Very well executed

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

I wasn't impressed with this iteration of a classic film. I felt like the music wasn't as well in-time with animations.

Either Disney Productions ran out of money or ran out of interest. Called "Roy Disney's Folly" by then CEO Michael Eisner. For a complete sequence synopsis, see other "reviews" or "Wikipedia". Beethoven's 5th isn't even close to the "Dances of the Sugarplum Fairies", "Chinese" Mushrooms, and silky Goldfish that open the original Fantasia. The "Rhapsody in Blue", "Pomp and Circumstance" and "Firebird" pieces are the best, with honorable mention for the stories of "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", and the "Yo-Yo Flamingo". Nothing has the power of "Bald Mountain" but "The Firebird" tries very hard. The dumbest segment is Blue Whales swimming in the sky with bubbles. Mickey's "Sorcerer's Apprentice" has been "freshened up" and looks lacking in detail. Some of the segments are not well-"hosted". Steve Martin was a bad choice, and so was Penn and Teller. Getting rare. Not many copies left!

Having spent a long time in the making, Fantasia 2000 is the next installment in the sequence of movies started by the original Fantasia all the way back in 1940. Walt Disney had originally intended for Fantasia to be a recurring thing, with people going in every few years to see new segments set next to old favourites. Unfortunately the original failed at the box offices, not being at all what the audiences had expected, and it took the studio almost six decades to make a new one.So how does it hold up? In some areas really well, in some areas not at all. There are a couple of really good segments, like Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin, a thrilling jazz piece with an animation style inspired by Al Hirschfeld. Easily my favourite in the whole film and actually pretty close to being my all-time favourite as well. Fast, energized and oozing personality. The opening segment, Symphony No. 5 by Ludwig van Beethoven, is also an excellent update on the original opening segment, and is actually even a bit better, containing more colours and a stylized storyline.Pomp and Circumstance – Marches 1, 2, 3 and 4 by Edward Elgar and The Carnival of the Animals, Finale by Camille Saint-Saëns are not as great, but both have some really good moments in them and are animated very well, with The Carnival of Animals being especially good with its fluidity and humour.And then there's of course The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Paul Dukas, the only segment from the original Fantasia, and it is of course a timeless classic. One of the greatest shorts ever made. Don't let anyone tell you differently.But then there are Pines of Rome by Ottorino Respighi, Piano Concerto No. 2, Allegro, Opus 102 by Dmitri Shostakovich and Firebird Suite—1919 Version by Igor Stravinsky. The first two fail because the use of CGI, which has aged awfully. Shostakovich's piece, telling the tale of The Steadfast Tin Soldier, is especially bad in this regard, looking all rubbery and like it was ripped straight from a Playstation cutscene. Firebird Suite, on the other hand, is objectively looking rather nice segment, telling about a spirit of spring awakening after winter but running into problems when she encounters a dormant volcano. But, you kind of have to compare it to the original closing segment in Fantasia. That of Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky and Ave Maria by Franz Schubert. And I'm sorry, but it's not even close.The film also suffers from truly horrendous interlude announcers. Do Steve Martin and Pen & Teller sound like the kind of people you want to see cracking jokes just before you're about to be pulled into an art experience containing some of the best pieces of classical music ever composed? Of course not! Their levity pulls you straight out of the mood and you have to build it all back up again. Some announcers, like James Earl Jones, do a fine job of providing the needed gravitas, but most of them don't. It was a risky move from Disney, taking in all these people when the original film only had one, and it didn't pay off.All in all I'm glad Fantasia 2000 exists. It has some really good segments and has some of that magic that made the original one of Disney's all-time finest. It's not as good, but I'm glad they tried. Perhaps they don't need to wait another sixty years for the next one.

Fantasia 2000 (1999) *** (out of 4) When FANTASIA was first released in 1940 it was meant to be the first of a series of films but the lukewarm fan reaction prevented it from happening. Then, nearing the 60th anniversary of that film, Disney decided to re-do it with this fun natured film that once again focuses on famous music and adds animation to it.FANTASIA 2000 is certainly an entertaining film that contains some brilliant visuals but there's not too much here that comes close to the original movie. In fact, I'd say the only thing better here is the fact that it runs a very short 72-minutes. Outside of this I'd give just about everything to the original but it might be unfair to compare the two. Either way, this is certainly worth watching if you're a fan of classical music or Disney animation.The animation itself is certainly the highlight of the picture. Just take a look at the Pines of Rome sequence, which will have your jaw on the floor. The sequences of the whales jumping from the water is certainly one of the most amazing animated visuals you're ever going to see. Another highlight comes towards the end when Donald Duck gets to put his spin on the Noah's Arc tale. The way the animals are presented was certainly terrific. The rest of the shorts are all entertaining but there's no question that their fail to reach a classic or even very good status.The introductions by the various famous faces really didn't add anything nor did having The Sorcerer's Apprentice reappear here. Why not put Mickey in a new film? Either way, FANTASIA 2000 is certainly worth viewing at least once, although it can't come close to matching the studios best films.