Fantasia (1940)

Directors:

James Algar
Samuel Armstrong
(more)

Writers:

Lee Blair (segment) (story development) &
Elmer Plummer (segment) (story development) ...
(more)

Release Date:

6 January 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Family | Fantasy | Music

Tagline:

Superb! Enthralling! Amazing! Walt Disney's Incomparable FANTASIA

Plot:

A collection of animated interpretations of great works of Western classical music.

Plot Keywords:

Earthquake | One Word Title | Geometric Forms | Triceratops | Sunrise

Awards:

5 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Leopold Stokowski	...	Himself (Conductor, The Philadelphia Orchestra)
Deems Taylor	...	Narrator (1940 original)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Julietta Novis	...	Soloist (segment "Ave Maria") (voice)
Corey Burton	...	Narrator: Deems Taylor overdubs (2000 restoration) (voice) (uncredited)
Walt Disney	...	Mickey Mouse (segment "The Sorcerer's Apprentice") (voice) (uncredited)
James MacDonald	...	Percussionist (uncredited)
Paul J. Smith	...	Violinist (uncredited)

Directed by
James Algar		(segment "The Sorcerer's Apprentice")
Samuel Armstrong		(segments "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" and "Nutcracker Suite, The")
Ford Beebe		(segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Norman Ferguson		(segment "Dance of the Hours") (as Norm Ferguson)
Jim Handley		(segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
T. Hee		(segment "Dance of the Hours")
Wilfred Jackson		(segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria")
Hamilton Luske		(segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Bill Roberts		(segment "Rite of Spring")
Paul Satterfield		(segment "Rite of Spring")
Ben Sharpsteen		(uncredited)

Writing credits
Lee Blair		(segment "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor") (story development) &
Elmer Plummer		(segment "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor") (story development) &
Phil Dike		(segment "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor") (story development)
Sylvia Moberly-Holland		(segment "The Nutcracker Suite") (story development) &
Norman Wright		(segment "The Nutcracker Suite") (story development) &
Albert Heath		(segment "The Nutcracker Suite") (story development) &
Bianca Majolie		(segment "The Nutcracker Suite") (story development) &
Graham Heid		(segment "The Nutcracker Suite") (story development)
Perce Pearce		(segment "The Sorcerer's Apprentice") (story development) &
Carl Fallberg		(segment "The Sorcerer's Apprentice") (story development)
William Martin		(segment "Rite of Spring") (story development and research) &
Leo Thiele		(segment "Rite of Spring") (story development and research) &
Robert Sterner		(segment "Rite of Spring") (story development and research) &
John McLeish		(segment "Rite of Spring") (story development and research) (as John Fraser McLeish)
Otto Englander		(segment "The Pastoral Symphony") (story development) &
Webb Smith		(segment "The Pastoral Symphony") (story development) &
Erdman Penner		(segment "The Pastoral Symphony") (story development) &
Joseph Sabo		(segment "The Pastoral Symphony") (story development) &
Bill Peet		(segment "The Pastoral Symphony") (story development) &
Vernon Stallings		(segment "The Pastoral Symphony") (story development) (as George Stallings)
Campbell Grant		(segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria") (story development) &
Arthur Heinemann		(segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria") (story development) &
Phil Dike		(segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria") (story development)

Produced by
Walt Disney	....	producer
Ben Sharpsteen	....	producer (uncredited)

Cinematography by
James Wong Howe		(uncredited)
Maxwell Morgan		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
John Carnochan		(1990 restoration)

Art Direction by
Ken Anderson		(segment "The Pastoral Symphony") (as Kenneth Anderson)
Bruce Bushman		(segment "The Nutcracker Suite")
Arthur Byram		(segment "The Nutcracker Suite")
Tom Codrick		(segment "The Sorcerer's Apprentice")
Robert Cormack		(segments "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" and "The Nutcracker Suite")
Harold Doughty		(segment "Dance of the Hours")
Yale Gracey		(segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Hugh Hennesy		(segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
John Hubley		(segment "Rite of Spring")
Dick Kelsey		(segment "rite of spring")
Gordon Legg		(segment "The Pastoral Symphony") (as J. Gordon Legg)
Kay Nielsen		(segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria")
Lance Nolley		(segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Ernie Nordli		(segment "Dance of the Hours") (as Ernest Nordli)
Kendall O'Connor		(segment "Dance of the Hours")
Charles Payzant		(segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria")
Curtiss D. Perkins		(segment "The Nutcracker Suite")
Charles Philippi		(segment "The Sorcerer's Apprentice")
Thor Putnam		(segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria")
Herbert Ryman		(segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Zack Schwartz		(segment "The Sorcerer's Apprentice")
Terrell Stapp		(segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria")
McLaren Stewart		(segment "Rite of Spring")
Al Zinnen		(segment "The Nutcracker Suite")

Production Management
Ben Sharpsteen	....	production supervisor

Sound Department
William E. Garity	....	sound recordist
J.N.A. Hawkins	....	sound recordist
Terry Porter	....	sound restoration: 1990 restoration
C.O. Slyfield	....	sound recordist
Alexander Rannie	....	historian: Fantasound (1990 restoration) (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Dan MacManus	....	special animation effects (segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria") (as Daniel MacManus)
Joshua Meador	....	special animation effects (segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria")
Gail Papineau	....	special camera effects (segments "Rite of Spring" and "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria")
Leonard Pickley	....	special camera effects (segments "Rite of Spring" and "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria")
Miles E. Pike	....	special animation effects (segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria")
John F. Reed	....	special animation effects (segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria")
Nigel De Brulier	....	animation model: Sorcerer (segment "The Sorcerer's Apprentice") (uncredited)
Abra Grupp	....	digital paint artist: restoration (uncredited)

Animation Department
Edwin Aardal	....	animator (segments "Rite of Spring" and "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor")
Dick Anthony	....	background artist (segments "Pastoral Symphony, The" and "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria") (as W. Richard Anthony)
Art Babbitt	....	animation supervisor (segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Art Babbitt	....	animator (segment "The Nutcracker Suite")
Preston Blair	....	animator (segments "Sorcerer's Apprentice, The" and "Dance of the Hours")
James Bodrero	....	character designer (segments "Pastoral Symphony, The" and "Dance of the Hours")
Jack Bradbury	....	animator (segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Paul Busch	....	animator (segment "Rite of Spring")
Jack Campbell	....	animator (segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Nino Carbe	....	background artist (segment "The Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" and "Nutcracker Suite")
Bob Carlson	....	animator (segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria") (as Robert W. Carlson Jr.)
Les Clark	....	animator (segments "Nutcracker Suite, The", "Dewdrop Fairies" and "Sorcerer's Apprentice, The", Mickey Mouse)
Claude Coats	....	background artist (segments "Sorcerer's Apprentice, The" and "Pastoral Symphony, The")
Charles Conner	....	background artist (segment "Dance of the Hours")
Merle Cox	....	background artist (segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria")
Al Dempster	....	background artist (segments "Sorcerer's Apprentice, The" and "Dance of the Hours") (as Albert Dempster)
Ugo D'Orsi	....	animator (segment "The Sorcerer's Apprentice")
Phil Duncan	....	animator (segment "Rite of Spring")
Art Elliott	....	animator (segment "Dance of the Hours")
John Elliotte	....	animator (segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Jules Engel	....	animator
Norman Ferguson	....	animation supervisor (segment "Dance of the Hours") (as Norm Ferguson)
Roy Forkum	....	background artist (segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Hugh Fraser	....	animator (segment "Dance of the Hours")
Franklin Grundeen	....	animator (segment "Dance of the Hours")
Harry Hamsel	....	animator (segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Eric Hansen	....	background artist (segment "The Sorcerer's Apprentice")
John Hench	....	background artist (segment "The Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" and "Nutcracker Suite")
Ray Huffine	....	background artist (segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Earl Hurd	....	character designer (segment "Dance of the Hours")
Ollie Johnston	....	animation supervisor (segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Bill Justice	....	animator (segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Lynn Karp	....	animator (segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Walt Kelly	....	animator (segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Ward Kimball	....	animation supervisor (segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Paul B. Kossoff	....	animator (segment "Rite of Spring")
Ethel Kulsar	....	background artist (segment "The Nutcracker Suite")
Ethel Kulsar	....	character designer (segment "The Nutcracker Suite")
Eric Larson	....	animation supervisor (segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Ed Levitt	....	background artist (segment "Rite of Spring") (as Edward Levitt)
Ray Lockrem	....	background artist (segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria")
Hicks Lokey	....	animator (segment "Dance of the Hours")
John Lounsbery	....	animator (segment "Dance of the Hours")
Ed Love	....	animator (segment "The Sorcerer's Apprentice")
Don Lusk	....	animator (segments "Nutcracker Suite, The" and "Pastoral Symphony, The")
Brice Mack	....	background artist (segment "Rite of Spring")
Dan MacManus	....	animator (segment "Toccata and Fugue in D minor") (as Daniel MacManus)
Dan MacManus	....	special animation effects (segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria") (as Daniel MacManus)
Murray McClellan	....	animator (segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
John McManus	....	animator (segments "Rite of Spring" and "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria")
Joshua Meador	....	animation supervisor (segment "Rite of Spring")
Joshua Meador	....	animator (segment "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor")
Joshua Meador	....	special animation effects (segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria")
John P. Miller	....	character designer (segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Fred Moore	....	animation supervisor (segments "Sorcerer's Apprentice, The" and "Pastoral Symphony, The")
James Moore	....	animator (segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Milt Neil	....	animator (segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Gerald Nevius	....	background artist (segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Lester Novros	....	animator (segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria")
Art Palmer	....	animator (segments "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" and "Rite of Spring")
Don Patterson	....	animator (segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria")
Ray Patterson	....	animator (segment "Dance of the Hours")
Miles E. Pike	....	special animation effects, "night on bald mountain/ave maria"
Elmer Plummer	....	character designer (segment "The Nutcracker Suite")
Martin Provensen	....	character designer (segment "Dance of the Hours")
John F. Reed	....	special animation effects, "night on bald mountain/ave maria"
Wolfgang Reitherman	....	animation supervisor (segment "Rite of Spring")
Art Riley	....	background artist (segment "The Pastoral Symphony") (as Arthur Riley)
George Rowley	....	animator (segments "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" and "Sorcerer's Apprentice, The")
Duke Russell	....	character designer (segment "Dance of the Hours")
William Shull	....	animator (segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria") (as William N. Shull)
Grant Simmons	....	animator (segment "Dance of the Hours")
Lorna S. Soderstrom	....	character designer (segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Stan Spohn	....	background artist (segment "The Sorcerer's Apprentice")
Joe Stahley	....	background artist (segment "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor")
Ed Starr	....	background artist (segment "Rite of Spring")
Robert Stokes	....	animator (segment "The Nutcracker Suite")
Robert Storms	....	background artist (segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria")
David Swift	....	animator
Howard Swift	....	animator (segment "Dance of the Hours")
Norman Tate	....	animator (segment "Dance of the Hours")
Frank Thomas	....	animator
Riley Thomson	....	animator (segment "The Sorcerer's Apprentice")
Don Tobin	....	animator (segment "Rite of Spring")
Harvey Toombs	....	animator (segment "Dance of the Hours")
Don Towsley	....	animation supervisor (segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Bill Tytla	....	animation supervisor (segments "Sorcerer's Apprentice, The" and "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria") (as Vladimir Tytla)
John Walbridge	....	character designer (segment "The Nutcracker Suite")
Bernard Wolf	....	animator (segment "The Pastoral Symphony") (as Berny Wolf)
Cornett Wood	....	animator (segments "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" and "Sorcerer's Apprentice, The")
Marvin Woodward	....	animator (segment "The Sorcerer's Apprentice")
Cy Young	....	animator (segments "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" and "Nutcracker Suite, The")
Robert W. Youngquist	....	animator (segment "The Pastoral Symphony")
Xavier Atencio	....	assistant animator (uncredited)
William T. Hurtz	....	animation assistant (uncredited)
Retta Scott	....	animator (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Bill Wilner	....	assistant editor (1990 restoration) (uncredited)

Music Department
Stephen Csillag	....	musical film editor
Charles Henderson	....	choral director (segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria")
Irwin Kostal	....	conductor (1982 rerecording)
Shawn Murphy	....	score mixer: 1982 rerecording
Edward H. Plumb	....	musical director
James MacDonald	....	musician: percussion (uncredited)
Paul J. Smith	....	musician: violin (uncredited)
Leopold Stokowski	....	orchestrator (segments "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" and "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria", also parts of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", "Rite of Spring" and "Dance of the Hours") (uncredited)
Deems Taylor	....	musical advisor (uncredited)

Other crew
Leon Briggs	....	technical manager (1990 restoration)
Pete Comandini	....	color restoration (1990 restoration)
Richard Dayton	....	color restoration (1990 restoration)
Jules Engel	....	choreographer
Don Hagens	....	color restoration (1990 restoration)
Norman Wright	....	story developer (segment "The Nutcracker Suite")
Marge Champion	....	movement model (uncredited)
Oskar Fischinger	....	concept (segment "Toccata and Fugue in D minor") (uncredited)
Joe Grant	....	story director (uncredited)
Dick Huemer	....	story director (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Walt Disney Pictures

Distributors

• Walt Disney Productions (1940) (USA) (theatrical) (1940 roadshow release)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1941-1953) (USA) (theatrical) (1941 roadshow release and regular wide release)
• Apurock (????) (Japan) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2000) (Japan) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2004) (Japan) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2006) (Japan) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Pictures (re-releases)
• Cosmo Coordinate (2006) (Japan) (DVD)
• DHV (1991) (Japan) (VHS)
• Daiei Motion Picture Company (1955) (Japan) (theatrical)
• GP Museum Soft (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• Gativideo (Argentina) (video)
• Orustak Pictures (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• Walt Disney Home Video (video)

Other Companies

• RCA Corporation  sound recording
• The Philadelphia Orchestra  music performed by
• Walt Disney Records  soundtrack (1990-re-mastered edition) (uncredited)
• Westminster Choir of Westminster Choir College  choir (segment "Ave Maria")
• YCM Labs  film restoration: 1990

Also Known As:

The Concert Feature (USA) (working title)
Walt Disney's Fantasia (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

120 min | USA:124 min (restored roadshow version) | USA:125 min (original release) | USA:80 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (1956 re-release) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints) (re-release) | Fantasound (original release) | Mono (1941 roadshow screenings) | Mono (1947 re-release)

Certification:

USA:G (re-rating) (1969) | Australia:G | Portugal:M/12 | USA:Approved (PCA #5920) | South Korea:All | Argentina:Atp | Canada:G | Chile:TE | Finland:K-10 | Germany:6 | Peru:PT | Sweden:11 (re-release) | Sweden:15 | UK:U | Brazil:Livre

Company:

Walt Disney Pictures

Trivia:

The demon in "Night on Bald Mountain" is named Chernobog, after the god of evil in Slavonic mythology.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" sequence, as Mickey Mouse waves his hands in front of him to make the broom come to life, his sleeves spill over his hands. It then cuts to his shadow on the wall, where his hands are fully exposed.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: How do you do? My name is Deems Taylor, and it's my very pleasant duty to welcome you here on behalf of Walt Disney, Leopold Stokowski, and all the other artists and musicians whose combined talents went into the creation of this new form of entertainment...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Latter Days (2003)

Soundtrack:

Toccata and Fugue

Probably Disney's best

Fantasia has it's flaws, I'll give you that. But so what? In spite of some of it's less interesting segments, FANTASIA remains the highlight of Walt Disney's career. SNOW WHITE AND SEVEN DWARFS was, of course, more significant, ground-breaking and all together better film, but it wasn't such an experience for me as FANTASIA. Perhaps I was a tad too old for it. Who knows? Any way, I was seven, when I first saw FANTASIA with my sister in a small movie theater in our home town. We thought it quite boring then, although images of T-rex killing the stegosaur, Satan raising the dead and Mickey Mouse surfing on a book of spells remained in my head for weeks. I rediscovered FANTASIA well in my teens, as my little sister bought it on DVD. I like to prefer myself as a film buff of sorts. I guess there is something into that, as I had read quite a lot about FANTASIA in many reviews and books considering cinema as an artform. I saw it in a whole new light. I don't really like Disney films, being so sentimental as they are. But FANTASIA is different. It is a series of stories built around eight pieces of classical music. I feel i must rate and review them separately, independent stories as they are (except for the last two).

1. Johann Sebastian Bach's TOCCATA AND FUGUE IN D MINOR

Impressionistic cartoon showing first the movements of the instruments, as they are playing the tune. As the music proceeds, the shapes of the instruments begin to blur, until there are only colors and undefined shapes left of them. Segment ends showing what appears to be sunset in the background as Leopold Stokowski conducts the invisible orchestra. The music is in this section is good, after all, it is the main theme. Unfortunately, the animation is not very interesting. ** out of *****

2. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's THE NUTCRACKER SUITE

Fairies, mushrooms, flowers, leaves and fish are dancing to Tchaikovsky's ballet. Beautiful animation and quite recognizable music(you've probably all heard it before). Unforgettable is the scene, where the mushrooms are dancing and one of them has difficulties keeping up with the others, since he/she has no partner. ****

3. Paul Dukas' THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE

Mickey Mouse has a role of a lifetime as an eager student to a mighty wizard. Mickey tries the sorcerer's hat and assumes powers to make a groom do his work. Unfortunately things run out of hand, and it takes a real magician to put things right. This is FANTASIA's best segment. Music and animation work like a glove. The scene, where Mickey dreams of moving stars and raising oceans with his powers is one of the greatest moments in movie history and popular culture in general. *****(*)

4. Igor Stravinsky's THE RITE OF SPRING

The story of life on earth from primordial soup to the death of dinosaurs takes off slowly, but the dinos are worth waiting for. The scene where they walk in the desert to the their certain doom, is impressive, to say the least. ****

5. Ludwig van Beethoven's THE PASTORAL SYMPHONY

Centaurs, cherubs, serafs, gods and other characters of creek mythology are spending a day in the countryside in this colorful segment that is one of the least interesting in FANTASIA. The drunken deeds of wine god Baccus and the cute flying horses in the beginning are the few highlights of this segment. ***

6. Amilcare Ponchielli's DANCE OF THE HOURS

Ostrichs, hippos, elephants and crocodiles are dancing Ponchielli's famous ballet in FANTASIA's funniest segment. These ballerinas are definitely not suffering from eating disorders.

7. Modeste Moussorgsky's NIGHT ON BOLD MOUNTAIN and Franz Schubert's AVE MARIA

Moussorgsky's frantic masterpiece gives life to one of the most terrifying and most impressive episodes in the history of animation. Satan himself raises the dead and invites them to dance with vampires, witches and demons high on bold mountain. Satanic fest goes on all night, until morning breaks and the church bells chime. AVE MARIA plays on the background, as the sacred procession walks to cathedral. NIGHT ON BOLD MOUNTAIN and AVE MARIA fit together perfectly, as they, in the words of Deems Taylor, describe the eternal battle between the sacred and profane. *****

It is good that FANTASIA should spawn a sequel, although, I'm not entirely happy with FANTASIA 2000. It somehow lacks the dignity of the original. Still, I hope there's more to come. We're eagerly waiting for the day, when Walt Disney pictures releases Fantasia 2060 to see RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES, SWAN OF TUONELA and much more. Let us hope we don't have to wait for another sixty years to be able to enjoy brand new fantasies.