7. The Pastoral Symphony
The Pastoral Symphony segment suffers from being the most childish of all the sequences. The humor suffers from too many antics. It is not as innovative as in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice or The Dance of the Hours. Also, the animation is smooth and not particularly memorable. Walt Disney originally intended for the centaurs to be much more savage and beastly, but the concerns of the studio and the censors ended these plans. As a result, centaurs are just pretty. There are some good moments, like the storm scene, but this ends before it gets too threatening. The segment is cute, but not much else.
6. Nutcracker Suite
This second piece of Fantasia is extremely beautiful, but that’s all there is to say about it. Scenes like falling leaves, ice fairies, and Russian flowers are beautiful to look at, but since there is no story, they are ultimately forgettable. This number is beautiful to watch, but when you finish watching the movie, it is difficult to remember it. However, this is still better than being geometrically lively and forgettable, like flamenco with a yo-yo in Fantasia 2000.
5. Toccata and fugue in D minor
This opening piece is intended to represent what the audience imagines while listening to a piece. At first, the viewer can clearly see the instruments. Then you can see images that could be perceived as instruments. Finally the instruments disappear completely.
This is one of the reasons I like Fantasia. This sequence has no history; rather, it introduces the audience to the concept of Fantasy, for example, when the moving arches of the strings become abstract. The sequence does not please children or include a story, as Fantasia 2000 did with its “abstract” number, Symphony No. 5 by Beethoven. However, the first opening number has a more educational interest because it presents the orchestra.
This sequence is beautifully animated and I admire its ambition, but in the end it lacks the emotional power of the four finalists on the list.
4. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
This is probably the most famous sequence in Fantasia, and for good reason. Making Mickey Mouse a wizard in the first place is fun. Then we see how badly he messes up his simple task of mopping the floor, and while we laugh, we also sympathize.
We’ve probably all screwed up some simple work, but not as spectacularly as he has. The juxtaposition of his fantasy of ruling the universe with the runaway flood inspires compassionate compassion and anxiety, but also laughter at the ridiculous grandeur of his aspirations. When the brooms multiply so dramatically, it’s hilarious, but also scary because they’re trying to drown poor Mickey. Also, the return of the sorcerer is terrifying, reassuring and fun at the same time. Mickey has been caught and everyone can relate to the fear he inspires. At the same time, it ends the madness that Mickey started. And the ease with which he does it, as well as the butt bop he manages with the broom, is comical.
However, while entertaining, this sequence does not have the giddy humor of the next entry on this list or the beautiful animation of the last two entries. It’s great, but the last three here are great.
3. Dance of the Hours
This is possibly the climax of humor in Fantasia. The dance between the hippo and the crocodile is the ultimate anti-Ginger Rodgers and Fred Astaire. While that pair epitomizes grace, the hippo crushes the alligator, which nonetheless retains its romantic drive and graceful poise. The humor comes from the fact that they both seem to think they are graceful. In fact, all animals seem to believe they are great dancers.
While this sequence is a lot of fun, the last two on my list combine drama with masterful combinations of animation and music that tell moving and memorable stories.
2. Night at Bald Mountain and Ave Maria
Night on Bald Mountain is my favorite part of Fantasia. The animation, showing the dead returning to the devil, captures the demented evil evoked by the music. Bela Lugosi modeled for the devil animation, and her smile can be seen as the devil delights in torturing souls at his hands. There is no question who he is as soon as he leaves the mountain.
So why is this sequence in the number 2 spot? For one reason: the Ave Maria comes later. Ave Maria is cute, but it’s soft, even sentimentally, well. The introduction and choral accompaniment emphasize goodness with unsuitable and syrupy slides, and the personal and pleading quality of the prayer in the piece is reduced when the chorus rises above the high parts of the solo, implying that the heavenly balm will soften the reality. , human problems. This is replicated in the animation, which reduces people to faceless lights at first, then rises to cloying heavenly sights at the end.
Night on Bald Mountain, no matter how good it is, has the main flaw of being followed by an unforgettable number. But I think the final entry on this list sums up all that is good about Fantasia and it has no flaws.
1. Rite of Spring
This sequence manages to contain all the aspects that make Fantasia good. It has powerful and abstract visual effects, such as the initial lava storm. It also has the same terrifying, raw, almost primitive power as Night on Bald Mountain. This time, however, it doesn’t soften with a chorus of Ave Maria to feel good; rather, dinosaurs simply die. It does not explain why to the children, allowing them to draw their own conclusions. The Dinosaur movies and, more recently, Walking with Dinosaurs, could have learned a lesson from this sequence. You don’t have to dialogue and frame things as good versus evil to get kids interested.
Walt Disney had to fight a lot for his vision of the sequence. The studio and his fellow animators pushed him to be more kid-friendly. He stood his ground, and the result is, in my opinion, the best Fantasy sequence.
What is your favorite Fantasy sequence? Least favorite? Let us know in the comments below.
