Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Initially released by Walt Disney in 1940 as a "road show" release, Fantasia has gone on to become one of the most popular movies of all time. Featuring the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski, the film has eight musical pieces set to wonderful animation and is narrated by Deems Taylor. (Interestingly, while the music was recorded by the Philadelphia Orchestra, the on-screen musicians seen in silhouette between the musical selections were members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and UAV editor Scott Wilkinson's grandfather was one of them.)

Fulfilling Walt Disney's original vision of continuing to create unique fusions of animation and classical music, Fantasia 2000 picks up where the first one left off with seven completely new segments and the return of the popular "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." Roy E. Disney orchestrated a collaboration of more than 1200 artists and technicians to present this tour de force.

Video Highlights

• AVC/1080p encodes on a BD-50 discs
• Fantasia has never looked better
• Richly saturated colors
• Clean prints
• Fabulous detail

Audio Highlights

• DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtracks
• Fantasia was the first multi-channel theatrical soundtrack
• Excellent frequency response
• Superior dynamics in Fantasia 2000

Fantasia 2000 is the better of the two presentations, but it's 60 years newer, so this shouldn't surprise anyone. Regardless, both blow away their DVD counterparts (also included in the set) with outstanding visuals and wonderful audio.

Bonus Materials

Fantasia

• Disney View
• Three audio commentaries
• Disney Family Museum featurette
• The Shultheis Notebook: A Disney Treasure
• Interactive Art Gallery and Screensavers
• DVD copy of film

Fantasia 2000

• Musicana-Walt's Inspiration for a Sequel featurette
• Two audio commentaries
• Dali & Disney: A Date With Destino
• Original DVD Bonus Features from Legacy Collection DVD
• Disney's Virtual Vault – BD-Live Feature
• DVD copy of film

Of the two productions, I prefer Fantasia 2000 because I like its music selections better, especially "Rhapsody in Blue." Both of my kids play the cello, and I like to think they got their inspiration from listening to both of these collections on DVD when they were younger. We certainly enjoyed viewing them again on Blu-ray. Highly recommended.

Release Date: November 30, 2010
Studio: Disney

Fantasia
Movie: 8/10
Picture: 9/10
Sound: 9/10

Fantasia 2000
Movie: 9/10
Picture: 10/10
Sound: 10/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Panamax M5400PM power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics