Fantasia 2000 (1999) - full transcript

It's my very pleasant duty
to welcome you here

on behalf of all the other artists
and musicians

whose combined talents

went into the creation of this
new form of entertainment, Fantasia.

What you will see
on the screen

is a picture of the various
abstract images

that might pass through your mind

if you sat in a concert hall
listening to this music.

Now, there are three kinds of music
on this Fantasia programme.

First, there's the kind
that tells a definite story.

Then there's the kind that,
while it has no specific plot,



does paint a series of, more or less,
definite pictures.

Then there's a third kind,

music that exists
simply for its own sake.

The number that opens
our Fantasia programme

is music of this third kind.

You know, what's amazing
is that many of these musicians

are playing for the very first time.

Thanks to Steve Martin's Two-Week
Master Musician Home Study course.

More about that later.

Hello, and welcome to Fantasia 2000.

It's been more than 60 years
since Walt Disney and his artists,

teamed up with maestro
Leopold Stokowski

to create a film they titled
The Concert Feature.

I think we're all glad that
they changed the name to Fantasia.



You know, Fantasia was meant to be
a perpetual work in progress.

Every time you went to see it,
you'd experience some new pieces

along with some
old familiar favourites.

But that idea fell by the wayside,
until now.

So let me turn things over
to the great Itzhak Perlman,

who, I have just been informed,
plays the violin.

Well, so do I. Big deal.
Could I have my violin, please?

Thank you.
All right, boys, let's...

Sorry. Could I have
another stick thingy, please?

And camera back on me.

Camera back on me.

Am I done?

When you hear a title like
Pines of Rome

you might think of tree-lined streets
and romantic ruins.

But when the Disney animators
heard this music,

they thought of something
completely different.

Here is the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra

conducted by
maestro James Levine,

performing Ottorino Respighi's
Pines of Rome.

Beautiful, Ralph.

Hi.

Next, we're gonna take you
to the streets of New York City

for a piece that's inspired by
a couple of my favourite artists.

First there's the illustrator
Al Hirschfeld,

who's been drawing celebrities
and Broadway stars

for most of the 20th century.

And then there's composer,
songwriter George Gershwin,

who took jazz off the streets,
dressed her up,

and took her to the concert hall.

My friend Ralph Grierson
plays piano on this next number.

And it all starts with a single
slinky note on a clarinet,

and a simple line
on a piece of paper.

Ladies and gentlemen,
Rhapsody in Blue.

Hi. You may not know this,
but over the years,

the Disney artists have
cooked up dozens of ideas

for new Fantasia segments.

Some of them made it
to the big screen this time,

but others, lots of others...

How can I put this politely?
Didn't.

For example, the Danish illustrator
Kay Nielsen drew these sketches

for a segment inspired
by Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries.

Here they are,

and there they go.

Now, Salvador Dali, you know,
the "limp watches" guy,

he got into the act with an idea
that featured baseball

as a metaphor for life.

How come that didn't work?
Makes perfect sense to me.

Let's see. Then we had
a bug ballet and a baby ballet,

and for a time,
they even considered a sequence

inspired by
The Polka and the Fugue,

from Weinberger's
Schwanda the Bagpiper.

But finally, a success.

The Disney artists
wanted to create a short film,

based on Hans Christian Andersen's
wonderful fairy tale

The Steadfast Tin Soldier,

but they could never find
the perfect musical match until now.

Here is Yefim Bronfman,

playing the Shostakovich
Piano Concerto Number 2,

and The Steadfast Tin Soldier.

These drawing boards
have been the birthplace

of some of the most beloved
animal characters of all time.

So it's no surprise that the artists
chose for our next segment

The Carnival of the Animals
by Camille Saint-Saëns.

Here, the sensitive strains
of impressionistic music

combine with the subtle artistry
of the animator,

to finally answer
that age-old question,

"What is man's
relationship to nature?"

Sorry.

That age-old question,

"What would happen if you gave
a yo-yo to a flock of flamingos?"

Who wrote this?

Ladies and gentlemen,
we'd like to take a moment, if we may,

to talk about a little something
we like to refer to as magic.

Picture this.
You're at home,

hosting a birthday party
for your daughter,

and you've
just shelled out 50 bucks,

so some pathetic loser can pull
a mangy rabbit out of a flea market hat.

At first,
you might wonder to yourself,

"How did he do that?"

But then you would probably
just dismiss it as some sort of a trick.

And you know something?
You'd be right! It's just a trick.

It's an example of what we
laughingly refer to as stage magic.

We're here to tell you that all
stage magic is a fraud, a hoax, a sham.

It's all based on deception
and, yep, lying. All of it.

Sleight of hand... Lies.

Transformations... Fraud.

Dismemberment... Rip-off!

Fake! All are illusions.

What we're here to talk about
is real magic.

We're gonna bring on a guy now
who's the real deal, the genuine article.

In fact, he taught us
everything we know.

And he is featured prominently
in the next sequence,

from the original Fantasia,
The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

You know, come to think of it,

The Sorcerer's Apprentice,
is a little guy,

who never speaks
and just kind of messes everything up,

like him.

And now...

And now, the...

Hi. Hi, little fella.
I gotta...

And now,
The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

Mr Stokowski.
Mr Stokowski!

Just wanted to offer
my congratulations, sir.

Congratulations to you, Mickey.

Aw, gee, thanks.
Well, I gotta run now. So long!

Mr Levine!
Okay, Mr Levine.

Everybody's in place
for the next number.

Thanks, Mickey.

When...

But we can't find Donald.

So you stay here and stall for time.
I'll be right back.

Donald! Oh, Donald!

When we hear Sir Edward Elgar's
Pomp and Circumstance,

we think of a graduation ceremony.

Donald, where are ya?

Actually, Elgar composed it
for many kinds of solemn events.

Donald!

This march inspired the Disney artists
to recreate the age-old story...

- Sorry, Daisy.
- ...of Noah's Ark,

with one slight twist.

Donald Duck!

- Who is it?
- Donald, it's me, Mickey.

You're on in 30 seconds. Hurry!

What? You gotta be kidding!
I'm not even dressed...

Okay, Jim, he's on his way.
Go to the intro.

Ladies and gentlemen,
Pomp and Circumstance,

starring Donald Duck.

Walt Disney described
the art of animation

as a voyage of discovery

into the realms of colour,
sound and motion.

The music from Igor Stravinsky's
ballet, The Firebird,

inspires such a voyage.

And so we conclude
this version of Fantasia

with a mythical story
of life, death and renewal.

Camera back on me.

Camera back on me, please.
Anyone? Hello?

Hello? Could someone give me
a ride home?