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Fantasia (Special 60th Anniversary Edition)
Directors: James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, Ford I. Beebe
Actors: Leopold Stokowski, Bela Lugosi, Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, Walt Disney, and Deems Taylor
Rated: G (General Audience)
Retail Price (not our price): $29.99
Release Date: 2000-11-14
Theatrical Release Date: 1940
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Run Time: 125 minutes
Format: Array
Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, DTS Surround Sound, DVD-Video, NTSC
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Discs: 1


Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) 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

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

1) In the Beginning...   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
This animated classic, a "concert feature," is the foundation of my film career. It is the basis for my love of animation, of classical music, of mythology and of dinosaurs. I must have been six or seven, maybe younger, when I saw it in the theatre. I screamed during the Night on Bare Mountain sequence; I remember trying to keep it together, trying not to scream, then one of the harpies (I know which one to this day) flew at the camera and I let out a high-pitched yelp, much like the YAP doled out by the small Who that saves the Whos in "Horton Hears a Who." Every head in the audience turned towards me in the dark. I've not screamed since.I've seen the deleted, racist, scenes on YouTube, those awful stains on the otherwise lovely Pastorale sequence. I do think they should be restored so people can see what Disney was all about. I hate the idea of watching this movie in a happy dream without some reminder of the harsh social climates of the time. It is tantamount to the ignorance that included it in the film in the first place.I'm sorry Deems Taylor had to be revoiced. And I seriously wish the Claire de Lune would have been included as a deleted scene on this disc. One can only get it by buying the other Fantasia discs and there is nothing worth anything on those. Fantasia 2000 runs like a series of CalArts student projects. Why not continue what Walt had planned? Ride of the Valkyries would have been a jaw-dropping short to open it with. The Swan of Tuonela, from the storyboards, would have been a haunting masterpiece. Well, one can only hope for a proper, better disc. Until then, I will watch this edited, sanitized version - and try not to scream when the Harpy flies off the screen.

2) Brilliant   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
I have never seen the original version, so my point of view will probably differ.It is a glorious combination of spectacular animation and music. The was flowers and water lilies dance and the underwater scenes with beautiful sometimes translucent fish tales is gorgeous.I found it very entertaining and also very relaxing.

3) Not perfect, but greatness nonetheless   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
The other reviewers are right. The silly (and at this point futile) cropping of the "offensive" scene in "pastoral" is sill there, and Deems Taylor may as well be nonexistent without that sonorous voice (which you may recall if you watched the VHS of this film, or saw one of it's rereleases). That being said, the audio and video remastering is quite good- though if Disney thought there was any money in it, they could do better. And the extras are actually interesting- unlike most of the tripe they package into Disney special editions. The "extended" (or roadshow cut) is also very intersting, but since I grew up with the shorter-running-time VHS version, this one seems a little on the long side. But I'm not going to complain about more of this spectacular film.At it's heart this is a triumph of film and particularly of animation. It is a valuable addition to any collection.

4) Unfortunate editing   [Rating: 2 out of 5]
This applies toFantasia (Special 60th Anniversary Edition) I have loved Fantasia since seeing it as a kid in the late 1940s, and had hoped for a perhaps cleaner/remastered DVD copy of what I already have (the 1991 VHS 2-tape release, which is very good). Unfortunately, in excising an admittedly racist-appearing segment within the Beethoven "Pastorale", *this* version uses a glaringly-apparent close zoom into the artwork - which is downright ugly and pretty much ruins the viewing experience. While I'm inclined to agree with taking the scene out, I think it was done much better on the VHS tape (I never noticed the deletion, not recalling the scene all that well from my first exposure).

5) Fantasia   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
I had the original of this and someone stole it. I was thrilledto get another copy of this and it also being the 60th anniversaryedition made it even more special. I highly reccommend this DVDif you love classical music and Walt Disney!