Fantasia (1940 film)
A groundbreaking animated concert of classical music and imagery.
Released in 1940, *Fantasia* is an American animated musical anthology film from Walt Disney Productions. The story direction was handled by Joe Grant and Dick Huemer, while Walt Disney and Ben Sharpsteen oversaw production. The film features eight animated segments set to classical music pieces conducted by Leopold Stokowski, with seven of those pieces performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra. Music critic and composer Deems Taylor appears in live-action as the Master of Ceremonies, introducing each segment.
Disney settled on the concept in 1938, as work neared completion on *The Sorcerer's Apprentice*. That short was originally planned as an elaborate Silly Symphony cartoon meant to revive Mickey Mouse, whose popularity had waned. When production costs exceeded what the short could earn, Disney decided to include it in a feature-length film with multiple segments set to classical music, bringing in Stokowski and Taylor as collaborators. The soundtrack was recorded using multiple audio channels and reproduced with Fantasound, a pioneering sound system developed by Disney and RCA. This made *Fantasia* the first commercial film shown in stereo and a forerunner of surround sound.
The film first premiered as a theatrical roadshow in 13 U.S. cities between 1940 and 1941, distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. The initial engagement began at the Broadway Theatre in New York City on November 13, 1940. Although critics praised it, *Fantasia* failed to turn a profit. This was due to World War II cutting off European distribution, the film's high production costs, and the expense of building Fantasound equipment and leasing theaters for roadshow presentations. Since 1942, RKO Radio Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution have reissued the film multiple times, with each version deleting, modifying, or restoring original footage and audio. Adjusted for inflation, *Fantasia* ranks as the 23rd highest-grossing film of all time in the U.S.
The *Fantasia* franchise has expanded to include video games, Disneyland attractions, and a live concert series. A sequel, *Fantasia 2000*, co-produced by Walt Disney's nephew Roy E. Disney, came out in 1999. Over time, the film's reputation has grown, and it is now widely regarded as one of the greatest animated films ever made. In 1998, the American Film Institute ranked it the 58th greatest American film on their *100 Years...100 Movies* list and the fifth greatest animated film on their *10 Top 10* list. In 1990, the Library of Congress selected *Fantasia* for preservation in the United States National Film Registry, citing it as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
- Production company
- Walt Disney Productions
- Distributor
- RKO Radio Pictures
- Conductor
- Leopold Stokowski
- Master of Ceremonies
- Deems Taylor
- Number of segments
- 8
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Fantasia is a 1940 American animated musical anthology film produced by Walt Disney Productions. Its appearance is defined by eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music, conducted by Leopold Stokowski and performed largely by the Philadelphia Orchestra, with live-action introductions by music critic Deems Taylor. The film’s range extends from abstract visual interpretations of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor—featuring animated lines, shapes, and cloud formations—to narrative sequences like The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, where Mickey Mouse plays a young apprentice who loses control of magic, and The Rite of Spring, which depicts the formation of Earth and the extinction of dinosaurs. Other segments include a mythical Greco-Roman pastoral scene set to Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, a comic ballet of ostriches, hippos, elephants, and alligators in Dance of the Hours, and a climactic pairing of Night on Bald Mountain, featuring the devil Chernabog summoning spirits, with Ave Maria. The film’s defining characteristic is its pioneering Fantasound system, developed by Disney and RCA, which used multiple audio channels to make Fantasia the first commercial film shown in stereo. The soundtrack was recorded with this technology, creating a precursor to surround sound. The film was first released as a theatrical roadshow in 13 U.S. cities between 1940 and 1941, but failed to make a profit due to World War II cutting off European distribution, high production costs, and the expense of building Fantasound equipment. Since 1942, it has been reissued multiple times, with footage and audio deleted, modified, or restored. Fantasia is now widely acclaimed as one of the greatest animated films and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1990.
Reader's Guide
Fantasia is a 1940 American animated musical anthology film produced by Walt Disney Productions. The film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski, with seven performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, and introduced by music critic Deems Taylor in live-action. Disney conceived the film in 1938 after work on *The Sorcerer's Apprentice*, an elaborate Silly Symphony intended as a comeback for Mickey Mouse, exceeded its budget; Disney decided to include it in a feature-length collection of classical pieces. The soundtrack was recorded using multiple audio channels and reproduced with Fantasound, a pioneering system developed by Disney and RCA, making *Fantasia* the first commercial film in stereo and a precursor to surround sound. The program includes abstract animation for Bach’s *Toccata and Fugue in D Minor*, seasonal dances for Tchaikovsky’s *Nutcracker Suite*, Mickey Mouse’s magical mishap in Dukas’s *The Sorcerer’s Apprentice*, a depiction of Earth’s formation and dinosaur extinction for Stravinsky’s *The Rite of Spring*, a mythological pastoral for Beethoven’s *Pastoral Symphony*, a comic ballet for Ponchielli’s *Dance of the Hours*, and a demonic revel on Bald Mountain for Mussorgsky’s *Night on Bald Mountain* followed by Schubert’s *Ave Maria*. Despite critical acclaim, the film failed to profit due to World War II cutting off European distribution, high production costs, and the expense of Fantasound equipment and theater leasing. It has been reissued multiple times with modifications and restorations. Adjusted for inflation, it ranks as the 23rd highest-grossing U.S. film. The franchise expanded to video games, Disneyland attractions, and a live concert series; a sequel, *Fantasia 2000*, was released in 1999. The film is now widely considered one of the greatest animated films ever, ranked by the American Film Institute as the 58th greatest American film and fifth greatest animated film. In 1990, it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry as culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.
Did You Know?
- Fantasia was the first commercial film shown in stereo, using the Fantasound system developed by Disney and RCA.
- Leopold Stokowski conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra for seven of the eight segments and was paid $5,000 for his services.
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