Ave Maria
by Franz Schubert
Fantasia fun fact: The section in “Ave Maria” in the forest is meant to resemble stained glass windows, a visual concept story director Joe Grant found in his own backyard: “The trees in my yard had a Gothic form, which gave me the idea for the cathedral look.”
Night on Bald Mountain
by Modest Mussorgsky
Fantasia fun fact: Animators brought in horror movie great Bela Lugosi to act out the movements for Chernabog as a live-action inspiration. Lugosi gave it his all, but they weren’t satisfied. The sequence director Wilfred “Jaxon” Jackson ended up taking off his shirt and performing as the muscular demon.
Dance of the Hours
by Amilcare Ponchielli
Fantasia fun fact: The costumes that the animals wear in Dance of the Hours represent the time of day each of them represents. The ostriches wear colors to suggest the delicate light of dawn, the hippopotamuses are dressed to represent the brilliant light of noonday, the elephants wear colors to suggest the delicate tones of early evening, and the alligators are in darker colors to suggest the dark hours of the night.
Shepherd’s Song
from The Pastoral Symphony
by Ludwig van Beethoven
Fantasia fun fact: Several Greek mythological characters are portrayed in “Shepherd’s Song.” You see: Iris, the personification of the rainbow and messenger to the gods; Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and pleasure; Apollo, who pulls the sun across the sky with his chariot; Nyx (some sources suggest this could be Morpheus), the personification of the night; and Diana, the goddess of the hunt.
Thunder, Storm
from The Pastoral Symphony
by Ludwig van Beethoven
Fantasia fun fact: In 1991, the first home video release of Fantasia broke records. This prompted Disney execs to reconsider Walt’s unrealized vision of a sequel. Walt Disney’s nephew, Roy Disney, then spearheaded what would become Fantasia 2000.
Merry Gathering of Country Folk
from The Pastoral Symphony
by Ludwig van Beethoven
Fantasia fun fact: Fantasia was originally only released in about a dozen cities, mostly due to the high cost of the video and audio upgrades needed to show it. Due to this, and WWII cutting off the European markets, the initial release of Fantasia fell far short of making back it’s high costs of production. However, the re-release in 1969 saw stellar profits (and some amazing psychedelic posters).
Scene by the Brook
from The Pastoral Symphony
by Ludwig van Beethoven
Fantasia fun fact: Films are normally assigned color palettes so that everything is cohesive, but for Fantasia, Walt gave the animators free rein. They were able to choose any color they liked…and obviously, they did a fantastic job.
Awakening of Cheerful Feelings on Arrival in the Countryside
from The Pastoral Symphony
by Ludwig van Beethoven
Fantasia fun fact: In the film industry films are normally finished much early then their intended release dates. Fantasia, however, wasn’t completed until four hours before its premiere in New York City.
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.