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Perhaps a little ahead of its time but this ambitious animated feature probably has at least some music that will appeal.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I bought this DVD for my grandson who is 4-years-old and loves Mickey Mouse. I watched it with him, but when the scenes with Mickey were over it lost his interest. I think there have been so many copies made of this movie that the vividness of the colors and scenes has been lost. I liked the movie and it was good to see it again after all these years for nostalgia-sake. I would not recommend this movie for young children as there are parts that could be frightening for them. Disney also appealed to adults in his movies. This is one of those movies! The music was fantastic!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I just couldn't see the point of the movie when I was a kid... Whenever it was shown I would pass on it, except maybe to watch the Mickey Mouse sequence, Mickey Mouse in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" that is. Most anthologies just don't get rave reviews, as a person may like one or two of the stories or sequences, but not all of them, so the book or movie is downgraded in reviews. Additionally this film was se to lengthy classical music pieces, which doesn't go over so well the first time when watching/listening. But now with DVDs, you can go back easily and rewatch the sequence to get a second chance to figure out what was going on! Walt Disney took a chance on this film, it didn't pan out when first released, but now with this DVD you can get what he was trying to present a whole lot easier!!Read full review
Fantasia was one of the "must-see" movies of my childhood. At the time it was created, Fantasia represented the state-of-the-art in animation. It was like nothing anyone had ever seen -- spectacular colors and details and various forms of animation against the backdrop of classical symphonic masterpieces. I remember being awed, amazed and terrified when Mickey Mouse brought those brooms to life and they marched out of control. I loved the playfulness of the Greek theme, and of course, what child wasn't spellbound by the fairies from the Nutcracker Suite? The thing is, though, my children were flat-out bored with it ... and I have to confess that while it is a classic in my mind, it was not as riveting recently as I remember it being. I have become spoiled by the quantum leap animation techniques have made since Fantasia stood as the pinnacle of acheivement in animation. Fantasia is perhaps most appreciated by those who regard it with nostalgia. If you are going to invest in quality movies for your children or if you hope to give them some exposure to classical music, you may want to look elsewhere. This film is too spirited to be a "bedtime" movie, but not spirited enough to hold your average elementary-aged child's attention. Taking nothing away from this landmark work for what it was (as well as what it is), it's a snoozer for most kids today. Just something to consider.Read full review
A little-known fact, Fantasia was actually the very first movie ever to be released containing multi-channel audio, meaning "using two or more speakers". Because most theaters did not contain the necessary components to deliver "Stereo Sound", Disney actually had a mobile rig called "Fanta-Sound" that toured different cities to deliver the true experience. This should be a big clue as to what was the most important factor in experiencing the movie is/was: THE SOUND. The movie was extremely poorly received for it's debut. People did not understand what they were going to witness, so with little understanding came little hype. If no one had ever even heard of "Stereo" or "Quadrophonic", it was difficult to describe what was so special. Most of us take our 5.1 home theaters for granted. The people of this era had never even heard of a TELEVISION! Let alone multi-channel audio encoding/decoding. Thus, the people that actually did go to see the movie were disappointed when they learned this was not a Micky Mouse cartoon, or even a movie with any sort of plot whatsoever. The movie consists of a series of staple orchestral pieces from some of history's most important composers, played by highly-talented musicians from the time of the movie's filming. The video is nothing more than something to keep the attention-lagging folks interested. However, don't be mistaken. The visual effects and cartoon story lines coincide with the musical numbers beautifully. Controversially, one of the cartoons endorses the Darwin theory, showing the evolution of life from the dawn of the planet Earth. There are also deep metaphorical depictions being displayed that the adults will catch on to, while children simply enjoy a naive simplicity of happy little sea animals, not knowing of the sociological references to bourgeois vs. proletariat these stories are making. For those of you who only know Fantasia as being the cartoon where Micky Mouse is wearing a sorcerer's cap, conjuring tidal waves as his band of enchanted broomsticks do his bidding, yes, this IS that movie. However, there is little-to-no dialog in this (or any) part of the film. It is just another visual depiction to contrast the musical number being played by the orchestra. The Micky Mouse scene is only roughly ten minutes of the total movie time. I personally find this particular chapter to be my very least favorite. I like Micky, I just feel I can't take him "seriously". This movie is mind-expanding & powerful. I know it's only a cartoon. However, if you take an active role to look for the subtle underlying meaning behind each piece, musically and visually, you will be pleasantly surprised how mature and rewarding this movie is to watch. Somehow, pure, meaningful, classical music never fits into our busy, daily lives. I understand, but it's a proven fact that listening to complex music strengthens the mind. This DVD contains Dolby stereo, Dolby surround, and DTS surround versions of the original audio. THX is a reference to the specifications that were adhered to for the mixing environment. Having the audio be THX certified doesn't suck, but just because the audio on the disk is THX certified, it doesn't mean your living room is THX certified. If you don't understand what the heck all that stuff means, have no fear. The short & simple of it is, "It will play in any DVD player and it will sound good and stuff." Do yourself a favor and experience this piece of history.Read full review
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