Hey folks, Harry here... and I'll just turn this right on over... I've seen it, but I have to reserve my comments till I hop in the arena with Roger this Tuesday up in Chicago. So... till after that, here ya go...
Harry-
I don't know if this is good for the site, but after almost four years of reading your site, I finally had something worth writing about. If you think it's worthy, you can call me "Andre LePlume".
I had the pleasure of seeing Fantasia/2000 (the slash is official) twice over the past few days. My first viewing was Thursday at a press screening in full IMAX glory at the IMAX theater in New York's Lincoln Square. This evening I saw the official world premiere at Carnegie Hall. The film was marvelous, but I can believe the rumors that it may not get a full theatrical run. I'm not sure if this one is for the masses.
One of the most interesting differences between the shows speaks directly to a point made by Moriarty that I find myself in complete disagreement with. The Carnegie Hall show did not include the between-piece celebrity scenes. I found the interstitials to be somewhat funny and very brief. At the live show the segments were broken up with applause and those great orchestra tune-up sounds. I think seeing the film in a theater without short breaks wouldn't be ideal.
Another difference is the fact that a live orchestra (even under the direction of the legendary James Levine) cannot possible stay perfectly on time with the film. This took some of the impact out of the conceptual pieces (most notably Beethoven's Fifth). There is a single "jump out of your seat" scare in the film that was completely ruined by the orchestra being a second behind the film.
The film worked well on the IMAX screen, but seeing it at a regular aspect ratio allowed me to notice more of the animation subtleties. I don't think the film was shot with IMAX in mind, so, unlike an IMAX film, there are important visual elements outside of the main area of focus.
My quick segment-by-segment thoughts-
Symphony No. 5 - Beethoven
A nice start to the film that sets the tone nicely. A little scary for the younger set.
Pines of Rome - Respeghi
Brilliant animation to one of the finest classical themes. The eyes on the whales did look like a late addition - you could actually see through them in some of the shots, and when the whales blinked, the eyes disappeared. Disney obviously didn't have faith in the music to convey the emotions of the animation.
Rhapsody In Blue - Gershwin
An absolute favorite piece of mine (like Moriarty). Some of the visual gags got more laughter in New York than I would expect they'll get elsewhere. The animators clearly used Stymie from the Little Rascals as the inspiration for one of the characters. Great cameo by the composer.
Piano Concerto No.2 - Shostakovich
The segment with the best chance of becoming a classic. Some of the most beautiful animation I've ever seen. Great emotion, great humor. Did I mention the animation was great?
Carnival of the Animals - Saint-Saens
Very funny. Very short. This would have fit in perfectly in the original Fantasia.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice - Dukas
It just looked grimy. Have you ever seen pictures of the Sistine Chapel when the ceiling was being renovated? Imagine if they left an unrestored section right in the middle of the ceiling. That's what this looked like.
Pomp & Circumstance - Elgar
Cute with some nice animation and a few laughs (some of the site gags in this one were tough to catch on the IMAX screen). Not my favorite piece of music.
Firebird Suite - Stravinsky
More than just reminiscent of Princess Mononoke - almost an homage. I know this may sound sacrilegious, but it was so beautiful it made me wonder what Disney animators could have done with Princess Mononoke.
