Review of Fantasia (2004) by Joshua D — 09 May 2011

This movie has the distinction of being my favorite animated movie of all time, and I've given it that distinction ever since I saw it as a kid. For those of you who aren't familiar with the movie, it is basically a film that combines traditionally animated shorts with a plethora of famous classical music, creating a combination that expresses artistic prowess and innovation. In other words, it's animation and classical music put together. I'm sure that many of you know about the fact that I listen to classical music from my previous blog on film score composers, so it should be oblivious to most of you that I enjoy this movie. I even have the soundtrack, and I listen to it on my iPod every now and then. I even like the newer one as well, but you'll have to wait a while for me to review that movie.

The movie excels on multiple levels of artistic elevation, even if it isn't directly geared toward children. I feel that the combination of animation and classical music is an ingenious idea and works perfectly when in unison. That isn't a surprise seeing how the idea came from Disney himself. Many of my favorite classical music compositions are in this movie, including the Toccata and Fugue in D minor by Johann Sebastian Bach (yes, I know the names). The animation is some of the best I've seen in any animated movie, even compared to movies made nowadays. I especially like the Sorcerer's Apprentice part with Mickey Mouse and the Wizard, and this is the best and most famous part of the movie. This film will hopefully stand the test of time, and I hope that people won't be repelled by its use of classical music (by people I mean people who think this music is boring). I encourage anyone who hasn't seen this movie to get on it if they haven't yet done so, and free your mind of any other musical tastes when doing so. As Mozart once said, "A fellow of mediocre talent will remain a mediocrity..." Enjoy.