This needs to be twice as long, maybe longer. So many things to explore about the intersection between animation, popular culture, classical music, and performance. What I like best about this series is placing the Disney story in a context, particularly a film context. Too often, Disney movies are looked at in a vacuum, as if they happened outside of time. It's important to remember that each film happened at a particular time and under specific circumstances, including trends in cinema. These videos go a long way toward restoring some balance. Keep up the excellent work.
I completely agree. Context is key. Hopefully, with the right resources, I can turn these videos into a helpful archiving tool. Your consideration and support help me a lot. Thanks!
Fantasia started as a Mickey Mouse short, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, in order to boost Mickey's popularity as it had faltered due to being overshadowed by his co-stars Donald Duck and Goofy. The short however got very expensive so it was decided to make it a part of a longer movie which was called The Concert Feature before gaining the final title of Fantasia.
I love your opening statement about classical music, Fantasia is probably my favorite Disney film & like the commenter below me stated this can be expanded upon so much more in terms of impact & importance. This also a great series you have going, keep it up!
Thank you so much! I agree, there's so much to expand upon. I hope this video can be just a brief introduction for people to then seek out their own analyses of the subject. Thanks again for watching!
when I was a little kid, I would play Fantasia over and over all day long dancing around to it. My sisters told me it was really weird and annoying, but I was obsessed.
I didn't know you could delve so deep into a Disney film! You're videos are incredibly entertaining and I don't understand why you don't have more views. Please keep up the good work- you've earned a new subscriber!
What's your thought on a film like Allegro Non Troppo?(often considered the Italian answer to Fantasia). I think it's interesting how Fantasia is considered a "pretentious film" by some, even though it was already trying to bridge together different audiences. Dancing hippos, elephants, ostriches, and alligators seem like a way to make the material more fun.
Thanks for asking! I think there are two critical camps with two opposite opinions on Fantasia. The crowd more familiar with the classical music world have expressed that some visuals in Fantasia trivialize some classical works and "dumb down" the culture. Then, you have the unfamiliar crowd who have felt they're being preached to, with this praise of high art/society elements and for Disney, that just didn't represent their influence on the public.’ As for Allegro Non Troppo, I think of it not only as a celebration of Italy's deep cultural history with classical music (something the US does not possess), but also of Europe's tongue-in-cheek experimental parody of Fantasia and its legacy. But it does have some beautiful, tragic, artful moments, so maybe it achieved just as much! Anyway, I'd love to know your thoughts on both!
@@DisneyInHonesty Thank you for the response! So this is a topic that actually made me think about a number of interrelated ideas: appealing to different audiences, what are the expectations for animation (comedic vs pathos vs art, etc.). For instance, one of Disney's rivals Max Fleischer felt that cartoons should be appreciated in their own right rather than trying to be "animated oil paintings". I see where he's coming from, but there's other aspects where I disagree. But in short: I really enjoy Fantasia for its ambition. Walt Disney and his studio was really trying to straddle this gap between art and accessibility. Music and animation have been intertwined for so long that Fantasia seems like this natural culmination. Seemingly high brow classical music and animated segments that provided a wide variety of emotions. Allegro Non Troppo seems to build on this legacy. Even though it's known as a parody, it's a really beautiful and creative film in its own right. Maybe even surpassing Fantasia in terms of variety. If possible, I'd like to share a more thorough response with you through email or another contact platform.
Really great videos so far. I've noticed that you seem to be doing an essay on a theme related to each animated film in release order. Is that the plan? If so, I've very intrigued with what you will come up with for some of the lesser-known war-years compilation films.
Thanks! Yup, that's the plan. I've been giving a lot of thought to the Make Mine Music/Fun & Fancy Free/Melody Time trio, and I've got a feeling I'll be combining those into the one essay. But for the rest, there's a lot to work with if you ask me!
The Grandfather of Western Music Johann Sebastian Bach was no elite, he was a simple church Organist. Yet he laid the foundation for the modern systems of music now used. He represents the perfection of a style, a style that is admired even today. Even Handel, who was had the popular longevity was from the common folk, whose great piece Messiah, while not as dramatically grand as Bach's Passions was both a literary and technical masterpiece expressed in song.
I really like the idea of taking classical music out of its assumed "elite" context, because it's definitely a genre of music that can be appreciated by anyone. Fantasia is one of my all-time favorite movies and it was the thing to actually get me interested in classical music. To this day, I still picture the faeries and fish and mushrooms when I hear the Nutcracker, rather than the traditional characters of the ballet. I wonder how a new Fantasia would do today, if it would be something released only on Disney+ or if they'd attempt a massive gamble and try an IMAX release. (The latter would be amazing, but highly unlikely.) Side-note: I had no idea that Walt Disney's father was a socialist and supporter of Debs. There's a deep irony in that, considering Walt spent his career cementing some of the major contours of cultural capitalism (and he even threw union-organizers and socialists under the bus during the House Un-American Activities hearings). My hope is that if the workers at Disney ever get to a point where they seek unionization across the company (or even a kind of socialist democratization of the company, à la the worker cooperatives of Mondragon and others), they'll use the slogan "What Would Walt's Dad've Done?" 😂
If you look at the movies Disney made during the 40s you see mostly bland little crowd pleasers mixed with a few odd stabs at something sophisticated - those "sophisticated" moments feel way more pretentious than anything in Fantasia, because you can tell neither Disney or the animators have much passion for it. You can almost feel the business Disney fighting the artistic Disney - but by the 50s he'd made up his mind, no more highbrow content or high-art ambitions, now we just make cheerful, family-friendly entertainment. And unfortunately that's the label Disney has been stuck with to today.
In "The Man Who Came to Dinner" (a play from 1941) the main character gets a phone call from Walt Disney and says "Stop blaming yourself about Fantasia - everyone knows Beethoven hasn't had a hit in years!"
This needs to be twice as long, maybe longer. So many things to explore about the intersection between animation, popular culture, classical music, and performance. What I like best about this series is placing the Disney story in a context, particularly a film context. Too often, Disney movies are looked at in a vacuum, as if they happened outside of time. It's important to remember that each film happened at a particular time and under specific circumstances, including trends in cinema. These videos go a long way toward restoring some balance. Keep up the excellent work.
I completely agree. Context is key. Hopefully, with the right resources, I can turn these videos into a helpful archiving tool. Your consideration and support help me a lot. Thanks!
Fantasia started as a Mickey Mouse short, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, in order to boost Mickey's popularity as it had faltered due to being overshadowed by his co-stars Donald Duck and Goofy. The short however got very expensive so it was decided to make it a part of a longer movie which was called The Concert Feature before gaining the final title of Fantasia.
I love your opening statement about classical music, Fantasia is probably my favorite Disney film & like the commenter below me stated this can be expanded upon so much more in terms of impact & importance. This also a great series you have going, keep it up!
Thank you so much! I agree, there's so much to expand upon. I hope this video can be just a brief introduction for people to then seek out their own analyses of the subject. Thanks again for watching!
when I was a little kid, I would play Fantasia over and over all day long dancing around to it. My sisters told me it was really weird and annoying, but I was obsessed.
Your best so far. I’d appreciate an even deeper look.
I didn't know you could delve so deep into a Disney film! You're videos are incredibly entertaining and I don't understand why you don't have more views. Please keep up the good work- you've earned a new subscriber!
What's your thought on a film like Allegro Non Troppo?(often considered the Italian answer to Fantasia). I think it's interesting how Fantasia is considered a "pretentious film" by some, even though it was already trying to bridge together different audiences. Dancing hippos, elephants, ostriches, and alligators seem like a way to make the material more fun.
Thanks for asking! I think there are two critical camps with two opposite opinions on Fantasia. The crowd more familiar with the classical music world have expressed that some visuals in Fantasia trivialize some classical works and "dumb down" the culture.
Then, you have the unfamiliar crowd who have felt they're being preached to, with this praise of high art/society elements and for Disney, that just didn't represent their influence on the public.’
As for Allegro Non Troppo, I think of it not only as a celebration of Italy's deep cultural history with classical music (something the US does not possess), but also of Europe's tongue-in-cheek experimental parody of Fantasia and its legacy. But it does have some beautiful, tragic, artful moments, so maybe it achieved just as much!
Anyway, I'd love to know your thoughts on both!
@@DisneyInHonesty Thank you for the response!
So this is a topic that actually made me think about a number of interrelated ideas: appealing to different audiences, what are the expectations for animation (comedic vs pathos vs art, etc.). For instance, one of Disney's rivals Max Fleischer felt that cartoons should be appreciated in their own right rather than trying to be "animated oil paintings". I see where he's coming from, but there's other aspects where I disagree.
But in short: I really enjoy Fantasia for its ambition. Walt Disney and his studio was really trying to straddle this gap between art and accessibility. Music and animation have been intertwined for so long that Fantasia seems like this natural culmination. Seemingly high brow classical music and animated segments that provided a wide variety of emotions.
Allegro Non Troppo seems to build on this legacy. Even though it's known as a parody, it's a really beautiful and creative film in its own right. Maybe even surpassing Fantasia in terms of variety.
If possible, I'd like to share a more thorough response with you through email or another contact platform.
Really great videos so far. I've noticed that you seem to be doing an essay on a theme related to each animated film in release order. Is that the plan? If so, I've very intrigued with what you will come up with for some of the lesser-known war-years compilation films.
Thanks! Yup, that's the plan. I've been giving a lot of thought to the Make Mine Music/Fun & Fancy Free/Melody Time trio, and I've got a feeling I'll be combining those into the one essay. But for the rest, there's a lot to work with if you ask me!
I honestly couldn't keep a smile down as the video started.
Fantasia is one of my favorite Disney movies and it’s a shame that it wasn’t a success when it was released in 1940.
The Grandfather of Western Music Johann Sebastian Bach was no elite, he was a simple church Organist. Yet he laid the foundation for the modern systems of music now used.
He represents the perfection of a style, a style that is admired even today. Even Handel, who was had the popular longevity was from the common folk, whose great piece Messiah, while not as dramatically grand as Bach's Passions was both a literary and technical masterpiece expressed in song.
Amazing work, loving the series! Keep it up :)
Ironic that a socialist father produced a son who built one of the greatest capitalist empires ever.
I know right? There's rebelling against your parents, and then there's this...
I really like the idea of taking classical music out of its assumed "elite" context, because it's definitely a genre of music that can be appreciated by anyone. Fantasia is one of my all-time favorite movies and it was the thing to actually get me interested in classical music. To this day, I still picture the faeries and fish and mushrooms when I hear the Nutcracker, rather than the traditional characters of the ballet. I wonder how a new Fantasia would do today, if it would be something released only on Disney+ or if they'd attempt a massive gamble and try an IMAX release. (The latter would be amazing, but highly unlikely.)
Side-note: I had no idea that Walt Disney's father was a socialist and supporter of Debs. There's a deep irony in that, considering Walt spent his career cementing some of the major contours of cultural capitalism (and he even threw union-organizers and socialists under the bus during the House Un-American Activities hearings). My hope is that if the workers at Disney ever get to a point where they seek unionization across the company (or even a kind of socialist democratization of the company, à la the worker cooperatives of Mondragon and others), they'll use the slogan "What Would Walt's Dad've Done?" 😂
Fantasia 2000 belongs in the Disney Renaissance as the last film
If you look at the movies Disney made during the 40s you see mostly bland little crowd pleasers mixed with a few odd stabs at something sophisticated - those "sophisticated" moments feel way more pretentious than anything in Fantasia, because you can tell neither Disney or the animators have much passion for it. You can almost feel the business Disney fighting the artistic Disney - but by the 50s he'd made up his mind, no more highbrow content or high-art ambitions, now we just make cheerful, family-friendly entertainment. And unfortunately that's the label Disney has been stuck with to today.
In "The Man Who Came to Dinner" (a play from 1941) the main character gets a phone call from Walt Disney and says "Stop blaming yourself about Fantasia - everyone knows Beethoven hasn't had a hit in years!"