Fantasia |  | Directors: Ben Sharpsteen, Bill Roberts, Ford Beebe, Hamilton Luske, James Algar
Actors: Leopold Stokowski, Deems Taylor, Julietta Novis, Corey Burton, Walt Disney
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Category: Video
Buy New: CDN$ 29.77
as of 9/9/2010 17:26 CDT details
New (1) Used (8) from CDN$ 5.10
Seller: thatsswitz
Rating:  136 reviews
Sales Rank: 94
Format: NTSC
Rating: G (General Audience)
Media: VHS Tape
Discs: 5
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.5 x 1.3
ISBN: 6302158095
UPC: 717951132031
EAN: 9786302158090
ASIN: 6302158095
Theatrical Release Date: January 6, 1942
Release Date: September 15, 1992
Availability: Usually ships within 1 - 2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
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
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| Customer Reviews:
 thank you for your service March 28, 2010
albatros
Hello,
I want to thank you replacing the defect DVD I have first received. I have appreciated your promptness to proceed.
Cheers, Albatros
Disney Aesthetically Beautiful Masterpiece November 23, 2007
Frances L. Arsenault (Nanaimo, BC, Canada)
This film is aesthetically beautiful,A wonderous musical/fantasy and I love every moment of it. My favorite scenes are :
· Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ..... excerpts from the "Nutcracker Suite"
·Paul Dukas ..... The Sorcerer's Apprentice featuring Mickey Mouse, my favorite cartoon character.
· Ludwig Van Beethoven ..... Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral) op. 68 with the setting of ancient Greece (I studied Mythology as a hobby).
· Modest Mussorgsky ..... Night on Bald Mountain and....
· Franz Schubert ..... "Ave Maria" op. 52, no. 6 OH! The climatic depiction of the struggle between the profane and the sacred.
Disney's classic take on classical music August 1, 2006
Ms. H. Sinton (Ingleby Barwick. U.K.)
Fantasia is a film that has stood the test of time thanks to its originality and the magic that is Disney. Unlike most movies, this one has no story to follow. Instead what we have is vignettes of Disney animation set to some of the best classical music to be found, played by the Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by the renowned Leopold Stokowski).
The film begins with Bach's Toccata and Fugue being played to a backdrop of kaleidoscopic images. There are no real forms to see, just random moving images that fit the music perfectly. The second segment uses more 'classical' animation, and shows fairies, fish, and flowers, and so on through the changing seasons. This section has Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker suite as its theme. Particularly good is the 'Chinese Dance' featuring dancing toadstools.
Segment three is the best known by far, Mickey Mouse as the sorcerer's apprentice which is set to Paul Duka's music of the same name. Here we see the famous cartoon of Mickey trying to use magic on brooms in order to lighten his work load only for it all to go disastrously wrong as the brooms run out of control. From here, the film moves on to 'Rites of Spring', by Stravinsky, and this animation shows evolution, from the beginning of the universe through to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
There is then a short 'respite' in the form of 'The soundtrack', a thin beam of light that changes pattern as the music alters of the instrument playing changes. Soon the movie is back in full flow with Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony set to idyllic country images, complete with cherubs, unicorns and centaurs. This section includes a dramatic scene of a thunderstorm complete with the god Vulcan hurling his lightening bolts.
Segment six has the wonderful ostrich and hippo ballets, who wouldn't laugh at the sight of an alligator trying to run off with the hippo he has 'fallen' for. All of this is played out to Ponchielli's 'Dance of the Hours'. Finally we end up with the dramatic 'Night on a Bald Mountain' (Mussorgsky) which depicts evil being celebrated during the witches Sabbath. This section is actually divided into two and in the second half we hear the beautiful, haunting Ave Maria (Schubert) and see pilgrims crossing a bridge into a picturesque meadow. The image is one of good triumphing over evil.
This is a truly magical film, matched only by Fantasia 2000, and one that should be in any film/music lovers' collection.
A Work of Art July 18, 2004
Liz (Springfield, MO USA)
Fantasia is a very unique creation, there has never been another movie quite like it, before or since, and I think it's safe to say there never will be. Disney took a risk with creating something so dfferent from the norm; most of the American public is not likely to sit and listen to classical music for two hours, or watch a movie with no words. However, it was a very worthwhile risk, as Fantasia is a beautiful work of art, and has become a classic.
There is a certain captivating magic when the incredible sounds of the world's best musicians combine with the dazzling sights of the world's best animators. The imagery is full of fantasy, rich color, and graceful beauty. It's impossible not to be dazzled as the music washes over you, and you watch the stories of each of these little worlds unfold.
 Misleading box, but it's still a masterpiece. July 14, 2004
A.N. Roman (Hillsboro, OR)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
First, go click on the picture of the box so you can see a larger image. See how it says "Walt Disney's Original Uncut Version" at the bottom? Well, it's not. No, one scene in Fantasia was edited for every single home release as far as I know. It's in the scene "The Pastoral Symphony". When the female centaurs are getting all prettied up and ready for the male centaurs, you'll notice a very fuzzy extreme close up on one of them. What's going on in this scene? There's a black skinned centaur named Sunflower helping that one out. Go do a search for "Disney Sunflower Snopes" and it should show up. Why does Disney do this? Kids watching that part aren't really going to have any racist thoughts regarding the scene, or become a KKK member or anything after watching it. But there you have it, this isn't really "uncut" because of that. And this only enforces that there's a high chance of Disney not releasing Song of the South anytime soon. And this is a shame that they're going so P.C. that we're never going to be allowed to see how everything was originally released. If they can put out the Treasure tin sets, which have a lot of Asian and Spanish stereotypes, why is there such a problem with Song of the South and a black centaur?Other than that, Fantasia is a masterpiece. While it didn't really help Disney out much financially, the animation that accompanies the music is flawless. You really admire the artists that worked on each short. While it took hundreds to work on one piece at a time, now it'd only take a couple of guys on a computer with the latest animation software a few days. It's funny that most of this looks better than a lot of recent Disney films. The colors, smoothness of the animation, and how it blends with the music is just breath taking. The picture is as good as you're going to get for a movie this old. There's very little grain and dust on the print, and you'll hardly notice it with all the beauty on-screen. The audio is crisp and clear, so go nuts turning it up. The special features are ok. The commentary is made up of interviews and clips from Walt and others. When some people speak on it, there's a little bit of static, which doesn't matter since it's taken from an early source. It's not going to interfere with hearing anything they say, but I just thought I'd mention it. It's still a very interesting commentary track. I listen to it from time to time and always learn something new. The documentary is pretty cool too, though a lot of it I've already heard from other Disney specials and such. If you want the real goods as far as extras go, get the Fantasia Anthology edition. The third disc on that sucker is amazing. So if you're really expecting the "uncut" version, you'll be disappointed. I doubt it'll ever be released unless somehow Leonard Maltin can get that put out too. I mean, if he can get the Donald Nazi short put out in the newest wave of Disney Treasures, he's gotta have SOME chance of giving us the original Fantasia. Pick this up before it's out of print for another 10 years. It's a film to pass down the generations.
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