Fantasia/2000 (film) A new generation of Disney animators showcase their talents as they visually interpret classical compositions. Symphony No. 5 by Ludwig van Beethoven features abstract visions of color, shape, and light; Dmitri Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Allegro, Opus 102 tells the Hans Christian Andersen fable of The Steadfast Tin Soldier; Ottorino Respighi’s Pines of Rome tells the story of a pod of whales who can fly; Camille Saint-Saëns’s Carnival of the Animals, Finale shows what can happen when you give a yo-yo to a flock of flamingos; Sir Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance, Marches 1, 2, 3, and 4 stars Donald Duck as an assistant on Noah’s ark; George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue presents a stylized look at life in Manhattan during the Jazz Age; and Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite (1919 version) tells a tale of death and rebirth as a young sprite triumphantly awakens a ravaged forest. These new pieces are combined with one selection (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice) from the 1940 classic. Premiered at Carnegie Hall in New York on December 17, 1999, had a New Year’s Eve gala at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, then opened in Imax theaters worldwide on January 1, 2000, for four months, with a general release on June 16. Supervising Director: Hendel Butoy. Segment Directors: Hendel Butoy, Francis Glebás, Eric Goldberg, Paul and Gaëtan Brizzi, Pixote Hunt, James Algar. Host sequences director: Don Hahn. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by James Levine, provides the sound track. This film was a longtime pet project of Roy E. Disney, receiving his personal supervision. 74 min. Released on video in November 2000.
