Fantasia 2000

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More ambitious in scope than any of its other animated films (before or to come), Disney's 1940 Fantasia was a dizzying, magical, and highly enjoyable marriage of classical music and animated images. Fantasia 2000 features some breathtaking animation and storytelling, and in a few spots soars to wonderful high points, but it still more often than not has the feel of walking in its predecessor's footsteps as opposed to creating its own path. A family of whales swimming and soaring to Respighi's The Pines of Rome is magical to watch, but ends all too soon; a forest sprite's dance of life, death, and rebirth to Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring too clearly echoes the original Fantasia's Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria sequence. But when it's on target, Fantasia 2000 is glorious enough to make you giddy. Hans Christian Andersen's "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" is a perfect narrative set to Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2, and Donald Duck's guest appearance as the assistant to Noah (of ark fame) set to Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance marches is a welcome companion piece (though not an equal) to The Sorcerer's Apprentice, the one original Fantasia piece included here. The high point of Fantasia 2000, though, is a fantastic day-in-the-life sequence of 1930s New York City set to Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and animated in the style of cartoonist Al Hirschfeld; it's a perfect melding of music, story, and animation. Let's hope future Fantasias (reportedly in the works) take a cue from the best of this compilation. The music is provided by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by James Levine, interspersed with negligible intros by Steve Martin, Bette Midler, Itzhak Perlman, James Earl Jones, and others. --Mark Englehart

Customer Reviews:

Much more enjoyable than the dated original.......2007-07-23

As much as I enjoyed the original Fantasia, this new installment tops it. Fantasia 2000 is much more bright, entertaining, and re-watchable. 2000 prefers upbeat and even humorous animation to the slow and often gloomy sequences that saturated the original. The vibrant colors and dramatic song intros are welcome and significant improvements over the dark animation and dry, dull silhouettes of the first. The animation matches the music to a much greater level of detail, offers drama and humor, and does not demand nearly as much patience. The Sorcerer's Apprentice is really the only piece that could stand up to Fantasia 2000's selection, and even this classic reveals the weaknesses of the original Fantasia.

The Art Form Of The Future.......2007-04-27

It's interesting to note that while the entertainment industry is bellyaching about piracy and the copying of DVDs, Disney being among the loudest bawlers, you can't buy a new copy of this marvelous DVD for love or money, either here or at Disney's own store, and the price for a used copy is higher than that of most new movies. Apparently the demand is there, but Disney doesn't care about supply. Disney is said to put their movies in "a vault," bringing them out only every ten years, but other animated features such as "Kronk's new Groove" (2005) and "Mickey's House of Villains" (2002) are readily available. Meanwhile, free segments of "Fantasia 2000" are being given away on YouTube. Smart.

I may've paid top dollar for my copy of "Fantasia 2000" but I have no buyer's remorse, as it's a great show. Those who remember the original (1940) "Fantasia" as something suitable only for children and the anile would be well advised to take a look at this production. The quality of the animation is at Disney's highest standards, but the concepts and the images depicted are far more sophisticated than almost any other animated feature I've seen, the sole exception being Tomek Baginski's "The Cathedral."

This sets the standard of what can be done in presenting visuals to serious music. When classical music is shown on television, there is absolutely nothing original or creative about the camera work, as they use the same shots they've used since the 1940s. There is the master shot of the orchestra, and each time an individual instrument or section makes an entrance, there is a close-up, as if to assure you that, Yah, dot iz ah trumpet. There is always the mandatory close-up of the mallets whenever the timpani has a roll, and you get to see the conductor waving his arms and making faces at the orchestra - none of which augments my enjoyment of Beethoven at all. The Naxos company is selling videos of rustic European towns and landscapes providing the visuals for the classics, but such a slide show is as dull as . . . as a slide show.

But this is different. The combination of images in motion, coordinated to the music, and intelligent story lines really do compliment the great music, and the most popular chapter, Respighi's "The Pines of Rome," is especially inspired. If your idea of "aht" is Jackson Pollock or Karen Finley, you may not feel exhilarated by it, but for the rest of us, it is American art at its finest.

Of interest to audiophiles is the astonishing sound of this DVD. As CDs were an obvious improvement over the sound of LPs (disputed only by the senile), the sound of the best DVDs is as much an improvement over CDs, and the sound here is spectacular. There is, I would judge, no compression and no limit to the frequency response. My 18-inch Velodyne HGS subwoofer has trouble reproducing the ultra-low frequencies at the beginning of "The Pines of the Appian Way," so those playing it on toy computer speakers should take caution.

This is a genuine work of art fit for grownups - now if only Disney would market it.

Walt Disney originally meant Fantasia to evolve.......2007-04-12

I don't see anything wrong with the Disney Studio's attempts on relishing the Disney legacy. Walt Disney meant to have his Fantasia concept expand, explore, and evolve. . from time to time. And it was done, and it was good!
I grew up with the original Fantasia in full spectrum. First seeing the dinosaur excerpt in school and narrated as primeval documentary. Later I discovered it was from Walt Disney's Fantasia, and bought the special (back then) 3 vinyl album released by Buena Vista. I still have it in storage, because I loved it. It contained illustrated insert program introducing all the sequences, and had incredible photos of Mr. Walt Disney and the conductor, Leopold Stokowski. I never drew on the program, although I was no more than 13. I saw the special re-releases of Fantasia on the movie big screen, and have been to Disneyland countless times to view the Main Street techniques of ancient art. During all this course, I pretty much saw nearly all of Walt Disney movies, and was a devoted watcher of his "Wonderful World Of Color", plus the infamous Mickey Mouse Club five days a week in the afternoons. I have also met Mr. Walt Disney briefly on rare occasion back in the very early 60's. I would sit and listen to Julie Andrew's original "Mary Poppins" soundtrack so much, I wore it out. Finally I bought a digitally remastered two volume cassette of the original Fantasia at the Tomorrowland souvenir shop back in 1990, and when I visit Disneyland the 20th Century Music Shop on Main Street (by the cinema) is a must stop for me.
The original Fantasia was classic, revolutionary art form, and a milestone for Walt Disney, and incredibly "gutsy." I have absolutely no ill feelings, or misgivings for this particular sequel, because at least it's earnst. The only critical thing I had was the unusual focus on the piano play, but other than that (I first saw this in Imax), I now own it on video (VHS original copy issue) and place it with all my other Disney showcases. I like it, simply put, and I don't even mind the star pre-commentary because at least they get on with it. The music is fabulous, and it can grow on you on special days of the year. My favorite piece is the Magic Bird Of Fire. I almost cry on this one, those sultry violins hit me real hard having lived the Disney life. Plan to go again, this summer (Disney Resort, Ca.). Anyone ready for Fantasia 2050?

The movie that came out in 1940 is better!.......2007-03-11

Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" is one of my favorite musical pieces ever and I
loved the jazz era New York City setting that goes with this segment. And of course "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is a much loved classic episode even more beloved by Micky's appearance as the sorcerer in the current night time extravaganza at some Disney parks. But why not watch this story on the original FANTASIA? Though Fantasia 2000 does have its worthy moments it can not compare to the groundbreaking original and is really quite unnecessary.

"Fantasia 2000" was a whoopee-cushion........2007-01-29

F2K represents what's wrong with Disney. Yes, Walt did intend for "Fantasia" to be a perpetually-updated film, and yes, the production values are above the industry standard. However, this is where all the goodness ends.

First of all, the idea itself is another manifestation of Disney's grave-robbing. Not just recycling "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (yes, I know that the original concept called for some of the segments to come, go, and return), but the whole concept. We seem to be getting these direct-to-video part II and part III of their classic cannon. Come on! This is obvious exploiting of their thirty- and forty-year old cash cows . Fortunately, Disney has surrendered everything to Pixar, so hopefully the new blood will help.

Then there was the tedious drip of self-congratulating cameos. A host, be it Rod Serling in "Twilight Zone," Cecil B. DeMille in "The Ten Commandments," or Deems Taylor from the original "Fantasia," unifies the disparate stories, thereby allowing the movie to flow from segment to segment. What we got was a jangly kaleidoscope of talking heads and forced humor that would only appeal to missing links.

Lastly, you had a celebration of the ugly-absurd: flamingoes with yo-yos, flying whales (very Politically Correct), flying fat men (it was funny in "Dune" but not here), and the odd environmental piece at the end. OK--volcanoes are part of nature, "red in tooth and claw" just as much as the green flatfish-sprite. Destruction is part of nature, just as it is part of life. To preserve the forest (more Political Correctness again), therefore, is unnatural.

This is Disney's overall problem: it used to be good, then Walt died; it slumped, then it used to be good when Eisner was hired in the 1980's; it has now slumped again, and hopefully Pixar can get them out. However, in the mean time we are stuck with a likeable brad name--and nothing else.

(In fact, every time I see a Pixar movie, I always think "Disney used to make films like this. USED to.")

I do congratulate them on the wonderful way they brought to life Al Hirschfeld's distinct style. It was a wonderful marriage of period music to period art, and in a way, it almost saves the project. However, the storytelling left much to be desires. The Flying Fat Man seemed out of place--even for a cartoon. And the characters seemed clichéd and flat. They managed the threads well, and story worked on a Movie-of-the Week level, but more was desired.

The "Pomp and Circumstance" segment comes close to the feel of the original. We had a familiar piece of music, that we associate with processionals. The processional, in turn, became the procession of animals to Noah's Ark. The subplot of the missing Donald was genuinely tender, considering the danger--and if we willfully suspend disbelief about a duck being able to fly and swim. And the scene with the dragons and unicorns was hilarious, a joke my mother had been telling me since I was a lad.

The film was a technical masterpiece, and it had its moments. But the annoying interlude gags had a "gala celebration" feel to it. But what was missing was a sense of "we are approaching beauty" which the first film emanated. "Fantasia" was about visually interpreting classical music--a high concept film combining art, music, and culture. "Fantasia 2000" was a whoopee-cushion.

Or a flamingo with a yo-yo.

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Wonderful Classic Movie
Still love the Pagemaster
Underrated Genius!
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE LIBRARY
the page master

The Pagemaster
Starring: Macaulay Culkin , Canan J. Howell , Alexis Kirschner , Jessica Kirschner , and Guy Mansker
Director: Pixote Hunt , Joe Johnston , and Maurice Hunt
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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ASIN: B000062XG2
Release Date: 2002-05-28

Amazon.com

A blend of live-action and animation, this film centers on a fearful young boy (Macaulay Culkin) afraid to experience life because he's calculated the odds of an accident for every known activity. Chased by bullies, he winds up at the local library, where a bump on the head sends him into an animated universe, where his best friends are walking, talking books voiced by, among others, Patrick Stewart and Whoopi Goldberg. The Pagemaster (Christopher Lloyd) points the way to the exit, but the boy must first traverse the adventures of literary history, encountering everyone from Dr. Jekyll to Captain Ahab to Long John Silver. The animation is middling, but a worthy message makes this better children's entertainment than you'd expect. How can you fault a movie that encourages kids to pick up a book? --Marshall Fine

Description

Seeking refuge from a storm, timid Richard Tyler enters an empty library only to be swept away into the magical animated world of the Pagemaster. It's a timeless place of wonder and discovery where legendary characters from literary classics come alive. Richard meets the infamous "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide" and comes face to face with the mighty "Moby Dick," the treacherous pirates on "Treasure Island" an a giant fire - breathing dragon, Guided by a trio of talking books - Adventure, Fantasy and horror - Richard must conquer his greatest fears before he can find his way home.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Classic Movie.......2007-03-13

This movie I first watched when I was (...). My mom was a nanny for a boy and he brought it over one afternoon. We watched it, and I LOVED it. Over the years, I wondered what that movie was that I had seen and I have asked the boy, now a teen if he remembered it. He did, but didn't know the name. The only part I could distinctly remember was the change for real life to animation. I remember loving the entire film and parts of the adventure. One day, while scrolling around on (...), I discovered this film and I knew it was the movie. Well, I love it now, just as much as I did over 15 years ago.

Still love the Pagemaster.......2007-02-07

I have it on VHS and my little one wanted to watch he loved it so much that I went out and bought the DVD for him. Still a great movie after all these years.

Underrated Genius!.......2006-09-25

This film is a masterpiece and is well shot, well animated, well casted, and well acted. Macaulay Culkin turns in a wonderful performance which is his best since the first two Home Alone movies. Christopher Lloyd is also great and everyone else is accurate too. Give this film a try with an open mind and judge for yourself weather it is your kind of film.

P.S. Thgis is also a veery good DVD with a good transfer.

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE LIBRARY.......2006-01-30

Hot off the success of the HOME ALONE movies, Macaulay Culkin is cast as a friendless reclusive little boy who wanders into a strange library to get out of a storm and encounters the Pagemaster, who turns him into an illustration/cartoon. There he meets three books: Adventure (the delightful Patrick Stewart); Fantasy (voice vet Whoopi Goldberg); and the hysterical Horror (a funny Frank Welker). In order to get to the exit sign, Culkin must brave all three genres, where he meets Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Leonard Nimoy); Long John Silver (George Hearn); and a firebreathing dragon. Ed Begley Jr. and Mel Harris have brief roles as Culkin's parents.
While hardly an animated classic, the movie's encouragement for children to become familiar with books is inspiring and the overall movie is entertaining.

the page master.......2005-09-12

yes i got the dvd BUT IT WILL NOT WORK ON MY DVD PLAYER AS IT IS IN THE CODE 1 AND WE CAN NOT GET IT TO WORK SO WHEN YOU SEAND THESE THING DONT YOU THINK YOU SHUD PUT THEM IN THE PLACE IT IS GOING TO SO AS YOU SEE I DONT NO WHAT IT IS LIKE AS IN AUSTRALIA IT IS REAGEN 4

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There But For the Grace of God.......
A Hope for other "Pixotes"
Graphic, truth, brilliant
Must see.....
Real Streets

Pixote
Starring: Fernando Ramos Da Silva , Jorge Julião , Gilberto Moura , Edilson Lino , and Zenildo Oliveira Santos
Director: Hector Babenco
Manufacturer: New Yorker Video
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ASIN: B000056PNB
Release Date: 2001-06-05

Amazon.com

Hector Babenco, who went on to direct the acclaimed Kiss of the Spiderwoman, made an international splash with this gritty portrait of juvenile poverty and street crime in Brazil. Pixote (Portuguese slang for "Peewee") is the name of a chubby-cheeked 10-year-old runaway played by real-life slum kid Fernando Ramos da Silva. He's a natural, creating a childlike and vulnerable character left emotionally hardened and morally adrift by his brutal experiences. In an overcrowded São Paulo "reform school," a cross between a prison and an army barracks, he learns the hard facts of survival as he watches gangs prey on weaker kids, and the cops and guards abuse, beat, and even murder their charges. Pixote escapes and turns to street crime in Rio with a small gang, but his dreams of big money and a good life are dashed as they play at crime in a violent kill-or-be-killed world. Equal parts exposé and social drama, Pixote dramatizes the plight of millions of children who live on the streets or get ground up in the system that breeds hardened criminals from juvenile delinquents. Like Luis Buñuel's Los Olvidados, one of Babenco's inspirations, this occasionally melodramatic portrait of poverty is shocking and affecting, but no more so than da Silva's own life story. After completing the film he sank back into poverty and crime, and died on the streets. His life became the subject of the 1996 film Who Killed Pixote?, which showed that despite the outcry created by Pixote, Brazil has done little to alleviate these conditions. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

There But For the Grace of God..............2006-08-11

This is a part of the world we live in. We have all played a part in not only creating this world, but allowing it to continue. Each and every day, with the choices we make, we either tear each other down or we build each other up. I happen to believe that we are responsible for each other. If we see a film like this and we take it to heart, then how can we be so self-indulgent and uncaring toward our fellow human beings? How can I buy an expensive car or TV or suit of clothes when there are people like this in the world? Can't I do something better with my money? When you witness these powerful and horrifying images, you get a chilling sense of what hell must be like.

Babenco, though he would probably deny it, is a true prophet. No, not in the sense of predicting the future, but in the mere act of sharing reality with us. He is telling the brutal, unvarnished truth. Many of us are uncomfortable with the truth. And so we make fun or ignore or hate those who deliver it. We would all be wise to heed these prophets.

These children happened to be born when and where they were, in the midst of hell. They did not choose this; who in their right mind would? I happened to be born in relative comfort and ease, in upper-middle class America. I have always had huge advantages over most of the people on this earth, simply because I have never been hungry. Do I think that God does not expect much of me because of this disparity? I would be a fool to think so. Therefore, I need to do what I can to make this world more equal. Why should I have everything I would ever need, and most people on earth not even have enough to eat? There is something dreadfully wrong here.

As Americans we need to do everything we can to help those who have so little in this world. In a way, we should thank God for these poor unfortunates because they have a way of helping us see what our priorities should be. They are Jesus on the road to Calvary. Do we stop and help them? Do we carry the cross? Do we wipe the brow, and give water to drink? If we do not, we reject God. And then God, in the fulness of time, will allow us to exist without him.

A Hope for other "Pixotes".......2005-07-12

The film Pixote depicts the real life crisis that is life for millions of street children in the world. This includes murder, corruption, rape, and countless other tragedies. This movie is a window into the world that exists for millions of real children. If you are interested in helping people who are in these situations, check out YWAM Brazil or World Vision, 2 organizations that work to bring God's hope and love to the most outcast and ignored. It is a shame for a movie like this to be watched but not followed up with action.

Graphic, truth, brilliant.......2005-05-04

Marvelously written, this film holds nothing back in looking at the dimensions and complexity of the lives of the homeless youth which make up Brazil.

This movie is not for the faint at heart.

Must see............2005-02-27

Hector Babenco's tale of homeless children in Brazil is devastating. Must rank with some of the great films ever.

The film stars 10-year old Fernando Ramos da Silva, who was an illiterate kid plucked from the streets of Sao Paulo. At the beginning of the film, a judge has been murdered and kids are rounded up and sent to a reformatory. Pixote witnesses a brutal rape his first night. He quickly adapts to the chaotic and often inhumane atmosphere. Corrupt police pin the crime on one of Pixote's friends and brutally murder him. They pin his murder on a second friend, and proceed to kill him.

Pixote and friends escape to the streets of Sao Paulo where they resume their life of crime. The friends are Lillica, a transvestite soon to turn 18, Dito, Lillica's lover and ring-leader, and Chico. The friends meet Cristal, a drug dealer who sends them to Rio to sell cocaine. A drug deal gone awry costs Chico his life and Pixote kills the perpetrator, a prostitute named Debora. The three boys hook up with another prostitute named Sueli, played by Marilia Pera in an unforgettable performance.

There is a sadness in Pixote's eyes that is unforgettable. He accepts his descent into hell in a matter-of-fact manner. Viewers will have difficulty deciding whether he sympathetic or not. He is only ten, has a baby face, and faces horrible circumstances. At the same time, he is an eager participant in the crimes that take place. The portrayal of what Brazil's awful conditions do to the young and innocent is heartbreaking.

Real Streets.......2005-01-10

This film is aging, but it is no less disturbing. "Pixote" shows unflinchingly that life for homeless boys on the streets has not changed a bit over the years.

Average customer rating:

Quem Matou Pixote? (Who Killed Pixote?)
Director: José Joffily
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000TZ5RHM

Average customer rating:

Wonderful Classic Movie
Still love the Pagemaster
Underrated Genius!
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE LIBRARY
the page master

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Animation | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Adventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Fantasy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Feature Films | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Action & Adventure | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B0006GANV4
Release Date: 2002-05-28

Amazon.com

Description

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Classic Movie.......2007-03-13

Still love the Pagemaster.......2007-02-07

I have it on VHS and my little one wanted to watch he loved it so much that I went out and bought the DVD for him. Still a great movie after all these years.

Underrated Genius!.......2006-09-25

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE LIBRARY.......2006-01-30

the page master.......2005-09-12

Average customer rating:

Who Killed Pixote?

ProductGroup: DVD
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Product Features:

Region 2 encoding (Europe, Japan, South Africa and the Middle East including Egypt).
Requires multi-system DVD player for the US.

ASIN: 8311101590

Product Description

In 1980, impoverished working-class child actor Fernando Ramos da Silva became the darling of Brazilian cinema after starring in the internationally acclaimed Pixote, a wrenching look at the plight of Rio de Janeiro street urchins forced into criminal lives. With such an auspicious debut, a great career for Ramos da Silva seemed inevitable. Unfortunately, fate and the rigidity of Brazil's social stratus had other, more tragic plans. This biopic tells his sorrowful tale and follows the grim sequence of events that led to his brutal, controversial murder by the police. Ramos da Silva was the seventh in a family of ten. His father died when he was still a child. He got his start acting in a play and was later selected from 1300 other boys to play the role of Pixote. For the role, he received world-wide attention and a small fortune. It was too much for Ramos de Silva and he began to identify too closely with Pixote, it created a schism within the confused boy that he never resolved.

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Quem Matou Pixote? [Region 2]
Starring: Cassiano Carneiro , Luciana Rigueira , Joana Fomm , Tuca Andrada , and Roberto Bomtempo
Director: José Joffily
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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DVD:

DVD

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