Dance of Notes and Ray of Light: Fantasia(1940) vs. Fantasia 2000

Fantasia is a 1940 animated film produced by Walt Disney. It consists of eight different animated sections which accompany different pieces of classical music. In 1999, Fantasia 2000, which we can deem as a sequel, was released. Although these two films contain similar elements, they differ from each other with the effect of intervening years.

First, I want to delve into the introduction of the first version of Fantasia, 1940. The audiences have the opportunity to take a look at the orchestra before the music starts. The first thing that catches my attention in this scene is the musicians being in utter darkness with huge shadows of instruments behind them. This seems to give instruments importance while making the musicians anonymous. The conductor is standing in a similar darkness on the platform, but with the start to the first part of Toccata and Fugueby Bach, different colors are shined towards the conductor in harmony with the rhythm of music. I thought the musicians and conductor seem like images that connect to music and subjects for the audience's gaze. At the same time, superimposed shadows of the musician are added to the scenes where the orchestra is shown, again in harmony with music. In the second part, the animated lines, shapes and cloud formation which reflect the rhythms of music come across. I feel like these animations dive the layered structure of the music and help us better understand the music with the help of movement. Fantasiaalso uses color to articulate musical experience, depicting different sound volumes with different colors.

In the introduction of Fantasia 2000, there is no scene where the audience can watch the source of the music, namely the orchestra. This part deals with the relationship of music - Symphony No. 5by Beethoven - with the light, color and abstract patterns and shapes. It has a much more intense use of color than the first film with a more energetic sequencing. Again, the architecture of Beethoven’s piece is separated into layers and accompanied by visuals. I feel this allows the audience to see what they hear. This movie benefits from storytelling while displaying the music unlike the first version. Fantasia 2000depicts the clash between colorful butterflies and black bats with abstract shapes. I felt a bit nervous during this scene, but I think storytelling caused this feeling rather than music. I believe storytelling destroyed the different oratory of music to everyone and simplified the emotions.

Both films are made up of animated scenes that connect with different pieces of classical music. Regarding the classical music selection, these two films used two different pieces in the introduction but they preferred well-known classical music. I think the acquaintance of the audience with the music helped them interact with it more. In both films, there is a structure that aims the audience to understand the music with their eyes. However, the second film intervened more in the process between the audience and music. I felt the storytelling got ahead of Symphony No.5and took its magic away. On the other hand, the first version of Fantasia, the use of more simplified animation empowered the Toccata and Fugue. Watching the orchestra in Fantasia(1940) was impressive for me because I felt like I was watching animated ballet with an orchestra in a theater hall. Both films show the challenging relationship between music and images. I think it is very difficult to present the relationship between music and image without directing the audience to a specific emotion.