Review of Fantasia 2000 (2000) by Barry K — 20 Oct 2008

Walt Disney had intended for FANTASIA to be an event, with each subsequent release adding new content to its roster. Due to the box office failure of that film, however, such plans never came to fruition.

.. that is, until the release of FANTASIA 2000. Like its predecessor, it's a fantastic mixture of stunning animation and classical music, but while Walt's FANTASIA was daring and revolutionary, FANTASIA 2000 is less so; as it follows on the heals of a much revered movie, it is inevitable that the newer film doesn't compare.

That said, there is still a lot to enjoy in FANTASIA 2000. The interstitials between the pieces (which include commentary by stars such as Penn & Teller, Bette Midler, James Earl Jones, and Angela Lansbury) are weak and forgettable and there are at least two lackluster sequences (Beethoven's Fifth and Carnival of the Animals).

The remaining segments are more enjoyable, though: Respighi's Pines of Rome is breathtaking and visceral in its experience, Pomp & Circumstance is a very amusing opportunity for Donald to star in his own segment, and the showclosing "Firebird" is also quite satisfying.

The best sequence of the whole film, though, is Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue", which is not only impeccably staged, but the most stylistically interesting and entertaining overall. James Levine and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra perform the music with incredible clarity, although the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" segment from the original FANTASIA (which is awkwardly spliced into the film) still retains Leopold Stokowski's recording.

Not a match for the original, but an entertaining experience overall.