Fantasia

Releasing on Blu-ray for the first time ever and being released as a Special Edition DVD is Walt Disney's classic "Fantasia".

"Fantasia" is considered to be Walt Disney's magnum opus. Walt had high hopes for the film also. He originally intended for "Fantasia" to be a constantly new feature with old segments taken out and new segments put in, so each time you watched the film there would be something new. Unfortunately, after the film's flop at the box office, the idea was scraped. However, the idea was the inspiration for the second instalment "Fantasia 2000".

The film consists of animated segments set to classical music. Although some of the music have set stories to them, the then Disney animators added new ideas and took the music to create something new and exciting.

The film opens with no opening credits. Instead an orchestra sets up their instruments and we are introduced, by host Deems Taylor, to the idea behind "Fantasia". He is also responsible for introducing each individual segment.

Each segment has it's own unique design and it's own unique story. Some don't really have stories but are more of an artistic interpretation of the music. "The Rite of Spring" is an interesting segment that follows the history of Earth and the history of Dinosaurs. "Dance of The Hours" is a segment that has the most "Disney-esque" feel to it. It uses animals, such as ostriches, hippos, elephants and alligators to create a comedic dance routine. The segment "Night on Bald Mountain/ Ave Maria" begins very dark in tone and is the only segment to have two pieces of music put together. The most famous sequence "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is still a magical masterpiece and my favourite sequence from the entire film.

Saying this film is a children's film would be an incorrect statement. Although some segments have a youthful quality, the film seems to be created for lovers of music. This broadens the audience and the older audience will easily enjoy this film. They may even enjoy the film more than the younger audience. Younger children might be disinterested in the segments as a lot of them don't have that usual Disney-esque feel to them. Instead they use modernised concepts and different types of artistic techniques.

Bonus features include "The Disney Family Museum" which takes you into the Disney Family Museum and are showed some important Disney memorabilia and the background history of the development of the museum. Also included is audio commentary. The Blu-ray includes the exclusive bonus features "The Schultheis Notebook: A Disney Treasure" and an Interactive Art Gallery. Disney's Fast Play is also included.

Although the film won't appeal to a range of people, and it's easy to see why it didn't really find an audience when it was first released, it is now considered a classic and Walt Disney's greatest piece of work. Available February 2nd from Walt Disney Home Entertainment.