#58. Fantasia (1940)

Whenever I see those commercials for re-released Disney movies and they try to hook you with that “Hurry before it goes back into the vault forever” spiel I always assumed it was just some kind of gimmick to boost sales. I still don’t know if “The Vault” exists or if it is more of a figurative concept, but given the difficulty I even had FINDING this movie so that I could watch it, I have to believe there is a guarded iron bunker in Anaheim with uniformed S.S. Officers guarding every copy of “Fantasia” known to man.

Anyhow, the show must go on, so thanks to eBay and too much free time I am able to bring you a thorough analysis of the 1940 children’s opera known as “Fantasia.”

What makes this movie so unique isn’t just the fact that Disney attempted to merge classical music with contemporary animation but that it hasn’t really been done again in the 70 years since. I have a rudimentary knowledge of how cinematic animation worked in the pre-computer age and I can’t even get my head around how difficult it had to have been to sync the visual up to the soundtrack but that feat in and of itself is commendable and probably helps to explain why this process was seldom done.

In recreating the effect of a symphony or an opera the film begins with no fanfare or credits but abruptly with the conductor and musicians taking their places. Rather than just making us watch a bunch of musicians playing instruments with no visual accompaniment all the players are shown in silhouette form during the entire opening Bach piece. The effect looks marvelous on screen but also kind of blows its whole wad in the first couple minutes. With no additions to the scenery the piece sort of drags on and repeats itself. Perhaps (benefit of the doubt here) this is done somewhat intentionally to create a much more dramatic effect when the animation sequences begin and grab your attention back.

Trying to create a movie geared towards children that uses classical music in the place of dialogue is a daunting task, therefore the decision to use a piece as famous as “The Nutcracker Suite” as the first of the animated sequences was a safe but smart move. The visuals are amazing at first sight and the incorporation of cute little fish and fairies is clever since there is just enough diversity between the two walks of life that there doesn’t have to be too much time focused on either one and the target audience can be entertained simply by the onscreen bells and whistles.

”It’s funny how wrong an artist can be about his own work. The one composition of Tchaikovsky’s that he really detested was his “Nutcracker Suite” which is probably the most popular thing he ever wrote” (Narrator, “Fantasia”)

Maybe it was done for pacing reasons or maybe it was done simply because there was some kind of determination on the part of Walt Disney to sneak in a recognizable character within a short time of opening the film, but for whatever reason the film jumps right into the now iconic Mickey Mouse themed-take on “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” This is one of the most well-animated scenes in the film but ironically enough also one of the most simplistic. The concept revolves around Mickey Mouse being a very novice magician and attempting to use his powers to make his chores easier. Mops begin to creepily sprout arms and march dazzlingly up and down stairs with pails of water- eventually causing a flood. I’ve never watched a Disney movie prior to this and even I am familiar with this sequence. Even though it represents the tiniest chunk of the film as a whole, the fact that “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” has gone on to be the universally recognized symbol of “Fantasia” speaks volumes about the scene’s impact and artistry.

The piece immediately following “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” was easily the most shocking thing I’ve seen in any animated film, if not any film in general, simply based on content and context. “The Rite of Spring” is introduced matter-of-factly by the conductor as a retelling of the history of the world. The narration then goes on to explain Darwinian Theory in great detail. This is generally inoffensive to me as it falls right in line with my personal belief system, - however judging by the look on my wife’s face during this segment I remembered that this is still a very hot issue and that in many places it is still being contested in court. The Theory of Evolution is a controversial topic in 2010- I can’t even imagine how jaw-dropping this part of the film must have been to 1940 audiences.

If there was any doubt left in the viewer’s mind as to whether or not the introduction was misunderstood, the ensuing Tour de Force of action confirms that there is in fact no other way to construe the subject matter. There is a big bang, and dinosaurs and even fish sprouting legs and walking onto the land. I’ve heard people get up in arms over subliminal messages that may or may not be hidden in Disney films that I will not investigate for myself but the fact of the matter is that there is no subliminal message in “Fantasia.” It spells out its agenda, at least on this subject, as plain as day. It is widely recognized that this movie was generally considered a flop upon its initial release and given the way people take personal offense to what is conveyed in art I have no trouble believing that. Hell it took the Dixie Chicks years to bounce back from an off-the-cuff comment about a moron so I can’t imagine a film that essentially dismisses the basis of some people’s entire belief system would be well received.

The placement of the intermission immediately after “The Rite of Spring” may have contributed to the failure of “Fantasia” more than anything else since I wouldn’t be surprised if many families walked out of the movie at that point. However, the ones who stayed were treated to probably two of the most innovative and groundbreaking visual elements of the film. The introduction of the “sound-track” uses the relatively simple concept that we all see now on our Windows Media Player when we stare at the trippy visualization effects. A simple vertical line appears in the middle of the screen and responds to the notes played by pulsating, trembling and vibrating along with the sound, in other words, it’s just an animated sound-wave, yet something inherently new at the time, at least visually.

The second is a marriage of animation and live-action that would set the stage for everything from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” to the Ralph Bakshi version of “The Lord of the Rings.” Mickey Mouse runs up the steps to the conductor’s podium, the two converse and even make physical contact. Even though this is a crude outline of what would eventually be plausible with filmmaking, the illusion that a cartoon mouse is talking to a live man (in silhouette form again, harkening back to the introduction) still looks pretty seamless now and without a doubt broke new ground 70 years ago.

Greek mythology is also introduced in the “Pastoral Symphony” part of the film, as Bacchus, the God of Wine is depicted and to a certain extent, lampooned. Though simply depicting in animation what is written in ancient mythology, the film takes on even more controversial subject matter when showing a Greek Bathhouse Gathering (orgy) and even flirts with the notion of drunken bestiality. Overall, despite the possible outrage of this scene, the message that shines through is more a warning against indulgence and decadence and is laced with Three-Stooges-esque slapstick to make it seem relatively harmless to young audiences.

“Night on Bald Mountain,” the big finale, serves two purposes. First off it seeks to win back the audience members it alienated in the first half by telling a very Biblical tale, but also it introduces a conflict; clear cut “good guys” and “bad guys” are introduced really for the first time in the movie- perhaps because they realized that movies, theater and even opera still present some sort of pro/antagonistic clash. In this case it is the fallen angel Lucifer having his scary minions defeated by glorious angels and huge beams of light clearly meant to represent what I like to call “Theatrical God.” To the strains of “Ave Maria” the scary devil-like characters are purged from our sight and the film ends on a very positive, inspirational and generally non-threatening note- a good thing considering the rest of the film contained a lot of scary imagery.

On the whole, I know (think) I understand what Walt Disney was attempting to do with this film. Introduce culture to a young audience in the form of classical music and also break new technological ground. The fragments of music and animation are diverse enough to keep pulling you back in, but unfortunately many of the pieces go on for so long that it is evident the attempt to create a “Short Attention Span Opera” has turned into self-indulgence. I am not letting my negative impression of Walt Disney taint my opinion of this film (especially since I believe that the concept and achievements are nothing short of genius) I’m just calling it like I see it.

At the end of the day “Fantasia” is a fireworks show that goes on for too long; sure it looks tremendous, but you reach a point where you are thinking to yourself “okay, we get the point.” Still, I applaud Walt Disney for what he was able to pull off with this film, for his efforts to bring a degree of sophistication to an otherwise mind-numbing form of media and for making bold statements about nature and religion. Also, I am incredibly proud of myself for having discussed “Fantasia” at this length and not once having referenced how awesome it must be on LSD… awww shit I just did.