Meet the Soundtrack
Fantasia fun fact: Fantasia was the first film to use stereophonic sound. A dozen or so theaters had to upgrade their equipment to show the film in what was called “Fantasound.” They had to install more speakers around the room, as well as new projectors and sound reproduction machines. The estimated cost for the upgrades was around $85,000 per theater, which is close to $1.8 million today when adjusted for inflation.
Rite of Spring
by Igor Stravinsky
Fantasia fun fact: Disney wanted the dinosaurs to feel real in the “Rite of Spring.” He brought in paleontologists Barnum Brown of Manhattan’s American Museum of Natural History and Chester Stock of California Institute of Technology as consultants, and pet iguanas and a baby alligator were brought to the Studio for the animator’s inspiration.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
by Paul Dukas
Fantasia fun fact: While Fantasia was in development Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was on the verge of becoming a blockbuster and it was suggested that Dopey play the Apprentice rather than Mickey. However, Disney only wanted Mickey in the roll and refused the idea of having any other character play the part.
Waltz of the Flowers
from The Nutcracker Suite
by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Fantasia fun fact: Fantasia to this day holds the record for the longest animated Disney film at 126 minutes run time.
Trepak
from The Nutcracker Suite
by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Fantasia fun fact: Disney had the idea to re-release Fantasia every year with a few new songs. In 1941, Walt and his team created eight new additional sequences for the film. Some of the sequences were put to Wagner’s “The Ride of the Valkyries” and Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebees”. Sadly, this never came to fruition. But, these scenes along with a few others were used to create a sequel, Fantasia 2000.
Coffee
from The Nutcracker Suite
by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Fantasia fun fact: Disney wanted Fantasia to be an extraordinary film with extraordinary effects. He suggested 3-D effects, filming the entire movie in widescreen, and even using olfactory effects, such as wafting perfume through the theatre as the wildflowers danced during the “Nutcracker Suite” segment. While none of these concepts came to be, the ever innovative Disney was years ahead of his time and all of those effects were later used in many films.
Dance of the Reed-Flutes
from The Nutcracker Suite
by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Fantasia fun fact: Disney brought in professional dancers Joyce Cole and Marjorie Belcher and had them wear ballet skirts that resembled blossoms to help the animators understand the movement of the petals while dancing on the water.
Tea
from The Nutcracker Suite
by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Fantasia fun fact: Many of the characters featured in Fantasia are named. This includes Mademoiselle Upanova (the main ostrich ballerina from Dance of the Hours), Hyacinth Hippo and Ben Ali Gator (also from Dance of the Hours), Peter Pegasus (the little black Pegasus from The Pastoral Symphony), Jacchus (the donkey from The Pastoral Symphony), and Hop Low (the tiny mushroom from the movement Tea from The Nutcracker Suite).