Fantasia (1940)

With a certain dinosaur movie opening this weekend, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at Disney movies and franchises that feature dinosaurs.  And since we've been on a kick with the early Disney films, let's start off today with the movie Fantasia.

The Movie:

Fantasia is the 3rd film in the Disney Animated Canon.  It was definitely a project of love for Disney, who was hoping to set a new standard in animation by giving the top artists the chance to showcase their craft.  Fantasia was originally presented in a roadshow format, where it would tour the country for special showings with ticketed seats like an orchestra concert.  The movie was never destined to be a big money-maker, but the less than impressive returns from Pinocchio meant the money wasn't there to prop up this film.  Many people at the time didn't know what to make of Fantasia, as it was unlike anything to come before, and in many ways, anything since.  Over the years, Fantasia has been redeemed by history, with critics and fans coming to appreciate what Disney achieved with this film.

Fantasia has no single plot, but instead features seven segments based on eight different classical compositions.  Each segment is introduced by music critic and composer Deems Taylor.  The segments are:
1. Toccata and Fugue by Johann Sebastian Bach, featuring images of the orchestra and abstract drawings
2. The Nutcracker Suite by Pytor Tchaikovsky, with the various dances being performed by fairies, mushrooms, flowers, and fish
3. The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Paul Dukas, starring Mickey Mouse as the title apprentice who gets in over his head when he enchants a broom to do his chores
4. The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky, depicting the history of life on earth, including an extended sequence with dinosaurs
5. Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral" by Ludwig van Beethoven, featuring creatures of Greek mythology such as centaurs, pegasuses, cherubs, and Bacchus
6. Dance of the Hours by Amilcare Ponchielli, with ostriches, hippos, elephants, and alligators dancing the ballet
7. Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky and Ave Maria by Franz Schubert, depicting a nighttime awakening of spirits by the demonic Chernabog followed by the pilgrimage of Christian believers at sunrise

In truth, as a young child, I did not enjoy Fantasia, and I found the last segment to be really frightening.  As an adult, especially one who is a musician, I absolutely love Fantasia.  And that makes sense, because Walt Disney wasn't trying to appeal to children.  He wanted to bring animation to the more adult, orchestra concert attending set, giving them, as he called it, a "concert feature."  For the most part, the animation is amazing, utilizing a variety of pioneering techniques to perfectly match visuals to music.

And about that music.  The music is performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra and conducted by the legendary Leopold Stokowski.  There is a nice variety in the music, covering the entirety of the Common Practice Period from Bach through Tchaikovsky, and the use of Stravinsky was very modern for the time.

Which segments really stand out?  Everyone of course remembers Mickey as the Sorcerer's Apprentice, as iconic as just about any piece of Disney animation.  The Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria segment is also memorable, for both the music and the striking visuals, and Chernabog is probably the second most recognized character from the movie.  The other characters that tend to stand out to people are the dancing animals from Dance of the Hours, but personally, my other favorite segment is the Nutcracker, but it helps that I absolutely love that music.

My least favorite segment is The Rite of Spring, mainly because it just goes on too long.  It's also interesting that it really attempted to be as scientifically accurate as possible, and based on the knowledge of the day, it was, but almost 80 years later, it comes across as much more inaccurate.

Speaking of dated, I have to laugh at Deems Taylor's completely unironic statement that even though the Nutcracker Suite is popular, the ballet of The Nutcracker is unpopular and rarely performed.  At that time, that was a true statement.  The first complete performance of The Nutcracker in the United States didn't happen until 1944, and it started becoming more popular in the 1950s and 60s.

Presence in the Parks:

Fantasia might seem like an odd movie to have a large presence in the parks, but it really does thanks to its iconic imagery, especially that of "Sorcerer Mickey," who tends to pop up all over the place.

Presently, Sorcerer Mickey is a meetable character at Hollywood Studios.  Mickey also appears in this outfit at the climax of Fantasmic!  Music and animation from The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Dance of the Hours, and Night on Bald Mountain also appear in the show.

Sorcerer Mickey in Fantasmic! March 2007

Sorcerer Mickey in Fantasmic! May 2015

Also at Hollywood Studios, a topiary of Sorcerer Mickey and the brooms used to appear outside the Brown Derby Restaurant near the entrance arch to the Animation Courtyard.  That topiary is now at the entrance to the park.

Mickey topiary, MGM Studios, July 2002

Sorcerer Mickey also stood over the marquee to the entrance of the Magic of Disney Animation at MGM/Hollywood Studios, which closed in 2015.

Magic of Disney Animation behind the studio arch, MGM Studios, March 2007

The Magic of Disney Animation, Hollywood Studios, May 2015

The former Great Movie Ride at Hollywood Studios featured Fantasia with a scene from The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and the original final montage used the Dance of the Hours music and a couple of clips from that scene.

For a time, Sorcerer Mickey took over the icons of two parks.  At Hollywood Studios, a giant Sorcerer's Hat stood in front of the Chinese Theater from 2001 to 2015.  The hat was easily visible upon first entering the park and supplanted the Chinese Theater and Earful Tower as the official icon of the park.  Speaking of the Earful Tower, at one point it did get painted with the blue and white motif of the sorcerer's hat.

The Sorcerer's Hat, MGM Studios, July 2002

The Sorcerer's Hat, MGM Studios, March 2007

Earful Tower, MGM Studios, April 1999

Over at Epcot, as part of the millennium celebration, Mickey's hand and a giant wand (which Mickey didn't actually have in Fantasia) appeared over Spaceship Earth's geodesic sphere with the numerals 2000.  In 2001, the numbers were replaced with the word Epcot.  The word and wand were removed in 2007.

Spaceship Earth, Epcot, January 2001

Spaceship Earth, Epcot, March 2007

Sorcerer Mickey can be found in parades, in displays, and on merchandise throughout the parks.

Sorcerer Mickey in the Share a Dream Come True parade, Magic Kingdom, July 2002

The former Magic Kingdom fireworks show Wishes used a small portion of Night on Bald Mountain in the music.

WDW is also home to a miniature golf course called Fantasia Gardens that is themed to the movie.

Over at Disneyland, the railroad features a trip through the Primeval World Diorama, which first appeared at the 1964 World's Fair.  The attraction includes a Tyrannosaurs and Stegosaurus battle in a direct homage to the scene in Fantasia.

This same dinosaur battle was also recreated in the Epcot attraction The Universe of Energy.  This pavilion opened with the park in 1982, and featured as its centerpiece a ride through scenes of animatronic dinosaurs.  This attraction was updated as Ellen's Energy Adventure in 1996, featuring a new pre and post show starring Ellen Degeneres, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and Alex Trebek as themselves and Jamie Lee Curtis as Ellen's "rival" Judy.  An Ellen animatronic was also added to the dinosaur scenes.  This attraction closed in 2017 and the pavilion is currently being redone as part of a Guardians of the Galaxy ride.

Universe of Energy, June 1995

Universe of Energy, April 1999

Universe of Energy, March 2007

It should be noted, in the final few years, the Universe of Energy was not as well maintained and notorious broke down a lot.  This would include the final time I rode it in 2015, when we didn't get to see the ending film.

Universe of Energy, May 2015