Fantasia (1940) was originally a failure at the time of its release, possibly because of the effects of the war. However, it slowly regained its reputation over time. Fantasia is a non-dialogue film that incorporated many classical music pieces that work hand-in-hand with the revolutionary animation technology (non-linear imagery) at the time, resulting in an amazing masterpiece. The Fantasia made in 2000, although far more advanced in animation technology, falls short of the emotionally powerful and brilliant original film.
I first saw Fantasia when I was very young. What I remembered most clearly from the film was the music, unsurprising since I am an ardent classical music lover. It was very interesting reading about the symbolism of the classical pieces, shown in the visual aspects of the film. I specifically remembered the time when I played Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain with my orchestra. The interpretation I had of this piece was demons and monsters that came out at night to engage in a hellish dance, finally to be scared away by the light of sunrise. Delightfully, my interpretation of this piece matched up with the film's interpretation mentioned in the article. This is a film that truly relates to my personal (musical) life.
