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Fantasia 2000 | 
| Directors: Don Hahn, Eric Goldberg, Francis Glebas, Gaëtan Brizzi, Hendel Butoy
Actors: James Levine, Steve Martin, Leopold Stokowski, Ralph Grierson, Kathleen Battle
Studio: Walt Disney Home Video
Category: Video
Buy New: £14.99
New (1) Used (3) from £1.72
Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 240
Format: Animated, Pal
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Universal, suitable for all
Media: VHS Tape
Discs: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 71 Minutes
EAN: 5017188881005
ASIN: B00004ZBXI
Theatrical Release Date: December 31, 1999
Release Date: November 27, 2000
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
More ambitious in scope than any of its other animated films (before or to come), Disney's 1940 Fantasia was a dizzying, magical and highly enjoyable marriage of classical music and animated images. Fantasia 2000, originally made for the IMAX large-screen format, features some breathtaking animation and storytelling, and in a few spots soars to wonderful high points, but it still more often than not has the feel of walking in its predecessor's footsteps as opposed to creating its own path. A family of whales swimming and soaring to Respighi's The Pines of Rome is magical to watch, but ends all too soon; a forest sprite's dance of life, death and rebirth to Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring too clearly echoes the original Fantasia's Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria sequence. But when it's on target, Fantasia 2000 is glorious enough to make you giddy. Hans Christian Andersen's "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" is a perfect narrative set to Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2, and Donald Duck's guest appearance as the assistant to Noah (of the Ark fame) set to Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance marches is a welcome companion piece (though not an equal) to The Sorcerer's Apprentice, the one original Fantasia piece included here. The high point of Fantasia 2000, though, is a fantastic day-in-the-life sequence of 1930s New York City set to Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and animated in the style of cartoonist Al Hirschfeld; it's a perfect melding of music, story and animation style. Let's hope future Fantasias (reportedly in the works) take a cue from the best of this compilation. The music is provided by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by James Levine, interspersed with negligible intros by Steve Martin, Bette Midler, Itzhak Perlman, James Earl Jones and others. --Mark Englehart
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| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
 absolutely breathtaking December 8, 2008
Ms. F. I. Macdonald (uk)
Having loved the original Fantasia I was desperate to see this when it came out at the cinema so I remember dragging my dad along to see it. It did not disappoint and I recently saw it again and remembered every sequence although it had been eight years since the first viewing!There is not one bad sequence in the film and the music as always, fits the animation perfectly!My favourite sequence is the Rhapsody in Blue set in New York City - perfection.
A fitting compilation for an unrivalled masterpiece May 11, 2005
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
Disney's groundbreaking film "Fantasia", released in 1940, stands today as one of the most incredible films to come out of the studios glittering array of films. It symbolises Walt Disney's pursuit for experimentation in the art form he did so much to create. Disney's dream was to turn Fantasia into a constantly changing film that audiences would return to year on year, much like a live concert, to see different pieces set to music. It never happened... that is until "Fantasia 2000".In Fantasia 2000, Disney's new generation of animators got their chance to carry on that legacy. It is of course a legacy almost impossible to surmount, but the miracle is that at times they achieve it. Eric Goldberg's animated versions of "Rhapsody in Blue" and Carnival of the Animals", hit the mark perfectly and the Brizzi brothers electrifying adaptation of the Firebird Suite has rightly been referred to as the 'Sistine Chapel' of Disney animation. Other segments, such as "Pines of Rome" and "Pomp and Circumstance" (Fantasia 2000's answer to "The Sorcerers Apprentice") fair less well and the interstitials are more frivolous that the original. However in my view, the short films that succeed are worth the DVD by themselves. It certainly is no surprise to see the original Fantasia standing proud and undiminished, and after seeing it previously on VHS, the DVD transfer reveals details and colours previously never seen. Baring in mind "Fantasia" is one of the few colour films made in the era and the first to experiment with a surround sound score, to see and hear the film in this quality is, I think, stunning. The bonus disk, "Fantasia Legacy" is a treasure chest of achieve material, viewing galleries, interviews and rare animation footage, one of those rare bonus disks you find yourself actually returning to. Echoing the history of Fantasia, another new Fantasia was going to be made after this, but recent changes at Disney have put all of that on hold. Sadly two completed award-winning short films for this new Fantasia, Mike Gabriel's "Lorenzo and Salvador Dalí's "Destino" have as yet no distribution outside the festival circuit. Perhaps it will be for the next generation of Disney artists to take up the challenge of leaving their mark on Disney's masterpiece. Let hope so. For now, it makes this DVD compilation all the more special.
 totally unimpressed April 13, 2005
18 out of 24 found this review helpful
i loved the original fantasia - despite being 20 now, it still has its place on my video shelf. but this had nothing at all on the original - the music scenes were much shorter, and in between there was just a load of minor celebrities who i'm not interested in at all. to be honest, didn't even know who some were, just that they were irritating, and took up far too much time. in the oroginal, the point was the music, and you'd hear the whole thing - not tiny sections from a piece. in this one, was there a point? apart from cashing in from the fans of the original hoping to find something just as good. utterly disappointed. in conclusion, not enough music, not enough originality, and too much celebrity posing.
Great Film, Lacking DVD Release January 9, 2005
Julian Carter (Malta, Europe)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
I guess many people are aware that Walt Disney's Fantasia is a masterpiece of the arts and the imagination. If it weren't, it would've long been forgotten. Artsy and mature, this motion picture appeals more to the adult crowd than the kids, who cannot possibly appreciate the artistic integrity on display on their TV. It's sad, however, to see that on Region 2, this film receives such a mediocre DVD release. Not only is the 1940 Fantasia disc missing extras, but it also sports a very undesirable transfer. Whereas its Region 1 counterpart boasts DTS, a THX-Certified transfer, and the best version of Fantasia we'll get for now - meaning that it's is almost like the original Roadshow version, the Region 2 copy has none of that. Instead it provides murky, grainy, and generally hideous picture quality and a less than remarkable sound mix.
Don't get this. Spend your hard earned cash on the US DVD release instead.
Superb!! August 5, 2002
E. A. Redfearn (Middlesbrough)
13 out of 18 found this review helpful
The original Fantasia of course was released in 1940 and it is still popular today as it was then. This new version is superb for a number of reasons. Picture and sound, courtesy of Digital Technology are quite simply out of this world. As for the music, its a bit of a mixed bag to be quite honest. The best sequence is the Whales to Resphigi's Pines of Rome, followed by the Toy Soldier and the Dancer, to Shostakovich's 2 Piano Concerto. However, George Gerswin's Rhapsody In Blue is certainly one of the highlights of the film. If you love classical music, and like to see how this music fares to animation, then you have to see this. Go out and buy, you will not be disappointed.
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