Fantasia 3?

Now, I have talked to death about why I like this movie, so I have been thinking about a future this film could potentially have.  I didn’t so much like the second, but honestly, I want to put a few things in context.  This film had such an impact on me, that whatever potential future it may have is very intriguing to me, and I like to think about it.  Originally, the idea had been that this would be a forever-growing experience when the first Fantasia came out.  Of course, since it took a metric ton of money to make, such a fate didn’t come to pass.  There was a sequel, and we’ll be talking about that, but it never stuck to the formula of each showing of the film being different.  All of this said, where do I think a sequel should go?

To answer that, I first, like I said, need to put a few things on context.  So far as I can remember, Fantasia was the first Disney film that I have seen.  For all of you who want to make the argument that Disney is an evil corporation – you won’t hear me arguing.  But the fact is that it doesn’t matter.  For most of us, we grew up with Disney.  It took our childhoods to new heights, and we love it for that.  But Fantasia was the first piece of Disney work that I saw, and from that day on, it formed a lot of my loves and passions.

The first is a passion for music.  I LOVE music.  Good music can not only intrigue the mind, but amaze the soul.  I am not a religious man, but if I was, music would be my god.  The best things in life are brought to us by music that makes us think and makes us feel.  Classical music is especially good for both.

It is interesting that Disney’s fourth film decided to do something that was entirely different from any of the ones previously, and almost all of the ones since – make an emotional film without words or story.  Just pure expression, and each piece of expression having pure emotion.  Another difference is that this movie wasn’t made for children.  This was an animated film for adults.  Of course, a kid like me could (and did) get something out of it, if they are of a certain mindset.

What I love most about Fantasia is the fact that it was allowed to run with the abolute free expression.  This film, you could tell, was about showing you into the minds and hearts of the animators.  Each segment was perfect, and I mean perfect.  My favorites are The Rite of Spring and The Nutcracker.  I love nature, and I love dinosaurs.  To this day I orgasm to the sound of the T-Rex from Jurassic Park.  I was such a nerd for it when I was younger, and I still am.  But The Nutcracker suite was also great, showing the changing seasons, along with a fantastical element, but also merging in the absolute natural, like the bit with the fish.  I love stuff like that.

You’re probably wondering what I thought about the sequel.  Now that I have some more time to articulate, I think I will tell you.  Fantasia 2000 made my heart soar.  The ads for it looked awesome, and I was totally stoked when my cousin bought it on DVD.  I must have gone there to see it I don’t know how many times.  But, with that said, I both love and hate this movie.  The bits that I love are many.  And let me say, when this film hits a high note, it REALLY hits a high note.  When it got stuff right, it got it VERY right.

Pines of Rome, with the flying whales, was incredible.  I don’t share Nostalgia Critic’s belief that it should have been the finishing piece, but it was still awesome.  And there was Rhapsody in Blue, by George Gershwin.  I loved that pieces.  It combined a Hirschfeld style of animation with one of the classic pieces of big-bang American jazz.  As a matter of fact, this was one of the first pieces of American jazz.  The version of A Steadfast Tin Soldier was pretty good.  I actually didn’t like their Noah’s Arc story, mostly because, as a non-religious person, I find the story ludicous and the topic boring.  Not to mention it highlights what an asshole God is.  But then it finishes on a major high-note.

I loved The Firebird suite.  This was a story of life, death, and rebirth.  The animation was nothing short of incredible.  It was some of Disney’s finest, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.  The high-note ending was beautiful.  It even had some subtle animation right at the end of it that just made me feel so much more in-tune with it – the grass blowing in the wind.  So subtle, yet so beautiful.  Simple touches like that just make me feel so much for things like that.

All of that said, there were parts I didn’t like.  The Carnival of the Animals number, for one.  It wasn’t terribly bad, but didn’t belong in a Fantasia movie.  It was cute, cuddly, and fun.  Not something that I want to see in a movie that should be this serious.  Then there were the celebrity cameos, which were almost all totally painful.  In the original, it banked on there being one narrator, and his role was brief.  Just to tell you what was coming next, and to have a cool intro for it.  That’s it.  That was all that was needed.  This movie had some celebrity cameos that just made me gag.  There were a couple that added class, like Angela Lansbury, but for the most part, it was junk, pure junk.

So, I’ve kind of rambled for a while, but I wanted to put into context all of this, so when I say my bit about what I could and really would like to see in the third film, you would get where I am coming from.  That said, what do I want to see in a third part of this tale?

I am just going to say what I want to see most because it just is really important to me, and I hope it is to you.  If any sequel films don’t have a Hayao Miyazaki style animation section, I will kill somebody.  No joke.  This man has brought the anime genre into the public eye in a way nobody thought possible.  And this would be a place where all of his talent could shine.  Not only that, but I can think of at least for great pieces of Japanese classical music that would go so well.  It could be a testament not only to a great man’s style of work, but also to a great nation and the music that it has created.  I can’t stress enough how much I would want to see this in a film.

Next up, I want to see more of old-school American jazz.  That was a fun addition.  Gershwin would be awesome.  or Afro-American Symphony.  Either of those would be just great, and there are a lot of animation formulas that could bring them to life.  I would really hope they will run with it.

I could also see them running with a segment, or even the entirety of Gustav Holst’s The Planet’s suite.  Seeing their interpretations of several parts sounds incredibly fun.

Another thing – have the opening section, which is supposed to be abstract, be abstract.  They were trying to do that in Fantasia 2000, and failed.  Miserably.  It was almost annoying how bad that section was, for me.  In the first film, the level of abstract was very clear, and it left you thinking, and pondering.

Next up, NO CELEBRITY CAMEOS!  I cannot stress to you enough how annoying this was.  I don’t know how they got those people into that gig in Fantasia 2000, but it was beyond annoying.  It was painful.  Just have one narrator, maybe like Morgan Freeman or something, and keep it simple.

That’s my take.  I loved these films, even though the second had problems.  I loved them both, and I hope they keep the franchise going, because we need more visual poetry.  America’s art community is getting more and more dead.  We need stuff like this.

Until next time, a quote,

“Walt Disney described the art of animation as a voyage of discovery, into the realms of color, sound, and motion.”  -Angela Lansbury, Fantasia 2000 

Peace out,

Maverick