At a scant 75 minutes, "Fantasia 2000" fails
to live up to more than its 60-year-old
predecessor's two-hour running time.
Modeled after the original's multi-part
structure, the millennium edition opens with a
piece from the Baroque period, or, in Disney
speak, music that neither tells a story nor
conjures up specific images. The brilliance of
the original opener was that it began with
images of violin bows bouncing on strings
and built its motifs from there, emulating the
experience of sitting in an orchestra audience
and letting your mind wander. Here,
Beethoven's Fifth is dishonored by random
shapes, images and colors that don't flow
from one scene to the next, setting a
disappointing
tone.
Subsequent segments fare better--when they're not disrupted by unfunny, unnecessary celebrity intros--such as the beautifully rendered, surreal whales who dance to "Pines of Rome"; the Al Hirschfeld-inspired "Rhapsody in Blue"; the sprite "Carnival of the Animals" that answers the age-old question of "What would happen if you gave a yo-yo to a flock of flamingos"; a revisionist history of Noah's Ark starring Donald Duck to "Pomp and Circumstance"; and a "Bambi"/"Night on Bald Mountain" hybrid accompanied by "Firebird Suite."
The "Steadfast Tin Soldier" tale set to a Shostakovich piano concerto is, unfortunately, "Toy Story 2's" ugly stepsister. And "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," the only piece salvaged from the original, looks grainy in comparison, but then it wouldn't be kosher to cut Mickey. Directed by Pixote Hunt, Hendel Butoy, Eric Goldberg, James Alger, Francis Glebas, Gaetan Brizzi and Paul Brizzi. Produced by Donald W. Ernst. A Buena Vista release. Animated. Rated G. Running time: 75 min
Subsequent segments fare better--when they're not disrupted by unfunny, unnecessary celebrity intros--such as the beautifully rendered, surreal whales who dance to "Pines of Rome"; the Al Hirschfeld-inspired "Rhapsody in Blue"; the sprite "Carnival of the Animals" that answers the age-old question of "What would happen if you gave a yo-yo to a flock of flamingos"; a revisionist history of Noah's Ark starring Donald Duck to "Pomp and Circumstance"; and a "Bambi"/"Night on Bald Mountain" hybrid accompanied by "Firebird Suite."
The "Steadfast Tin Soldier" tale set to a Shostakovich piano concerto is, unfortunately, "Toy Story 2's" ugly stepsister. And "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," the only piece salvaged from the original, looks grainy in comparison, but then it wouldn't be kosher to cut Mickey. Directed by Pixote Hunt, Hendel Butoy, Eric Goldberg, James Alger, Francis Glebas, Gaetan Brizzi and Paul Brizzi. Produced by Donald W. Ernst. A Buena Vista release. Animated. Rated G. Running time: 75 min
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