"Maestro, please......."

Fantasia (1940)

After wetting my whistle with Disney's first two classics, I now move on to the double black diamond slalom of Walt's mountain of animated canon. Fantasia remains to be one of those movies where you either adore it, or hate it. In my case, being the former. It really fits in a genre all it's own, despite it's huge influence on today's Disney established culture.
Fantasia is the perfect example of one very overlooked, but important trait of Walt Disney, which was his innovative tendencies. Throughout his entire career, Walt was always pushing the envelope with flagship ideas that were revolutionary for his time. In this case, pairing a night at the symphony with a night at the movies. For the art world, it was a moment of brilliance........ for the movie-going public.....not so much. And the box office sales spoke that loud and clear. It was another 30 years until it really gained popularity with it's psychedelic imagery striking a chord with the hippie movement of the late sixties.
When I was finally introduced to Fantasia, it opened my young aspiring artist eyes as wide as could be. It was strange and entrancing with imagery that was narrated purely by orchestral music. It, more than any other movie from my childhood, instilled and awakened the artist within me. Every time I watched it, which I'm not ashamed to admit was hundreds of times, I did so with paper and pencil in hand, ready to translate each form of inspiration that it would create while I watched. Revisiting this movie was honestly like seeing an old friend.
It's mind blowing to think that a movie such as this, came out in a pre World War II America. It just goes to show how ahead of his time Walt was. Surreal imagery, dancing zoo animals, even two animated pieces showing science's prehistoric earth and the infamous "Night on Bald Mountain" with it's demonic imagery. It's crazy to think this came out seventy four years ago.
To me, this is, arguably, Disney's masterpiece. It was way ahead of it's time, and paved the way for a future where animation could be seen as art. And inspired a whole new generation of kids, like I was, who saw the potential of where a piece of paper and a pencil could take you when you let your imagination run wild.
Although some of you readers may groan at the thought, I highly recommend taking another look at this movie that you most likely passed over as a child. Despite it's reputation as being a little too out there, you would really have to be a fool not to admire some of the fantastic works of art contained within it's two hour span. And if you're a music lover, you'll already have common ground.
I had a laugh out loud moment while watching, as the narrator introduced "The Nutcracker Suite" as a piece of music from a ballet that is 'hardly performed anymore.' Clearly, the 1940 world of ballet was not what it is today, since that piece of music is what almost anyone would associate with it. Once again, showing how much of an influence Disney had in shaping today's culture.
Fantasia is a journey through your imagination with a symphony at the steering wheel, waiting to lead you to some pretty fantastic places. So take a chance, and go somewhere outside the standard box. You may even like it.