When my friends hear that I didn't like "Fantasia", they assume I am a stupid Neanderthal. This might be true, but I never have been a fan of this Disney film. Why? Because although the music and animation are great, so much of the film is tremendously boring and stuffy. I still remember back when I was a child, as the only part of the film I liked was "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" portion...the rest didn't do much for me. Because of this, I wasn't surprised that I enjoyed "Fantasia 2000" much more--because it seemed to have a lighter and less stuffy air about it. And, at times, it was quite fun...plus, they included the original "Sorcerer's Apprentice" section!

As for the film, unlike the original, it was pieced together over a five year period. In other words, when the artists were between feature-length films, Disney had them work on these various segments--and then finally assembled them into the feature.

So why do I give the film a 7? Well, most of the positives I mentioned above. But, on the negative side, the film suffers a bit when it comes to the animation. I am pretty sure that the staff at Disney used this film to learn to use CGI--but several times the quality of the CGI looked old and unrealistic--particularly the first segment set to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Additionally, while the film had some funny moments, it could have used a few more--mostly because I STILL think most kids would not enjoy the film.

It's a reworking and remaking of the classic Disney Fantasia. The first superior aspect of this one compared to the original is the shorter length. Not all of it works but it works well enough to be compelling throughout. I love the George Gershwin section. It is obviously NYC but I also love the 1930s era. I love the animation style. I couldn't stop smiling and it has some great laughs. There is the redo of Mickey Mouse in The Sorcerer's Apprentice. It looks a little brighter without taking away the animation style. Donald Duck in Noah's Ark is funny. Overall, there are some slower sections but I just love the Gershwin section so much.

The first problem was that there was too much introduction between the pieces. Angela Lansbury and James Earl Jones were the best, but the one with Steve Martin was unnecessary, as well as Penn and Teller. The film itself was a little short, but I enjoyed it anyway. It is beautifully animated, with good choices of music, but if anything, I wish there was more of it. I love the original, but I thoroughly recommend this as well. The animation was spot on, especially in the Pines of Rome segment. This was my personal favourite, as i thought that baby whale was so sweet. Donald Duck's version of Noah's Ark set to the music of Elgar was hilarious, as was the Carnival of the animals. The most beautifully animated was the Firebird sequence,reminding me of FernGully, telling the story of "Life, death and renewal." I am not a huge fan of Stravinsky, but the Firebird I have always considered his best work. There was also the abstract images in the Beethoven. They were ambiguous but very well done, but I didn't like the chopping of the piece itself. The section they missed out is essential to the movement's development in my opinion. The Pines of Rome sequence was outstanding I thought, I showed it to my year 4 peers 8 years ago, and they all clapped at the end of that segment but were unenthuasiastic about the rest of the film. Then Gershwin treated us with Rhapsody in Blue, telling the story of a typical day in New York. The Shostakovich was very good, but marred by the interesting but overlong introduction. Great animation and music though. The Saint Saens was funny, but the Magic Trick was pointless. Unfortunately Sorceror's Apprentice was one of the highlights in the original, but was for me the weakest segment here. The Elgar was absolutely hilarious, and the Firebird very heartfelt also I had early memories of thinking the Sprite was absolutely gorgeous. The music was very well performed by James Levine and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. All in all, 8/10 Bethany Cox.