Disney's Fantasia / Fantasia 2000 [Blu-ray] [1941]

Blu-ray Specifications - Case Type: Two standard U.K plastic blu-ray cases (14mm spines) in one card slip case Disc: both 50GB, MPEG-4 AVC Encode. Regions A,B and C (The 'Fantasia' case incorrectly states Region B only). Video: Both films presented in 1080p/24fps. 'Fantasia' is in its original theatrical 1.33:1 aspect ratio in a 16:9 frame (black bars appear on the sides of the screen) and 'Fantasia 2000' in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio (with the exception of 'The Sorcerers Apprentice' segment which was taken from the first film). Colour. Audio: 'Fantasia' - English DTS-HD 7.1. Spanish and Dutch DTS 5.1. Portuguese, Polish and Hebrew Dolby Digital 5.1. 'Fantasia 2000' - English DTS-HD 7.1. Spanish and Dutch DTS 5.1. Portuguese, Polish, Belgian and Hebrew Dolby Digital 5.1. Subtitles: Both films contains subtitles for the following languages - English (standard and for Hard of Hearing), Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish and Hebrew. Supplements: 'Fantasia' - Three Audio commentaries. Disney Family Museum Featurette (4mins). The Schultheis Notebook: A Disney Treasure featurette (13mins). Interactive Art Gallery. 'Fantasia 2000' - Two Audio Commentaries. Musicana Featurette (9mins). Dali & Disney: A Date With Destino documentary (82mins). 'Destino' 2003 short film (7mins). Disney Virtual Vault (Blu-ray live required) - contains the material found on the previous U.S Region 1 dvd release (documentaries and featurettes etc..). Censorship? - Yes. 'Fantasia' was slightly censored in the 1960's to remove a character known as 'Sunflower' during the 'Pastoral Symphony' segment. The shots can be found here - [...] The character was considered a racial stereotype and in case the film caused offence the Disney studio decided to remove any sight of poor little 'Sunflower'. Shots have either been digitally altered or zoomed in. Sadly we may never see an uncensored version. Deems Taylor's original dialogue has been replaced and dubbed over (not really noticable though) as most of the original dialogue was in poor condition and Disney decided to simply replace all the dialogue. 'Fantasia' was also cut numerous times to shorten the running time upon its re-releases over the years. This blu-ray presents the full length feature complete with intermission. 'Fantasia 2000' has no censorship. The BBFC passed both films without cuts as Universal and suitable for all. This is one Disney film that you will either love or hate. No dialogue during the animation segments just simply classical music. Some will find it a chore to sit through and find it boring, others (including myself) will enjoy the music and beautiful animation. The film was ahead of its time and for a 1940 film it doesn't feel dated at all. The sequel is adequate and enjoyable (some may actaully prefer it to the original) and contains some exceptional animation. both films are recommended if you're an animation film fan. The transfers are excellent and i've yet to encounter a Disney blu-ray with a mediocre transfer. Very sharp with deep colours and blacks. Obviously 'Fantasia 2000' looks the better one as its a more recent film but the original does look very good indeed. Audiowise both films have a cinema quality to them and sound superb. I cannot find any flaws what so ever - very impressive. The supplements are pretty good with loads of commentaries, a few featurettes, a documentary, a short film (all in HD). If your player is connected to the internet then you can access the Disney Virtual Vault on the 'Fantasia 2000' disc. Plenty of goodies can be found (it takes a while to load up though) and includes a brilliant making documentary. One cult classic animated masterpiece and its sequel thrown in as a bonus. A fine package and one that i can easily recommend. If you wish to have both blu-rays and Dvds then i suggest you purchase the U.S release (Regions A,B and C) as it contains both formats in the package. This U.K release contains only Blu-rays.

Disney have out-done themselves with this restoration of Fantasia. It would appear that all the original live-action footage and narration have been restored and (other than the removal of the "racist" character from the Pastoral Symphony) Fantasia has finally been returned to how it played back in 1940. The animation has been cleaned up to a sparkling shine and the 4:3 aspect ratio has been retained (so no awful 16:9 stretching or cropping!). Disney even thought to include a feature that replaces the "pillarbox" black strips with custom borders that reflect each scene of the film, which actually manages to enhance the viewing experience. The restoration is so good, in fact, that I think Fantasia 2000's visuals actually pale in comparison, though are by no means poor. As for bonus features, there's a lot on offer if you're a fan of behind-the-scenes documentaries and Disney history (which I personally love) but not so much for those who want deleted segments or anything from the abandoned Fantasia 2006 project (which doesn't seem to even get mentioned). The best bonus is definitely the Salvador Dali collaboration film Destino and its accompanying feature-length documentary "Disney and Dali: A Date with Destino". The short film itself is a moving work of art that I could watch again and again and never tire of; the documentary is a very interesting insight into the lives of Walt Disney and Salvador Dali and how they came to work together. There's also a brief look at "Musicana", an abandoned spiritual successor to Fantasia that was dreamt-up but then abandoned in the 1970s. (It should be noted that all of the above features appear on the Fantasia 2000 disc so may not be available in the stand-alone Fantasia release - just a word of caution.) All-in-all, a fantastic restoration of a timeless masterpiece and a must-have for any animation fan.

In terms of the quality of this realease, it ticks all the boxes. 1080p presentation of both films in their original aspect ratios, each with an incredible 7.1 DTS-HD Master audio soundtrack that truly hightens the experience that Walt wanted to give. The films are both packaged with a huge variety of bonus features, with the best probably being Destino, a shelved collaboration between Walt and Salvador Dali that was completed over 50 years later using new technology. Seeing the idea brought to life using techniques that couldn't even be imagined back then gives it a strange feeling when watching. When it comes to my opinion on the films, Fantasia is an undisputed classic that stoll holds up. Fantasia 2000 on the other hand has some low points that makes it weaker than the original. The Rhapsody in blue segment however, makes it worth watching all by itself. Overall I highly recommend this release, despite Fantasia 2000 being a disappointment in my eyes when compared to the original :)

I ordered this because I enjoyed the original Fantasia on video so much. Its an excellent way of introducing classical music to children. Fantasia has been restored to its original colours, which came as a bit of a shock because I find the colours somewhat garish especially in the Nutcracker Suite. I preferred the more muted & faded colours of the video. However it has lost none of its charm and Dance of the Hours still seems to captivate children as does Mickey Mouse in the Sorceror's Apprentice. In the Bonus Features there is some fascinating archive on how the Special Effects were achieved (as there was no computer animation in those days) and details of the Walt Disney Museum in San Francisco. Its in 4:3 format and the sound is still 2 channel stereo. For purists this might be great but for BluRay a re-recording would have made it sound much better. Fantasia 2000 is a great new addition to the Fantasia 'family' which was intended to be extended on a regular basis. The quality of picture in Widescreen and 7.1 Dolby sound on BluRay is outstanding. It has the traditional Disney characters - this time featuring Donald Duck in the story of Noah's Arc - but also has some great modern cartoon drawings to the music of Rhapsody in Blue and a very touching story of a Toy Soldier to Shostakovic's Piano Concerto No 2 There is also a repeat of MM in the Sorcerer's Apprentice. The Bonus material has unseen footage of a project between Dali and Disney. Some of the introductions are abysmal but will highlight who were the some of the actors of the day, in future years! Use the top-menu button after the first use to skip the annoying previews of other Disney films. For BluRay this is outstanding value. Highly Recommended.

The "Original Classic " Version of Fantasia receives a pristine digital re-master, however the 1941 surround sound is another matter, the DTS version played at low level is acceptable, but when I tried listening on my analytical AKG K240 Studio Professional headphones the dynamic compression and frequently coarse sound quality was pretty depressing. I wondered why Disney did not re-record the music, but apparently this was done for a re-issue in 1982 and has since been abandoned, so it probably wasn't popular. Opinions vary but for me the follow up Fantasia 2000 is very much a nostalgic backward look at the 1940's approach of the original but also reminiscent of "Make Mine Music". I am very ambivalent about the wisdom of doing this as there is something missing ... WALT DISNEY..., if he had been in charge it would have been something fresh and relevant to the year 2000, not a rather uninspired nostalgia trip firmly based in the 1930/40s. The good news is the surround sound is superb. However the final segment animated to Stravinsky's "Firebird" does move the 1940 constraints forward and is far more modern and very successful. There are a large number of extras, including a realisation of the Dali/Disney project "Destino", but there is no "making of documentary" although a great deal of this material is covered in the commentaries. Make of Fantasia 2000 what you will, this issue is well worth the price for the restoration of the original animation, my five star rating applies solely to the original Fantasia.

I first saw Fantasia during the late 1960s when I saw it on a local flea-pit, now long closed. Being a lover of classical music, I expected to be really disappointed with expectations of poor performances and sound. However, this was not the case, and to this day I have never lost my admiration of this film and believe it to be one of Disney's finest creations. And now, this Blu-Ray version has come along with high expectations from me, and I was not disappointed. The picture is beautiful to look at, with some scenes, especially in the Beethoven Pastoral scenes, showing fine detail and outstanding colour. This applies right throughout the film, and makes purchasing of Blu-Ray machines all the more worthwhile. As for the audio, I did have a slight problem with this. My hearing has deterioted over the years, since I am now in my 60s. Luckily, I haven't lost the tone altogether, and using a Yamaha Home Cinema 7:1 amplifier I was able to spread the sound much wider around the room. But, I didnt like the DTS Theatre Mode, seemed too bassy and flat for me, so I switched the sound mode to Movie Spectacle 5:1 and found it sounded much better, with more treble. Of course, everyone's hearing is different, so viewers should find the right sound mode for them. The same applies to Fantasia 2000. I already had a copy of this on DVD bought a few years back, so I knew what to expect anyway. I particularly enjoyed the Blu-Ray version however, with much sharper detail and fantastic colour. I also used the same sound mode Movie Spectacle 5:1 and it sounded superb. There are some extras which are worthwhile too, especially the Dali Destino segment which you will find on the Fantasia 2000 disc. This could be one of THE Blu-Ray releases of the year.

I've never seen Fantasia 2000 before and I'm glad I've seen it the first time on Blu Ray! This is just wonderful. The picture and the sound are both superb. The chapters are perfect so I can watch a few clips at a time with my young sons. They love The Sorcerer's Apprentice and the Pomp and Circumstance piece with Noah's Ark and Donald Duck. My favourite piece is the last segment; Stravinsky's Firebird Suite. The animation is absolutely breathtaking. This is an ideal way of introducing young children to classical music. Disney are leading the way in relaunching old and new classics on Blu Ray....long may this continue!

Wether it has something to do with when the film was made, but I found the quality in terms of the colours and contrast very poor, no matter how much I adjusted my TV's settings.