Review of "Fantasia 2000" by

After Piglet, I felt obligated to revive our unconditional recommendation for Fantasia 2000. I can't express how much I enjoyed this movie in the theater, and how happy I am to have it on our DVD shelf so we can enjoy it over and over again. Its very different from Walt Disney's original Fantasia released in 1940. This film is far more mainstream entertainment, but done in a way that by no means diminishes it as an artistic achievement worthy of Walt's legacy.

As with the orignal Disney masterpiece, this movie takes six classical compositions and sets it to animation. Each sequence is introduced by notworthy entertainers and musicians, including Angela Lansbury, Bette Midler, Itzhak Perlman, and Quincy Jones. The music ranges from the stunningly beautiful "Pines of Rome", through that classic of graduation ceremonies "Pomp and Circumstance," and including the Gershwin masterpiece (and my favorite part of the movie) "Rhapsody in Blue." To keep a strong connection to Walt's legacy, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" starring Mickey Mosue is kept from the original movie.

Kids will love this movie. Adults will love this movie. It just takes sitting them down in front of them and letting it sort of happen. The jokes come fast and furious from the Hollywood stars, and there are many appearances of your favorite Disney characters to keep the kids' interest as well, while the sequences are introduced. This is the movie you should have seen when it was in theaters because it is so spectacular on the big screen with a theatrical sound system, but even in your home you will thank me for convincing you to buy it every time you watch it. There was a 3 DVD set consisting of the orignal Fantasia from 1940, Fantasia 2000, and a third DVD filled with special features that you should grab at any opportunity. The original price was about $45-50.00, but you can expect to pay a bit more now that its out of production.