Summer of Magic- "Fantasia"

Just two full-length feature films into his illustrious Hollywood career, Walt Disney decided to change the game once again. With Snow White and Pinocchio, the studio had already established itself as masters of storytelling, characterization, and song writing. Such songs as "Someday My Prince Will Come" and "When You Wish Upon a Star" were giant hits upon their release that remain anthems to this day, but Walt had another crazy vision: what if Disney could introduce children and their families to the power of classical music through animation? It was a bold vision that was no guaranteed success by any stretch, but over seven decades later, Fantasia remains one of Walt's crowning achievements. Through several iconic sequences, Fantasia entertains, excites, and teaches like no other film before or after it.

While every scene is beautifully animated and classic in nature, The Sorcerer's Apprentice and the Night on Bald Mountain sequences are so exquisitely brought to life with just animation and classical music telling these extraordinary stories. Disney has always had a knack for telling excellent stories, and the stories of the young apprentice and Chernabog's reign respectively are two of their best. For The Sorcerer's Apprentice, seeing Mickey Mouse on screen will never cease to amaze me. Complimented by perhaps the most iconic music in Disney history, Fantasia becomes the starring vehicle Mickey deserves as it also leads to Mickey's finest performance of his highlight-filled career. The Night on Bald Mountain sequence, similar to The Sorcerer's Apprentice, has some of the best music your ears will ever hear to accompany the story. Plus, Chernabog instantly becomes one of Disney's most menacing villains in the matter of minutes and without uttering a single word. His reign on Bald Mountain is so absolute and terrifying that we are genuinely scared from the first moment we catch a glimpse at the dastardly gargoyle. Additionally, the ending in which the orchestra plays Ava Marie is stunningly gorgeous and a perfect ending to the sequence and the film itself.

The other sequences, compared to The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Night on Bald Mountain, are simply just really good. The Rite of Spring scene depicting the evolution of life since the beginning of time as told by Disney is a lovely scene filled with surprisingly great action sequences. Dance of the Hours, featuring the classic Fantasia hippos and alligators, is blissful and a perfect addition to the film. The Pastoral Symphony with the mythology at play is so different that it really is a superb sequence for Fantasia. If I had to use one word to describe Fantasia, I would use unique. It is so unlike anything Disney has ever produced that it stands out among the rest, in a way. For some, listening to classic music for two hours will never be appealing even if it is coupled with Disney animation, and I can certainly understand that logic, but for me, The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Night on Bald Mountain are worth the viewing alone. The other sequences are nice, but those two will stand the test of time as two of the finest pieces of animation in cinema history. Fantasia is Walt's tour de force showcase of his skill and vision.

Rating: 8.5/10

Historical Significance: According to Walt himself, Fantasia came about purely by accident. He was at restaurant one day when he just so happened to run into Leopold Stokowski, the conductor for Fantasia. As they talked over dinner, Walt began to tell him of his plans to create animated scenes set to classical music (The Sorcerer's Apprentice was the highlight of those plans). Upon hearing these plans, Stokowski reportedly told Walt, "I would like to conduct that for you." Thus, their partnership was formed, leading to the creation of Fantasia.

Behind the Scenes: The animators working on the film secretly modeled the Sorcerer in The Sorcerer's Apprentice after Walt Disney. If you look closely at the Sorcerer, you will notice a significant eyebrow raise occasionally, supposedly a common mannerism for Walt. Furthermore, the Fantasia is that even to this very day, Disney receives complaints from parents claiming that the Night on Bald Mountain scene scared their children too much.
Sorcerer's name is Yen Sid, which of course, is Disney spelled backwards. To this day, no one knows if Walt knew that the animators did this or not. Another great fact from

Favorite Character: This one is a given, really. It has to be Mickey Mouse from The Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence. Basically everyone's favorite Disney character period is Mickey, so seeing him in a feature film is nothing short of spectacular. In Fantasia, Mickey is everything you would expect Fantasia is still the best appearance of the Mouse who started it all.
Mickey to be: carefree, wishful, loyal, determined, the list could go on. Throughout his career in shorts, films, and television,

Favorite Scene: It really is a coin flip between The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Night on Bald Mountain, but I give the slight edge to The Sorcerer's Apprentice due to the presence of Mickey. It is not everyday you get to see Mickey in a movie, and to see him with the legendary Sorcerer Hat, The Sorcerer's Apprentice here!).
commanding magic brooms and the waves in his dream, is more and more breathtaking upon each additional viewing. Plus, the music is sublime. I could listen to the composition on repeat for days and never grow weary of it (Watch

Updated Ranking: You can tell by the rating when compared to Snow White and Pinocchio where Fantasia is going to end up today. Snow White remains the Queen of the Summer of Magic thus far!

1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
2. Pinocchio
3. Fantasia

Three films to begin a career that just so happen to be classics to this day is not too shabby, and that is exactly what Disney accomplished from 1937 to 1940. Thus far, we have developed a connection with dwarfs, puppets, and crickets, and tomorrow, Disney will attempt to make us feel for a certain flying elephant.  

-Cody Fleenor