Do you know what's remarkable about Fantasia? The original Fantasia? It is basically nothing more than a series of AMVs, long before the acronym, "AMV" ever existed. In fact, A Hard Day's Night is often credited with introducing the world the concept of music videos. While the Beatles may've made the first live-action music videos, I believe Disney beat them to it, in the field of animated film no less.
Well, that's what Fantasia is: a series of shorts with no dialog, no sound, just music and visuals. The music is the script. And yet, some of those AMVs, if you will, still hold up even today. The Fantasia version of the Nutcracker Suite is memorable in its own right, the short done to Stravinsky's Rite of Spring had the most realistic depiction of dinosaurs ever prior to the release of Jurassic Park. And of course, the Night on Bald Mountain segment remains one of the most powerful scenes in cinema history.
And of course, let's not forget The Sorceror's Apprentice. The only piece that doesn't rip off classical musicians. The only segment that can be described as, pure Disney. It's not surprising that this short was used again in Fantasia 2000. It's, magical. What more can I say? And it also helps that the music reminds me of the Dragon Quest Symphonic Suites. (God, I'm such a whore for Koichi Sugiyama.)
Overall, I wouldn't say Fantasia is one of my favorite Disney movies of all time, but it is special in its own way. Hey, at least it beats all of those straight-to-video sequels, am I right?
