Fantasia 2000 Analysis

Fantasia 2000 Fantasia 2000 is an animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation as a sequel to the original Fantasia first produced in the 1940’s. The film includes: Symphony No. 5 by Ludwig Van Beethoven, Pines of Rome by Ottorino Respighi, Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin, Piano Concerto No. 2, Allegro, Opus 102 by Dmitri Shostakovich, Carnival of the Animals, Finale by Camille Saint-Saens, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Dukas, Pomp and Circumstance, Marches 1, 2, 3, and 4 by Sir Edward Elgar, and Firebird Suite by Igor Stravinsky. All of which were performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and conducted by James Levine except for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, which was by an ensemble of Hollywood studio musicians conducted by Leopold Stokowski.
Coupling the music performed with an animated story evokes the imagination and brings the music to life. The film effectively uses tone color to the fullest, synchronizing the animation with the highs and low of the rhythm, pitch and melody to paint a story. While listening to the Pines of Rome, without the accompaniment of animation, I would have never thought of flying humpback whales, but the culmination of the migrating whales flying towards the stars at the ending of the piece really made you feel the music.
Watching the Sorcerer’s Apprentice brought about feelings of nostalgia from when I had last watched the original Fantasia as a child. The final piece, Firebird Suite, was by far my favorite. I thought of all the animation in the film, this one went perfectly with the composition. Disney effectively displayed the theme of Life, Death, and Rebirth, that gave new meaning and connection to Igor Stravinsky’s musical