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In the last eight decades, many children have been introduced to the magic of classical music through Walt Disney’s "Fantasia."
Released in November 1940, it wasn’t a financial success at first, but the film’s tremendous staying power made it one of Disney’s most iconic movies, beloved by multiple generations.
Its success, in part, was due to the implicit power of the music, works that had wowed audiences long before the release of the film.
“Music has something to say to everyone, and every man, woman and child hears a different message, even when listening to the same music, because we all think and feel differently,” wrote conductor Leopold Stokowski, in the foreword to “Walt Disney’s Fantasia” by Deems Taylor. Stokowski, like Taylor, was one of Disney’s main collaborators, with a starring role as the silhouetted conductor who leads the Philadelphia Orchestra in the film.
“We want our picture to be something to amuse and stimulate and inspire the people who ordinarily go to sleep at a symphony concert,” said Disney, reported by the Clarion-News in 1939.
Experiencing 'Fantasia'
The impetus to the entire "Fantasia" concept was the iconic "Sorcerer’s Apprentice” sequence. Designed as a vehicle to reboot Mickey’s popularity, the role has arguably become Mickey’s most famous. Based on Paul Dukas’ 1897 symphonic poem, it can read as a metaphor for careers in the arts: there’s no amount of easy magic that makes up for hard work.
The movie happens to be a favorite of Leigh Muñoz, assistant professor of bassoon at UMKC Conservatory.
“I can't remember a time where I didn't connect all of these characters with music,” said Muñoz. She has seen the movie so many times she can’t remember the first time. “My parents really instilled in me a love for music, especially musical storytelling. And 'Fantasia' does that beyond anything else I've ever seen.”
“The Sorcerer's Apprentice” also offers a star moment for the bassoon. “Bassoon oftentimes doesn't get the glory it deserves, because it's playing a supporting role, if you will, in the orchestra,” says Muñoz. “‘Sorcerer's Apprentice’ brings it forward, front and center."
She’s even assigned it as homework for her students. “‘Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ is always a great one because it tells the story that the music is telling…it shows the emotion, and it shows the character, and that’s such an important thing for students in music to grasp: what is this piece trying to say…but as musicians, as performers, it’s such an essential thing for us to learn.”
Another Kansas City fan of the movie is Eryn Bates Kemp, executive director of the Harriman-Jewell Series.
“I was young when I watched 'Fantasia' for the first time—6 or 7—and I remember so clearly the flying pegasi and centaurs, the skating fairies and flowers, and dancing hippos,” says Bates Kemp. “I also remember being TERRIFIED of ‘Night on Bald Mountain’ and I wouldn’t listen to the piece all the way through when I encountered it for several years! Never even made it to the 'Ave Maria’ at the end of that section!”
”For what conceivable purpose was this crime committed?”
It was hailed by many as a marvel of genius, but not everyone loved it. In fact, influential journalist Dorothy Thompson, in her popular syndicated column “On the Record,” called it a “nightmare.” She wrote: “I left the theatre in a condition bordering on nervous break down.”
Concerning the "Fantasia" interpretation of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, inspiring caricaturish scenes of Greek mythology, Thompson wrote, “Our eyes are torn open to gaze horrified…on the raspberry and marshmallow Olympus and the pure, strong music seems to be dropping cold and frustrating tears.”
Igor Stravinsky, composer for “Rite of Spring,” also apparently didn’t like the interpretation or performance of his work.
And with hindsight, there are a few cringe worthy moments, and "Fantasia" now runs with a content warning when viewed on streaming services because of negative racial stereotypes.
Music in Disney100
The Walt Disney Company celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2023, and the touring exhibit Disney100 has been at Union Station since May.
Though "Fantasia" isn’t featured as prominently as the other franchises, music is essential to the Disney experience (and has been since the first Mickey appearance in “Steamboat Willie,” as well as the Silly Symphonies series). It’s woven into the exhibit, too, displaying score manuscripts, bespoke instruments, and interactive video and audio.
Muñoz spent hours in the exhibit. “I didn't want to leave because the music was all around you the whole time. And they were playing these greatest hits of orchestra music that they had written for all of these famous movies. So in a lot of ways it had a similar effect. They were using music and an emotional response along with their storytelling, even if it wasn't direct, like it was with 'Fantasia.'"
“Imagination is the cornerstone”
"Fantasia" was the work of hundreds of animators, musicians and technicians and its range of expression and style is part of its appeal, showcasing the emotional range in classical music, from simple to majestic, comic to frightening.
“Our picture is not presenting the traditional or only possible version,” wrote Stokowski eighty years ago. “It merely offers one way, out of many possible ways, of visualizing music, and a way that has been an exciting experience to all of us who contributed to the making of 'Fantasia.'”
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to teach young listeners another way to experience music,” says Bates Kemp. “What can you imagine when you hear a piece? What emotions does it evoke? What does it make you visualize? Imagination is the cornerstone, and if you don’t have knowledge of the structural form, 'Fantasia' can help supply a story—the best part being that this is A story, not the ONLY story.”
