My biggest problems with the film are pretty simple and they are these: a lack of narrative and the use of color.
I understand that the film is supposed to be a collection of animated shorts accompanying famous orchestrations, but there was just nothing that tied them all together, unless you count the narrator, which I do not. Even more, some of the shorts seemed to lack their own beginning, middle, and end. Maybe the animators at Disney wanted to highlight the music and in doing so, chose to let the individual narratives take a backseat for this one. Admittedly, I need a strong story to really invest in a film and this one fell short, because I don't think it was really trying for that. Nevertheless, my high expectations have very often been met by Disney.
Then there was the use of color. I'm not sure if the color hasn't aged well, though I suspect it has been remastered several times at this point, but many of the color choices and combinations remind me of fever dreams. They're unpleasant and creepy. I'm talking most specifically about Rite of Spring, which chronicles primitive life on earth through the Dinosaur age. For me, there has always been something really bothersome about monochromatic scenes such as these in movies. There's something haunting and unpleasant about them.
I know that I have thus far focused on what I didn't like, so I want to focus on a few things that ultimately did work. In my mind, the two most successful (and thus enjoyable) shorts were The Sorcerer's Apprentice and The Pastoral Symphony.
Interestingly, The Sorcerer's Apprentice was made by Walt Disney and was to have served as Mickey's comeback, originally intended as a standalone short. Mickey Mouse shorts were very popular in the early 1930's, but declined in popularity as the decade progressed, so it was Walt Disney's hope that The Sorcerer's Apprentice would turn around Mickey's fortune. But as Disney worked to perfect the short, costs skyrocketed and ultimately would have hurt the animated short's chances of the being successful. So, it was decided that it would be included in a feature-length film and hence the birth of Fantasia.
Knowing that background now (after I had finished the film), I understand why that short in particular made an impression on me. It was the most tried and tested of the eight that comprise this film and more than that it was designed around a character, whereas the others were created around a song. The orchestration for The Sorcerer's Apprentice, as we are told by the narrator, was specifically written for it. Had the other seven shorts been written around a character it's possible that I might have found them more enjoyable, because there would have been a larger journey to follow. Or maybe if they had contained more recognizable characters like Donald, Goofy, or Minnie, I would have been more interested. Oh well.
One last note, supposedly Disney (the company) has decided to create a new film around Mickey which would take him back to his more mischievous ways as seen in shorts like The Sorcerer's Apprentice.
The Pastoral Symphony is my second favorite of the shorts, because unlike several others the characters remain rather consistently throughout, in others they merely disappear. And here the characters are more enjoyable, because we follow them through somewhat of a story arc. We see youth, growing up, love, conflict, and resolution.
In conclusion, I can't say I loved this film. The charm I have come to love about other Disney films just isn't here in the way that I am accustomed. It also seems to have been written for a more mature audience than most, too, which gives it a more harsh edge. There are some good moments within, but I suppose I'd just as likely watch those individually from the rest.
Next week brings me to Dumbo, who was supposedly based on Jumbo, the Tufts mascot, and for those of you who know me, Tufts is my alma mater.
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