Fantasia 2000

Well, it had to happen. A movie I didn't probably like. I'm glad this happened sooner rather than later. I know I give a lot of positive marks, so I guess this one shows I'm capable of disliking something.

Well, I didn't hate Fantasia 2000. It's kind of a non-entity, really.

It wasn't a bad idea. As they say in the weird celebrity introductions, Fantasia was originally intended to be an ongoing affair, with new segments being phased in and out as years progressed. I wish they had done that, but the original was not as well received as was hoped at the time. Striking while the iron is 60 years cold was probably not the best move.

The first thing that stood out to me is that Fantasia 2000 uses a fair share of computer assistance. Of course it does, that's just the way these things are done now. There's some nice imagery in it, but it lacks the care and beauty of hand drawn/painted pictures. Sometimes it feels labored, like the animators listened to the songs a few seconds at a time and went "ok, what happens here?", "how about here?" and so on.

Then, towards the end, they really show us the contrast between the perfection of the original and the flatness of the new by reprising The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

Anyway, there's some pretty stuff, and I'm sure the movie plays fine if you just want to put something on in the background. Disney wisely packages this as a second disc with the original. I honestly don't think it would sell on it's own. I suppose it works fine as a curiosity or a special feature.

Fantasia 2000: C-