1940 saw a new form of entertainment created by Walt Disney, called Fantasia. Renowned musical compositions were played to a group of Disney's best artists, who were instructed to draw their responses to the emotion, expression and narrative that they heard in the music. The result was, in this reviewer's opinion, one of the most iconic moments in film – these artists redefined creativity and breathed a new lease of life into popular (and perhaps overplayed) scores, forcing us to reconsider what it means to be artistic.
A review of six parts would be appropriate in order to celebrate each of the six short films for their own success, however I also feel it is important to consider the effect of the film as a whole.
Fantasia grounds itself upon a strong justification for its cause, ensuring throughout that the viewer (whether musically educated or not) understands the purpose of the exercise. The narrator disclaims from the word go that the animations are not absolute stories that will match with the composer's introductions, but instead, are developments from them. Here is where Disney promotes the refreshing method of creativity, which I previously mentioned: the suggestion that interpretation is limitless in possibility, and that each opinion should be celebrated and explored.
I feel that Disney's choice of music exemplifies this philosophy to the most obvious and dramatic level. By using scores that are so famous and concrete in their accompanying stories, such as "The Nutcracker Suite", he shows how even the most popular music may have a different story to tell. The orchestra are silhouetted to represent the idea that music has become anonymous, and Disney gives a face to the compositions once again: literally re-animating the classics. We are taken on a journey to rediscover the beauty of compositions that we perhaps take for granted. The colourful animations take a flowing, almost hypnotising form within stories that draw upon hidden beats and instruments within textures of the score that make us rethink what we know about the music: we learn to listen rather than to hear. Disney celebrates the intricacies of composition as they were meant to be celebrated, and the creations of the artists approach each movement in every short with appropriate beauty and delicacy.
(I would talk about my favourite short here – Beethoven's "Pastoral" – but once I start I will not be able to stop)!
For me, Fantasia represents a redefinition of film in its time as well as a redefinition of what it means to be imaginative across all of the arts. An exercise that had never been tried before, and hasn't since by anybody except Disney, that proves the infinite limits of storytelling. The choices of iconic composition laced together with heart-warming and intelligent animation makes classical music accessible to all ages, and truly shows what it means to be creative: encouraging us to continue rethinking the past and to have our own opinions.
A review of six parts would be appropriate in order to celebrate each of the six short films for their own success, however I also feel it is important to consider the effect of the film as a whole.
Fantasia grounds itself upon a strong justification for its cause, ensuring throughout that the viewer (whether musically educated or not) understands the purpose of the exercise. The narrator disclaims from the word go that the animations are not absolute stories that will match with the composer's introductions, but instead, are developments from them. Here is where Disney promotes the refreshing method of creativity, which I previously mentioned: the suggestion that interpretation is limitless in possibility, and that each opinion should be celebrated and explored.
I feel that Disney's choice of music exemplifies this philosophy to the most obvious and dramatic level. By using scores that are so famous and concrete in their accompanying stories, such as "The Nutcracker Suite", he shows how even the most popular music may have a different story to tell. The orchestra are silhouetted to represent the idea that music has become anonymous, and Disney gives a face to the compositions once again: literally re-animating the classics. We are taken on a journey to rediscover the beauty of compositions that we perhaps take for granted. The colourful animations take a flowing, almost hypnotising form within stories that draw upon hidden beats and instruments within textures of the score that make us rethink what we know about the music: we learn to listen rather than to hear. Disney celebrates the intricacies of composition as they were meant to be celebrated, and the creations of the artists approach each movement in every short with appropriate beauty and delicacy.
(I would talk about my favourite short here – Beethoven's "Pastoral" – but once I start I will not be able to stop)!
For me, Fantasia represents a redefinition of film in its time as well as a redefinition of what it means to be imaginative across all of the arts. An exercise that had never been tried before, and hasn't since by anybody except Disney, that proves the infinite limits of storytelling. The choices of iconic composition laced together with heart-warming and intelligent animation makes classical music accessible to all ages, and truly shows what it means to be creative: encouraging us to continue rethinking the past and to have our own opinions.