Okay, I was planning on not doing the Owe's Reviews series anymore but I decide, I still want to tell my opinions on movies, TV shows, and video games on you. So, here's another Owe's Review episode. I might not do more after this but I'm not sure yet. Anyway, I'm doing reviews on two Disney movies that are considered masters of art and music. Fantasia and Fantasia 2000. And here is the title card and what I consider one of my best artwork pieces for the wiki yet.
Okay, here's my opinion on Fantasia. Overall, it's a classic, however, I'm not sure everyone has seen it. What we definitely remember is Mickey as a Sorcerer, but that's not it. It's the music. The film classic music combined with Disney animation and it works very well. Here's my opinion on all the segments.
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor: This is a great opening to the film. The music is powerful and what they do is show the orchestra playing and then it shows abstract images like clouds, circles, lines, landscapes, and much more. Once you start listening to the music, you have no choice but to continue watching. It's a great piece of music and a great experiment of animating to music. 10/10.
Nutcracker Suite: I really like this one. It's basically fairies, mushrooms, flowers, fish, and leaves dancing to segments from the Nutcracker Suite. Each piece is fun to listen to and it's fun to see all the stuff in the forest dance to it. I'm sure everyone remembers the dancing mushroom. Hey, I put it in the title card so I hope one of you knows it. Anyway, this one is worth looking at. My only problem is that it seems to last for a while but it's overall not a disappointment. 9/10.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice: Okay, I'm pretty sure everyone knows this segment. It features Sorcerer Mickey and how he brought a broomstick to life to collect water for him because he didn't want to do it and soon trouble starts when the broomstick doesn't stop collecting water and causes a flood. We all remember the plot, the animation, the music, and the characters. I would say take a look but I'm sure you've seen it somewhere. 10/10.
Rite of Spring: I haven't seen all of this one but from what I've seen and read. It's pretty cool. It shows the history of Earth, the life of Dinosaurs, and how they died out. I definitely remember the dinosaurs and I'm sure everyone else does. My only problem is that it's pretty long, about twenty minutes, but it's still worth looking at. 8/10.
Pastoral Symphony: This is a cute one. It features creatures from Greek mythology like centaurs, centaurettes, pegusus, cupids, fauns, and more and shows what they do. There's a lot of cute moments with mine being when the cupids are paring up the centaurs with the centaurettes and the little black pegasus. There's a lot to see from this one and the music is fun to listen to as well. Definitely take a look at this one. 9/10.
Dance of the Hours: Again, like Rite of Spring, I haven't seen all of this one but I'm sure you remember the dancing animals. There's hippos, ostritches, elephants, and crocodiles and it's basically a ballet. This one would definitely be worth a look. It's definitely a memerable moment from the film.
Night on Bald Mountain / Ave Maria: Okay this is probably my favorite segment of the entire movie. It features the demon Chernabog summoning ghosts and spirits and it soon features pretty scary and cool imagery. Afterwards, a bell sends them back to the grave and Chernabog goes back to sleep. This then begins Ave Maria and we see monks with torches walking to a cathedral. This part is nothing much plot wise but it's nice to listen to the music. It's overall a nice finale and nice pieces of music. 10/10.
So overall, Fantasia is a great movie. With lots of great music and animation and it's worth to watch over and over again if you're a fan of music and animation. It probably isn't everyone's taste but if you like Disney movies definitely check this out. It's a good one.
My rating: 9/10.
Okay, got the first Fantasia out of the way. Now it's time to discuss Fantasia 2000. Compared to the first one, this one's more modern with modern animation and better sound but the music is still classic. It's also shorter than the first one. The first one's about two hours but this ones only 75 minutes. It may not be as good as the first one but in order to think that, you need to read about it. And here's my reviews for each segment.
Symphony No. 5: This is a great opening but not as great as the one from the last film. Beethoven's music is definitely classic and Symphony No. 5 is definitely one of the well known ones. It's one of my favorites too. This one features colorful abstract shapes like butterflies and dark black ones that resemble bats. It's overall good vs. evil and Beethoven's music definitely goes well with this. Definitely a good opening. 9/10.
Pines of Rome: Okay this is definitely one of my favorite segments. It's about a family of whales that are able to fly due to a supernova and as soon as they start flying, you're in for a treat. The baby whale is cute and the first half focuses on it when it gets trapped in an ice berg. But as soon as the second half starts, you're speechless. The CGI is just epic and the music is just spectacular. The huge pod of whales flying is definitely the best CGI I've seen in an animated movie. Definitely one of the best segments in the film. 10/10.
Rhapsody in Blue: Taking the style of Al Hirschfeld's cartoons, it's about people in New York in the 1930's and how they spend their lives. I really like the animation style and the piano music goes along with it well. Not much to say for this one but definitely worth watching. 9/10.
Piano Concerto No. 2 (The Steadfast Tin Soldier): Based on the story of the Steadfast Tin Soldier, it focuses on a one legged tin soldier and a ballerina and how a jack in the box interferes with the two which soon leads to the Tin Soldier falling out of the window and falls into a sewer and into the ocean. This one is cute and the music is nice too but it isn't as strong as some of the other ones. The animation is still good and it's worth a look. 9/10.
Carnival of the Animals: Okay, this is my least favorite segment. It's not awful but it's not as strong as the others. It's pretty short and it's a pretty silly plot. It's basically about a flock of flamingos and one of them with a yo-yo and the others soon get upset. It's good on laughs but it's not as strong as flying whales, 1930's New York, or tin soldiers. It's still worth a look though. 7/10.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice is replayed after this but I won't talk about it because i already did for the Fantasia review. It's nice that they showed it again because it's definitely a classic.
Pomp and Circumstance: The story of Noah's Ark featuring Donald Duck. It's okay but it's better than the flamingo one. There's good laughs and great animation and it's a good telling of Noah's Ark. When it comes to Donald Duck you'll definitely get good laughs but it's not as strong as the others. Still worth a look though. 8/10.
Firebird Suite: Okay along with Pines of Rome, this one is the other best segment. I'm not sure if this is better than Pines of Rome or that is better than this one. I'd say they're both good. Anyway, it's about a spring sprite, resembling a woman made of plants and how she brings life to the forest. Accompaning her is an elk and soon she arrives at a volcano and awakens the firebird, which is basically the volcano and it burns down the entire forest. But the elk then helps the sprite and she brings the forest back to normal. Okay I just spoiled the entire plot. Anyway, the sprite is definitely a recognizable character from the movie and is definitely likable. That scene when she's looking at the camera with the butterflies on her is definitely a cute scene. The animation is nice and while the music is quiet at times, it builds up at the important parts. Definitely a nice finale and definitely worth a look. 10/10.
So is there anything bad with this one? The bridging sequences. Unlike the first one where there was one host, this one has may celebrities such as Steve Martin, Bettie Midler, James Earl Jones, and even Penn and Teller. Most of them give good introductions like James Earl Jones and Angela Lansbury but including Steve Martin and Penn and Teller is just a little silly to include in a movie about music. I don't have a problem with them but it doesn't fit.
So that's my only problem. It's a good sequel to the first and I like all the different animation styles they chose, especially for Rhapsody in Blue. And like I said, Pines of Rome and the Firebird Suite are the best segments from the film. Overall, it's still worth a look and the music is still good to listen to and the animation is great to look at. 8/10.