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Fantasia (1940)

Continuing our discussion of alternative animated movies that go against the grain of what an animated movie can be, we're talking about one of the most formalist and strange films by one of the most milquetoast studios around.

And it’s a film that features some of their most iconic imagery starring their most iconic characters.

Today we’re delving into Fantasia.

A Quick Reminder

Let’s discuss what Fantasia actually is.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I had never seen Fantasia until last year. I am not quite sure what I thought it was but I was certainly surprised when it ended up being what it was:

A series of animated short films set to classical music to help teach musical literacy to children.

It’s something that now seems ridiculous for a studio like Disney to do but at the time was their top priority. They even wheeled out the big guns in the form of the films most iconic segment, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, starring Mickey Mouse in that iconic pointy blue hat set to Paul Dukas’ song of the same name.

It does a wonderful job of getting both children and parents to lean in and pay attention to music in a way you never had at that point.

How Did this Come Together

When making a project this strange you have to wonder how it came to be.

Well, in the case of the film at large it started as just The Sorcerer’s Apprentice sequence, but the budget inflated (as Walt Disney was known to do) to the point it just made more sense to make a whole feature that they could sell as an A feature at theaters rather than a short they would never be able to make their money back on.

And in the case of today’s clip, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, Walt had wanted to do an abstract piece for years and this was his chance.

It’s honestly fair to say this whole film was just a testing ground for Disney, trying new animation techniques, bringing in new characters, and even making this sequence 3D. But it ended up being too difficult and expensive so Walt scrapped that aspect of the project entirely.

Begging for Bach

Today's clip is the first full short of the film we get and is there to help orient the audience.

As we just said, the film is intended to help you learn to pay attention to music, both how it’s constructed and how it’s implemented.

This sequence is made to be incredibly abstract for the sake of helping you focus in and understand what you’re experiencing when you listen to music.

While the other sequences in the film have some sort of narrative thrust to them, this one is pure in its ambitions to create interesting images and boost the music. No more no less.

It accomplishes that perfectly and tees you up for a real roller coaster of an experience as it goes along.

Today’s Scene