,408,097

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min (2000 roadshow restoration) 125 min (original 1940 roadshow release) 80 min (1942 cut) 120 min (1991 VHS release) 115 min (1946 cut)

Sound Mix:

3 Channel Stereo (RCA Sound System) (as Fantasound)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The orchestra that appears in the interstitial segments of the film is not the actual The Philadelphia Orchestra, but rather a collection of local Hollywood musicians and Disney studio employees such as Paul J. Smith and James MacDonald.

---

Goofs

In the full-length introduction to the "Nutcracker Suite", heard only in the roadshow version of "Fantasia", Deems Taylor states that this music is from a longer ballet called "The Nutcracker", which "nobody performs it anymore". The full-length "Nutcracker" had not been performed in the U.S. yet in 1940, but in both Russia and England it had been staged in 1934, and had already been staged in Russia twice before that, in 1892 and 1919. However, although the "Nutcracker Suite" was immensely popular even in 1940, the full-length ballet was still a long way off from becoming the annual phenomenon it now is in the United States.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Deems Taylor: How do you do? Uh, my name is Deems Taylor, and it's my very pleasant duty to welcome you here on behalf of Walt Disney, Leopold Stokowski, and all the other artists and musicians whose combined talents went into the creation of this new form of entertainment, "Fantasia". What you're going to see are the designs and pictures and stories that music inspired in the minds and imaginations of a group of artists. In other words, these are not going to be the interpretations of trained ...

---

Crazy Credits

The "Fantasia" title card for all releases prior to 1990 (including the original roadshow version) was slightly different from the one seen in the 1990 re-release and in the videocassette version. In the original title card, the letters spelling out the word "Fantasia" are of a slightly different shade of color, as is the blue background, and the title card reads "In Technicolor", just below the word "Fantasia". There is also an RKO logo at the bottom. In the 1990 version, there is no RKO logo, and below the title it says "Color By Technicolor".

---

Alternate Versions

The Fantasia Anthology DVD Box Set's supplemental section features a segment called "Clair de Lune". Intended to be part of the film, it was deleted due to the film's already excessive length. Walt Disney had the notion early on that the film would be re-released every year with new segments as well as old favourites. "Clair de Lune" was prepared at the tail-end of production. However, because the film was a box office failure in its initial release, Walt suspended the idea of a future "Fantasia" (thus the deleted "Clair de Lune" sequence was never restored to a future re-release). Until 1994, the "Clair de Lune" short was never seen in its original form and was released with the package feature, Make Mine Music with new music and a new title, "Blue Bayou". It was only recently that a restored version of the "Clair de Lune" segment was issued as a separate movie short.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Santa Visits the Magic Land of Mother Goose (2018)

---

Soundtracks

Rite of Spring
(1913)
Composed by Igor Stravinsky
Partly re-orchestrated by Leopold Stokowski (uncredited)
Played by The Philadelphia Orchestra
Conducted by Leopold Stokowski

User Reviews

A Classic

Disney's "Fantasia" is a pure classic.

What we are shown are a few animated musicals, filled with grand splendor and vivid colors.

"Fantasia" is one of those films that everyone knows by heart, and has watched since being a child.

My personal favorite was always the Mickey Mouse short - one of the darkest Mickey cartoons I've ever seen.

If you haven't seen "Fantasia" yet, then you must be from another planet. It is one of the best Disney musicals ever, which some push aside and forget too easily.

5/5 stars-

John Ulmer