Fantasia

FANTASIA (COLOUR, 1940) 

Director: 

Wilfred Jackson, Samuel Jackson, Walt Disney and many others

Cast: 

Deems Taylor, Leopold Stokowski, Walt Disney and Corey Burton

Ages: 

4 and up 

Plot: 

Musical versions of different music pieces of many composers, of tunes such as "The Rite of Spring". They are split into three different types of music pieces: Music which tells a story, music with dance and music which plays for its own sake. It features many pieces of music as well as dances, which are entertaining to youngsters, but may make adults fall asleep. 

The dancing mushrooms in Fantasia.

Why it’s good: 

Because it is a kids’ musical world. No adult or teenager can picture flying elephants in the sky or fairies which can turn the things they touch into the colour they are.

In fact, only toddlers can believe such ridiculous things. Well, my youngest sister did believe Walt Disney’s imaginary kids’ world like he wanted young toddlers to believe.

Well, the music is actually nice to adult’s ears, like "The Rite of Spring” number as well as “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”, featuring Walt Disney’s voice as Mickey Mouse.

The film sets an extremely healthy base for a good imagination. Walt Disney and his fellow producers and directors were pretty good at releasing the imagination in children.

My youngest sister believes in fairies, and I envy her for it. When she watched this film, she was pretty amazed to learn that adults did know children like her loved fairies and the rest of the mystical characters in this film, such as dancing flowers, dancing elephants, dancing ostriches, dancing hippopotamuses and even dancing mushrooms.

Disney sets the stage of this film with introductions by Deems Taylor and Corey Burton. As the stage is set, get ready for Fantasia, Disney’s arguably best ride of a lifetime!

Parent’s guide: 

There is nothing at all except several under-dressed fairies. But remember this is animation. Some wine is being consumed, but that is part of Greek mythology. For those under 5, you may need to guide them through.   

Trivia: 

In this film, there are no closing credits of any kind. There is even absence of the closing words "THE END".

If you like this…: 

Always there and just as popular is the  recent Fantasia 2000. Melody time (1948) is another Disney-produced title with the same objectives in entertaining.