One of the very first films ever produced by Walt Disney, “Fantasia” explores the idea of making classical music more entertaining. To this end, the animators listened to several pieces of music and drew what they saw in their minds as they listened.
Some of the segments were a little dull. The conductor of the orchestra speaks between each piece, explaining what we’re about to see, and that did drag on a bit. Some of the musical numbers also failed to entertain. But we also saw some very clever interpretations.
I’m sure you’ve seen “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” with Mickey enchanting the brooms and the mops to do the cleaning up for him. That debuted here, in “Fantasia.”
We are also treated to a rendition of “The Nutcracker” in a style we’ve never seen before. Each segment of the music is set to the dance of a different woodland creature or flower. We begin with fairies flitting here and there, and then we see mushrooms that have transformed into little men wearing Chinese hats. This part is full of joy and fantasy.
Speaking of fantasy, another part of the film displays winged unicorns and fauns, scampering around and playing together. I admit, I chuckled a little bit when I went online to see what backstories on this film I could find — some of the keywords on IMDb were “nudity.” Well, fauns usually are topless. That’s just how they are.
My very favorite part, and I think probably the favorite of any viewer, is the ballet performed to “The Dance of the Hours.” However, these are not your typical ballerinas – they are ostriches, with huge pink bows on their heads and pink ballet slippers on their feet. They are perfectly equipped to do a fan dance, and so they do. Then out come the elephants, also wearing slippers, to do a dance with bubbles. And let us not forget the diva – the hippo, who steals the show.
I found parts of the movie boring, other parts charming. I found myself tempted to skip around from spot to spot on the DVD. Perhaps you and your family can watch this together and decide which parts you like best.
This film was not rated.
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