Fantasia

Fantasia (1940)

Timing: 2:4 (124 min)

7.343/10
3257

7.659/10
16766

7.7/10
111000

All about film

Video 9

Photo 140

Actors and characters

Release date

1940-11-13

Country

United States

Production

Walt Disney Productions

Genre

Animation, Family, Fantasy

Budget

$2 280 000

Revenue

$76 408 097

Website

http://movies.disney.com/fantasia

Director

David Hand, James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, Ben Sharpsteen, Bill Roberts

Actors

Deems Taylor, Walt Disney, Julietta Novis, Leopold Stokowski
All actors and roles (4)

Scenario

Producer

Walt Disney

Operator

James Wong Howe

Composer

Artist

Audition

Editing

Stephen Csillag, Ben Sharpsteen
All team (37)

• The cartoon was the first to use the 'Dolby Stereo' stereophonic sound system.
• The cartoon failed at the box office, so the planned sequel 'Fantasia-2' remained unfinished. The 'Peter and the Wolf' segment, based on the music by Sergei Prokofiev (who personally brought the score to Walt Disney's studio), became a separate short animated film.
• The cartoon performed poorly at the box office, so the planned sequel, "Fantasia-2," remained unfinished. The segment "Peter and the Wolf," set to music by Sergei Prokofiev (who personally brought the score to Walt Disney), was released as a separate short film.
• At the time the film was being made (1940), only one composer of those whose musical works were used in the project was still alive. That was Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971). When he was asked for permission to use the music from his ballet "The Rite of Spring" (which premiered in Paris in 1913), he suggested that Walt Disney compose an entirely new piece, but the offer was declined. Stravinsky was extremely displeased with how Stokowski handled "The Rite of Spring" (Stokowski made a new arrangement, changed the order of elements in the original structure, and omitted two elements altogether).
• Initially, the "Pastoral Symphony" segment included a scene in which black centaurs polished the hooves of white centaurs. When the film was re-released in 1969, it was decided to remove the overly grotesque depictions of the centaurs – with full, bright red lips and wild hair. This scene was absent from all re-releases until 1980. In re-releases after 1990, the scene is present, but it has been altered – only the faces of the white female centaurs are shown in close-up.
• Chernobog in the "Night on Bald Mountain" segment was drawn based on actor Bela Lugosi, who served as a model. Lugosi spent several days (some sources claim it was all done on a single day, November 12, 1939) with Disney's animators, portraying the malevolent deity, whose image the animators then worked with. Bill Tytla, the animator responsible for Chernobog's appearance, was dissatisfied with Lugosi's performance and cast director Wilfred Jackson in the role of Chernobog. In other words, Jackson, not Lugosi, ultimately served as the prototype for Chernobog. Tytla was also responsible for the appearance of the wizard.
• When "Fantasia" was released on video, "Night on Bald Mountain" was cut from the film. Upon the film's initial release in 1940, the studio was flooded with complaints from parents who claimed this segment frightened children. The episode was restored in subsequent re-releases.
• The cartoon was the first to use the "Dolby Stereo" stereophonic sound system.
• The cartoon performed poorly at the box office, so the planned sequel "Fantasia-2" remained unfinished. The story of "Peter and the Wolf" to the music of Sergei Prokofiev (who personally brought the score to Walt Disney's studio) became a separate short film.