Fantasia: a Disney film that everyone should watch

 Fantasia: an underrated Disney gem

Disney’s Fantasia (1940) is definitely a film which sticks out when you look at Disney’s archive. If you aren’t already familiar with Fantasia I can’t recommend it enough, I genuinely believe it’s one of Disney’s most underrated films. It’s a literal symphony of music and visual art, storytelling and aesthetics. It’s pure escapism. 

We all know Disney isn’t just for children. (In fact, Fantasia was initially intended to be a series of films which routinely introduced audiences old and young alike to classical music.) These films are a showcase of great artistic talents coming together on a project which has the power to move audiences of all ages and generations. Fantasia does precisely that, combining the musical compositions of a range of classical composers, performances of the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski, and the creative work of countless animators and artists. The fact that this film is a team effort is not something that’s only relevant to Fantasia, though, and in fact I think Fantasia’s place in Disney’s oeuvre is a powerful reminder that all of their films are the result of huge teams of people working to produce works of art for audiences. And the fact that Fantasia is the kind of film that gets better with time is another element of that power. More than eighty years on from its initial release and audiences still recognise iconic pieces from the film, like The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Night on Bald Mountain. 

Something I really love about Fantasia is the fact that not every piece tells a story. Yes, the story pieces are probably the ones which stick in the memory most clearly, but the pieces which are just a pure expression of how music can move us to create visual art are sometimes the ones that are most moving because they feel unrefined and true. And as a dancer, I also love the way that music and art are brought together in what (sometimes quite literally) translates into colours and shapes and characters dancing on screen. What could be more natural than to combine music and art to form dancing hippos, elephants, crocodiles, mushrooms and flowers? 

In 2000, Disney released a second version of Fantasia, simply called Fantasia 2000, which I actually only watched very recently for the first time. In it, the same commitment is made to the celebration of the arts in their various forms and the artists who create those works. One of my personal favourites is George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, set in New York and following an extraordinary day in the lives of a few different but strangely connected characters as their dreams finally come true. It’s a fantasy of dream-fulfilment that only Disney can make you believe in, and it warms the heart. 

If there’s any reason to watch Fantasia today it’s to lose yourself in a world of music and art and storytelling. It’s to be swept away, enjoy the music, let your imagination run away with you, and forget about the real world, if only for a couple of hours.