Fantasia 2000
Seen: 2000-04-29
Overall: ****
Cinematography: ****
Music: ****
Art: ****
Enjoyment: ****
Venue: United Artist Colorado Center IMAX
Medium: Silver Screen
Hmmmm. The first movielog entry for many an age, it would seem. Almost hard to remember how to go about these things. :)
Well, this was a family outing. Ya know, one of those occassions where four people try to get together for an evening, and it's considered a success if no one has been murdered by the time it's over. lol.
Seriously, though, this was a fun one. An excellent movie, to be sure. Yeah, yeah, Disney mindfuck experience and all. (And yes, after all the R-rated movies I have seen fit to review using mostly G-rated language, I now say "fuck" when reviewing a G-rated movie. Deal, okay?) Oh, btw, I am a psychic vampire, in case anyone was wondering.
Ok, I've been doing movielog-free ramblings for so long, I think I need a little refresher course in movielog style. STAY ON TOPIC. Ok. We're back to normal now. :)
This was a slightly unusual presentation, not only because it was a feature film being shown on an IMAX screen, but because it was introduced by an actual person. A real live flesh and blood reprentative of United Artist Theatres came out and gave an introduction to the audience. He talked briefly about the history of Fantasia, IMAX theatres, Walt Disney's idea for it, 35mm vs 70mm film, etc etc. Kind of interesting.
Another thing that was slightly odd, at least for someone accustomed to the atmosphere of IMAX at the Denver Museum of Natural History, was the melding of the traditional PBS-style IMAX focus on education, and the blatent commercialism of a "normal" movie theatre. For example, the IMAX I've always known never allowed any sort of food or drinks into the auditorium. Not so here. Being a UA theatre, popcorn, soda, nachos, and candy were all over the place. Also, seeing the pre-movie Coca-Cola Hollywood trivia slides on an IMAX screen was slightly disorienting to my sensibilities. (Thank goodness that at least they didn't try to fill the whole screen with those things.)
Once the lights went down, the film began promptly. No trailers.
It started with a psychedelic replay of narration from the original Fantasia, combined with fancy visuals of images flying through the air... Eh... Trying to describe it... just doesn't work. Ya just gotta see it to know. Very impressive though.
It then launched into Beethoven's 5th, performed by the Chicago Symphony, with abstract visuals which harkened back to the opening of classic Fantasia. Colors, shapes, movements of geometrical objects in sync with the music. Fun stuff.
Then came the whales which swam up into the sky. Impressive CGI animation, and I also enjoyed the little story. And of course, the music... always excellent.
The third number was a day in the life of several New York people, accompanied by Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. I really enjoyed this one. It's among my favorites from the whole movie (I haven't decided upon any one particular favorite, cause too many are just so good.) Kind of surprising, cause this one really did not go heavy on the effects and flash-bang rendering. In fact, the drawings of the characters could even be described as simple, especially in comparison with Disney animation productions.
I suppose part of the reason I liked this one so much was because I really like that song. Rhapsody in Blue. Mmmmm. But beyond that, it just felt like it had a lot of heart to it. I got into the characters. A slice of life. I liked it.
The flamingos with the yoyo. That was amusing. :)
Ah, and the steadfast soldier. That was really good. Animation... story... music... everything. Just excellent. :)
The Sorcerer's Apprentice. It translated to the huge screen well, all things considered. Yes, the graininess was evident when put in contrast with the new stuff, but once it gets going, and you get into what's going on, the age of the film, and ancient recording equipment of in the original production is barely noticable. It's the charm that counts. :) I'm glad it was included.
The Noah's Ark scene. An interesting interpretation. lol. Donald Duck gathers all the animals and herds them into the ark. But of course, him and Daisy get separated in all the confusion, and both go through the entire storm believing that the other was left behind. Then, at the end, when they're out of the ark, they discover each other again, and the rainbow appears. Aww, how romantic! lol. Hey, it is Disney. It's the artistry that counts here. And how many have ever imagined that they would see Donald Duck on an IMAX screen? Yes, it is quite the experience.
I really liked the final sequence, with the forest, the moose, and that wacky forest spirit thingee. That was just so cool! The imagery, so grand. And the music! Of course, the music.
IMO, this movie lived up to the ideals of the original. Yes, with a movie like this, I think the word "art" does apply, even if it does come out of a mega-corporation such as Disney. A ground-breaking innovation to the degree of Walt Disney's original? No. An excellent piece of film making, artistry, and music? Yes. :)
Hmmmm. The first movielog entry for many an age, it would seem. Almost hard to remember how to go about these things. :)
Well, this was a family outing. Ya know, one of those occassions where four people try to get together for an evening, and it's considered a success if no one has been murdered by the time it's over. lol.
Seriously, though, this was a fun one. An excellent movie, to be sure. Yeah, yeah, Disney mindfuck experience and all. (And yes, after all the R-rated movies I have seen fit to review using mostly G-rated language, I now say "fuck" when reviewing a G-rated movie. Deal, okay?) Oh, btw, I am a psychic vampire, in case anyone was wondering.
Ok, I've been doing movielog-free ramblings for so long, I think I need a little refresher course in movielog style. STAY ON TOPIC. Ok. We're back to normal now. :)
This was a slightly unusual presentation, not only because it was a feature film being shown on an IMAX screen, but because it was introduced by an actual person. A real live flesh and blood reprentative of United Artist Theatres came out and gave an introduction to the audience. He talked briefly about the history of Fantasia, IMAX theatres, Walt Disney's idea for it, 35mm vs 70mm film, etc etc. Kind of interesting.
Another thing that was slightly odd, at least for someone accustomed to the atmosphere of IMAX at the Denver Museum of Natural History, was the melding of the traditional PBS-style IMAX focus on education, and the blatent commercialism of a "normal" movie theatre. For example, the IMAX I've always known never allowed any sort of food or drinks into the auditorium. Not so here. Being a UA theatre, popcorn, soda, nachos, and candy were all over the place. Also, seeing the pre-movie Coca-Cola Hollywood trivia slides on an IMAX screen was slightly disorienting to my sensibilities. (Thank goodness that at least they didn't try to fill the whole screen with those things.)
Once the lights went down, the film began promptly. No trailers.
It started with a psychedelic replay of narration from the original Fantasia, combined with fancy visuals of images flying through the air... Eh... Trying to describe it... just doesn't work. Ya just gotta see it to know. Very impressive though.
It then launched into Beethoven's 5th, performed by the Chicago Symphony, with abstract visuals which harkened back to the opening of classic Fantasia. Colors, shapes, movements of geometrical objects in sync with the music. Fun stuff.
Then came the whales which swam up into the sky. Impressive CGI animation, and I also enjoyed the little story. And of course, the music... always excellent.
The third number was a day in the life of several New York people, accompanied by Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. I really enjoyed this one. It's among my favorites from the whole movie (I haven't decided upon any one particular favorite, cause too many are just so good.) Kind of surprising, cause this one really did not go heavy on the effects and flash-bang rendering. In fact, the drawings of the characters could even be described as simple, especially in comparison with Disney animation productions.
I suppose part of the reason I liked this one so much was because I really like that song. Rhapsody in Blue. Mmmmm. But beyond that, it just felt like it had a lot of heart to it. I got into the characters. A slice of life. I liked it.
The flamingos with the yoyo. That was amusing. :)
Ah, and the steadfast soldier. That was really good. Animation... story... music... everything. Just excellent. :)
The Sorcerer's Apprentice. It translated to the huge screen well, all things considered. Yes, the graininess was evident when put in contrast with the new stuff, but once it gets going, and you get into what's going on, the age of the film, and ancient recording equipment of in the original production is barely noticable. It's the charm that counts. :) I'm glad it was included.
The Noah's Ark scene. An interesting interpretation. lol. Donald Duck gathers all the animals and herds them into the ark. But of course, him and Daisy get separated in all the confusion, and both go through the entire storm believing that the other was left behind. Then, at the end, when they're out of the ark, they discover each other again, and the rainbow appears. Aww, how romantic! lol. Hey, it is Disney. It's the artistry that counts here. And how many have ever imagined that they would see Donald Duck on an IMAX screen? Yes, it is quite the experience.
I really liked the final sequence, with the forest, the moose, and that wacky forest spirit thingee. That was just so cool! The imagery, so grand. And the music! Of course, the music.
IMO, this movie lived up to the ideals of the original. Yes, with a movie like this, I think the word "art" does apply, even if it does come out of a mega-corporation such as Disney. A ground-breaking innovation to the degree of Walt Disney's original? No. An excellent piece of film making, artistry, and music? Yes. :)