Fantasia (1940 film)

Fantasia (1940 film)
source
Name	Fantasia
Caption	Original theatrical release poster
Director	Samuel Armstrong, James Algar, Bill Roberts, Paul Satterfield, Ben Sharpsteen, David D. Hand, Hamilton Luske, Jim Handley, Ford Beebe, T. Hee, Norman Ferguson, Wilfred Jackson
Producer	Walt Disney
Music	Leopold Stokowski, Philadelphia Orchestra
Starring	Deems Taylor, Leopold Stokowski
Studio	Walt Disney Productions
Distributor	RKO Radio Pictures
Released	1940, 11, 13
Runtime	124 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Fantasia (1940 film). An ambitious animated anthology film produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures, Fantasia presents a series of eight animated segments set to classical music performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra under conductor Leopold Stokowski. The film features no overarching narrative but is instead unified by its experimental fusion of animation and symphonic music, with introductions provided by music critic Deems Taylor. It represents a significant artistic and technological departure from the studio's earlier feature-length works like ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' and ''Pinocchio'', aiming to create a new form of cinematic concert.

Plot and segments

The film is structured as a concert, with each segment introduced by Deems Taylor and accompanied by the Philadelphia Orchestra. It opens with an abstract visualization of Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, featuring non-representational shapes and colors. This is followed by a narrative adaptation of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ''Nutcracker Suite'', depicting dancing fairies, mushrooms, and fish. The ''Sorcerer's Apprentice'' segment, starring Mickey Mouse, is a pivotal story of a magician's helper who misuses magic. Igor Stravinsky's ''The Rite of Spring'' is used to illustrate a sweeping history of Earth, from the Pre-Cambrian era to the extinction of the dinosaurs. After an intermission, a live-action jam session of the orchestra leads into a combined presentation of Ludwig van Beethoven's ''Pastoral Symphony'' set in a mythological Grecian world with centaurs, Pegasus, and the gods Zeus, Bacchus, and Vulcan. This is followed by a humorous segment set to Amilcare Ponchielli's ''Dance of the Hours'', featuring dancing ostriches, hippopotami, elephants, and alligators. The film concludes with a dual segment: a haunting visualization of Modest Mussorgsky's ''Night on Bald Mountain'', featuring the demon Chernabog, followed by a serene procession to Franz Schubert's ''Ave Maria''.

Production and development

The project originated from the standalone short ''The Sorcerer's Apprentice'', which was conceived as a lavish comeback vehicle for Mickey Mouse and featured the collaboration of conductor Leopold Stokowski. As costs soared, Walt Disney decided to expand the concept into a full-length "concert feature." Disney and Stokowski, along with music critic Deems Taylor, selected the musical pieces, aiming for a mix of well-known and challenging works like Igor Stravinsky's ''The Rite of Spring''. The animation was a massive undertaking for Walt Disney Productions, involving multiple directing teams and pioneering techniques like the Fantasound multi-channel sound system. Key animators included Art Babbitt, who worked on the ''Nutcracker Suite'', and Vladimir Tytla, who brought the powerful Chernabog to life. The film's development was marked by constant experimentation and a significant budget overrun, reflecting Disney's desire to push the boundaries of the animated medium.

Release and reception

Fantasia premiered at the Broadway Theatre in Los Angeles on November 13, 1940, as a limited roadshow engagement with the expensive Fantasound system. Initial critical reception was polarized; publications like The New York Times praised its innovation, while others found it pretentious or bewildering. The film performed poorly at the box office initially, due in part to high ticket prices, the onset of World War II closing the profitable European market, and the costly roadshow distribution model. It was subsequently re-released multiple times in edited, mono-sound versions by RKO Radio Pictures and later Buena Vista Distribution, finding greater commercial success with postwar audiences. Over decades, its critical reputation has soared, and it is now recognized as a landmark of animation. The film was also notable for being added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 1990 for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Music and soundtrack

The soundtrack was recorded by the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Leopold Stokowski, who also served as a creative partner. Stokowski made notable arrangements of the original scores, most famously re-orchestrating Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor for full symphony orchestra. The collaboration with Igor Stravinsky for the use of ''The Rite of Spring'' was a significant coup, though Stravinsky later expressed mixed feelings about the artistic interpretation. The audio engineering for the film was revolutionary, culminating in the development of Fantasound, an early stereophonic sound system that required special equipment in theaters. This work laid important groundwork for future surround sound technologies like Dolby Stereo. The soundtrack album, released by RCA Victor, was one of the first commercial recordings of a film score to achieve widespread popularity.

Legacy and influence

Fantasia has exerted a profound and lasting influence on animation, film, and popular culture. It established animation as a legitimate medium for abstract and experimental art, inspiring later filmmakers and animators at studios like Pixar and Studio Ghibli. The film's success in later re-releases proved the viability of the "catalog" model for animated features. It directly led to the production of Fantasia 2000, released by The Walt Disney Company decades later. The ''Sorcerer's Apprentice'' segment solidified Mickey Mouse's iconic status in his sorcerer's robe. Culturally, sequences like ''Night on Bald Mountain'' have become deeply embedded in the collective consciousness, often referenced or parodied in other media. The film's ambition to popularize classical music for a mass audience remains a notable achievement, influencing educational programming and the presentation of music in visual media for generations.

Category:1940 animated films Category:American anthology films Category:Walt Disney Animation Studios films