Fantasia

The now-classic animated film Fantasia opened on November 13, 1940, to lukewarm reviews. However, the Disney (see entry under 1920s—Film and Theater in volume 2) film went on to be considered among the best animated films of all time and remains unique for its attempt to bring together highbrow culture and popular culture. Its depiction of animated characters "acting" to classical music had never been attempted before. The music was performed by the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the legendary Leopold Stokowski (1882–1977).

Motion-picture executive Walt Disney (1901–1966) had a vision of a film that would finally bring respect to the art of animation. How better to bring respectability to animation than to match animation with that most respectable of art forms at the time, classical music? He and Stokowski began to work together on the first of the sections, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," starring Disney's most famous creation, Mickey Mouse. That sequence alone cost $125,000, a huge sum at the time. With classical music and dancing hippos and mushrooms, Fantasia seemed to have something for everyone. When it opened in theaters, however, audiences did not know what to make of it. After a dull opening, it was cut from its original length down to eighty minutes. Fantasia played on a double bill with a Western (see entry under 1930s—Film and Theater in volume 2) and then disappeared.

Fantasia earned back its production costs when it was re-released in 1956. Audiences finally appreciated it and came by the millions to theaters to see it, most for the first time. Fantasia was re-released again in 1969 for a whole new generation to see. This time it truly caught fire, for it seemed to fit the cultural spirit of the late 1960s. Many of the so-called hippies (see entry under 1960s—The Way We Lived in volume 4) of the time did illegal drugs, such as LSD and marijuana (see entry under 1960s—The Way We Lived in volume 4), before seeing the film. They said it gave them a different view of the film.

Since 1969, Fantasia has been periodically re-released in movie theaters. It is also very popular on videocassette and digital versatile disc (or digital video disc—DVD). The film is now among the two hundred top grossing (top moneymaking) motion pictures of all time. In 2000, a new version, Fantasia 2000, was shown in giant-screen IMAX theaters to large crowds of people.

—Jill Gregg Clever

For More Information

Corliss, Richard. "Disney's Fantastic Voyage." Time (December 13, 1999): pp. 94–96.

Culhane, John. Walt Disney's Fantasia. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1983.