Fantasia is one of the most ambitious projects in Walt Disney's career, and arguably in animation in general. A box office flop in 1940, it gradually found an audience and is, along with
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the only animation film included in the "100 Years... 100 Movies" drafted by the American Film Institute in 1997. It comes out on Blu-ray next Tuesday, along with its follow-up
Fantasia 2000, in the
Fantasia 2 Movie Collection. Blu-ray.com already has a
Fantasia Blu-ray review.
Interestingly, staff reviewer Kenneth Brown readily admits to enjoying
Fantasia 2000 "considerably more than the original," even though the original is widely considered superior. He sees issues in both of them, but they can be appreciated in their own right and "can be seen as arresting forays into unconventional animation."
On the video side, Disney "has invested considerable effort" in the restoration of these two movies and the results "are equally beautiful." He notes that the "controversial, racially charged frames" originally appearing in the
Pastoral Symphony segment of
Fantasia have not been reinstated, but he doesn't consider it a major issue at all. He suggests readers to "take a breath, put things in perspective and enjoy."
Regarding audio, each film boasts a lossless 7.1 soundtrack that is "impeccably mastered, utterly absorbing" and "surpasses expectation, drawing the listener into every whirlwind dervish and swirling symphony the pair have to offer."
The special features is the only downside Ken finds with this release, as a full five hours of supplemental content are only available via a BD-Live portal. "Ideally," reasons the reviewer, "all of the material would have a physical presence in the set — I'm not a big fan of limiting a fan's access to supplemental content, and completists will bemoan the hassle associated with special features that require an internet connection — but at least it's all accounted for."
On-disc special features include the animated short
Destino, a collaboration effort between Disney and Dali that didn't make it to
Fantasia, and which will be featured in an upcoming Blu-ray.com post.
Animation aficionados "are in for a real treat," says Ken, noting the "meticulous high definition overhauls" and "sublime video transfers, distinguished DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround tracks and generous suites of special features" these two movies have received. With the caveat of the BD-Live extras, "fans of
Fantasia and its sequel will certainly get their money's worth."