Fantasia (Walt Disney's Masterpiece) Harry Potter7

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #724 in VHS
• Released on: 1992-09-15
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Formats: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 120 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
Groundbreaking on several counts, not the least of which was an innovative use of animation and stereophonic sound, this ambitious Disney feature has lost nothing to time since its release in 1940. Classical music was interpreted by Disney animators, resulting in surreal fantasy and playful escapism. Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra provided the music for eight segments by the composers Tchaikovsky, Moussorgsky, Stravinsky, Beethoven, Ponchielli, Bach, Dukas, and Schubert. Not all the sequences were created equally, but a few are simply glorious, such as "Night on Bald Mountain," "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," and "The Nutcracker Suite." The animation ranges from subtly delicate to fiercely bold. The screen bursts with color and action as creatures transmute and convention is thrust aside. The painstaking detail and saturated hues are unique to this film, unmatched even by more advanced technology. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Customer Reviews

DO NOT BUY THIS DVD!!
this is not the original version on vhs or laser disc, you will be diasppointed

Disney's Greatest Film
I have to admit, I'm an avid listener of classical music. So it's a small wonder why Disney's Fantasia is one of my favorite films. Every music sequence is pure gold (except maybe the Pastoral sequence).

Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach = My second favorite sequence, it is a mixture of abstract colors & images, live action orchestral playing, and Stokowski's acclaimed orchestration of Bach's organ music.

Nutcracker Suite by Peter Illich Tchaikovsky = Although I'm not a fan of Tchaikovsky's ballet music, this one is very good and entertaining. The dancing of the fairies and flowers and mushrooms make for a heck of a good time for the whole family.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Paul Dukas = This is probably the most exciting rendition of Dukas's masterpiece I've ever heard (even though a few minutes of music has been cut out of it). Mickey the apprentice dreams of being a powerful sorcerer, so he dons the hat of his master, and lets loose his magic. But, of course, no one controls literally everything that is created . . .

Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) by Igor Stravinsky = This is my 3rd favorite out of all of them for two reasons. One is that Stravinsky is one of my all-time favorite composers, and two, The Rite of Spring is one of my all-time favorite pieces. Too bad that a mere ten minutes has been cut in order to save time. Dinosaurs, volcanoes, and earthquakes do seem to fit Stravinsky's music a bit, that I can tell you.

Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral" by Ludwig van Beethoven = This is probably the weakest of all the sequences. It's too cartoony, too bombastic, too cheery, and to many minutes of music have been cut out sadly. The storm scene is a nice touch, though.

Dance of the Hours by Amilcare Ponchielli = Gorgeous and downright hilarious. If you don't think hippo and ostrich ballet dancers is funny, then something is wrong with you.

A Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky/Ave Maria by Franz Schubert = Ah yes. My No. 1 favorite out of all of them. This didn't scare me as a kid for some reason. Chernobog is as creepy as The Horned King from "The Black Cauldron", and the demonic and ghostly dancing was (and still is) way ahead of its time. The last five minutes is beautiful and ethereal = they don't make them like they used to.

Grade: A

Great DVD but Bad Price
This is a great dvd but the price is nothing I would pay again for a musical that old.