Fantasia / Fantasia 2000 (1940-1999) (Special Edition)

[PowellPressburger]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

Yup -- that's the old YCM chemical restoration I was talking about. I have a feeling that the people who frothed at the mouth over the colors in the new Beauty and the Beast and how these did not match their old VHS and laserdisc copies...these people are going to lose their ever-loving minds watching the new Blu-Ray of Fantasia.

Yeah, the thing people have to remeber also is that VHS and even a lot of DVDs were always subject to a lot more color boosting and contrast boosting. It is a whole new film on Blu... I never thought Fantasia could look this good. It is kind of nostalgic going thru my old laserdiscs and seeing how I used to watch these films. That Fantasia LD set I think was priced near 99.99 I think?

[RedSoxNation]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

Here are some pics of the Box set... Some of you may still have yours... I still can't let mine go.

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Wow.. Very nice. I love this movie.

[blackhawktraffic]

Fantasia 2000 Looked great and sounded amazing, watched it today

[Nissen]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

Another Comparison.. the framing as others have said before is way off... but still interesting to see the comparisons... (sorry taken with an iPhone)

I'm really enjoying these comparisons. Please, keep 'em coming!

I discovered this movie when it debuted on laserdisc back in 1990. I didn't spring for the CAV box, but my CLV discs have been watched to death.

[Joe Cain]

Interesting.

Shortly after the 1:20 mark, during the Pastoral, a 4 second sequence appears to be repeated: two shots, a close-up of the green centaurette followed by a wider shot of her beginning cross. A reaction shot of the male centaurs is supposed to follow...

I hope this is an error rather than a deliberate choice. I'd guess this is some by-product of the editing of the scenes immediately following, which are moments featuring the pickaninny centaurettes---including the most obtrusive edit from the last release. The zoom-in close-up on the pink centaurette doesn't exist on this release, I'm happy to report...but we get this little green hiccup immediately preceding it instead.

I haven't done a proper viewing---I've switched back and forth from film to film and sequence to sequence as time has allowed and impulse has dictated. Fantasia looks amazing and sounds better than I've ever heard it. I like Fantasia 2000 more and more all the time. I'm SO glad I waited to see Destino until this release.

It's not the release it should be, maybe, but I'm seriously enjoying it.

[miniroll32]

Originally Posted by Joe Cain

Interesting.

Shortly after the 1:20 mark, during the Pastoral, a 4 second sequence appears to be repeated: two shots, a close-up of the green centaurette followed by a wider shot of her beginning cross. A reaction shot of the male centaurs is supposed to follow...

I hope this is an error rather than a deliberate choice. I'd guess this is some by-product of the editing of the scenes immediately following, which are moments featuring the pickaninny centaurettes---including the most obtrusive edit from the last release. The zoom-in close-up on the pink centaurette doesn't exist on this release, I'm happy to report...but we get this little green hiccup immediately preceding it instead.

I haven't done a proper viewing---I've switched back and forth from film to film and sequence to sequence as time has allowed and impulse has dictated. Fantasia looks amazing and sounds better than I've ever heard it. I like Fantasia 2000 more and more all the time. I'm SO glad I waited to see Destino until this release.

It's not the release it should be, maybe, but I'm seriously enjoying it.

I've had a look on my U.K version and this doesn't occur.

[RBBrittain]

Originally Posted by goofystitch

Actually it's one of the longest releases Fantasia has ever had on home video. The VHS and DVD were available for a 30 day window.

Don't know about the VHS, but your DVD info is inconsistent with UltimateDisney's out-of-print page and the Amazon pages it links to. The only DVD versions of F & F2K were released in November 2000, but didn't go "back in the vault" till January 2004. (Edit: The last VHS release--the only one of F2K--was at the same time.)

F & F2K were *NOT* part of the "Limited Issue" series that was out for only 30 days or so (12/1999 - 1/2000); in fact, that was around the time of F2K's theatrical release. (Edit: It appears the last WDAS releases of less than one year were the Platinum Editions of Snow White & BatB, each for around 4 months--SW 10/2001-1/2002, BatB 10/2002-1/2003; all subsequent Platinum Editions have seen releases of over a year, as has the Diamond Edition of SW.)

[JamesN]

Originally Posted by mrmassacre

...Is 'Working for Peanuts' in 3D? If not I would pick up that disc just for that...

Yes, Working for Peanuts is presented in 3-D on the Showcase disc. Peanuts is one of two animated shorts Disney produced in 3-D during the 1950s, the other being Melody.

Both shorts were also incorporated into another 1956 3D short called 3D Jamboree, which also included live-action 3-D footage of the Mousketeers, including Jimmie Dodd and Annette Funicello. AFAIK, 3D Jamboree was not generally released and was shown only at Disneyland.

The Disney 3-D Showcase disc is only available as part of a Mitsubishi 3-D hardware bundle, but copies can also be found on on-line auction sites.

[DavePS3]

One of the Laserdisc's cool features on the original film's soundtrack was an option to hear the original 'Fantasound', played in the theaters at the time. Stereo had not been adopted yet even in vinyl and the sound engineers at Disney, played with the phase shifting to simulate a stereo effect. It would be cool if they gave that option on this release as well as the mono (or 5.1 if they've split it up.)

[Ernest Rister]

I know the feature films are presented without a proper "making of" documentary, but the "Disney and Dali" documenatry does a very good job of telling Walt's story leading up to the production of Destino. The Sibley commentary is also fantastic. I'm still unhappy over the lack of on-disc bonus features, but if this is as bare bones as these titles get on Blu-Ray, I'll take it.

[Ernest Rister]

By the way, the commentary tracks on F2K are a hoot. Mickey Mouse gives a "commentary" on The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Donald and Daisy show up for a cameo on Pomp and Circumstance, etc.

The Mick's comments are a hoot, almost a spoof of commentary tracks themselves.

[RBBrittain]

Originally Posted by Nissen

I'm really enjoying these comparisons. Please, keep 'em coming!

I discovered this movie when it debuted on laserdisc back in 1990. I didn't spring for the CAV box, but my CLV discs have been watched to death.

It's funny that these comparisons are to the 1990 LD instead of the 2000 DVD. Comparisons to the 2000 DVD would be more apt; it's also digitally restored with the same 125-minute run time, the RKO title card at the intermission (same placement as the original 1940 roadshow release, but RKO did *not* handle that one), and similar digital edits of the Sunflower scenes. (Question: Is the voice this time still Corey Burton from the 2000 version, or were newer digital techniques able to recover Deems Taylor's dialogue from the original negatives?)

[PowellPressburger]

I only used the LaserDisc comparisons for fun, besides they were taken with an iPhone. I would like to see some real comparisons to the 2000 DVD and the blu now... I just can't do screen grabs etc.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

By the way, the commentary tracks on F2K are a hoot. Mickey Mouse gives a "commentary" on The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Donald and Daisy show up for a cameo on Pomp and Circumstance, etc.

The Mick's comments are a hoot, almost a spoof of commentary tracks themselves.

...But no defrosted-Walt commentaries on the F40 disk.

(And even without the self-conscious marketing, James Levine was like a giddy little kid on both commentaries for the '01 versions, which gave them credit.)

[martymagicman]

I also have a Sony, A BDP550 and it won't play after the previews, blank screen, no menus. Is this a disc problem or an update problem. Please help!!

[RBBrittain]

Originally Posted by EricJ

...But no defrosted-Walt commentaries on the F40 disk.

I thought that was just an SNL joke...

Anyway, the front page of DVDizzy/UltimateDisney says Disney has now confirmed this movie IS going "back in the vault" next year, along with Snow White & Pinocchio (both as expected). The only "good" news is, the 2011 vault date will be March 15--*not* the traditional January 31. You'd better get your coupon and buy it this week; it almost certainly will NEVER be this cheap again.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by DavePS3

One of the Laserdisc's cool features on the original film's soundtrack was an option to hear the original 'Fantasound', played in the theaters at the time. Stereo had not been adopted yet even in vinyl and the sound engineers at Disney, played with the phase shifting to simulate a stereo effect. It would be cool if they gave that option on this release as well as the mono (or 5.1 if they've split it up.)

Fantasia does not have a mono soundtrack.

[MelloFellow13]

I watched Fantasia last night and it was incredible. I was amazed at the clarity and palette of the presentation on Blu-Ray. But I'm interested to know from the purists, what is your opinion? Does the restoration go too far? I think it's great personally, but I'd be interested to know what others think, especially you, Ernest Rister, since you sang such high praises of the film.

[PowellPressburger]

Originally Posted by MelloFellow13

I watched Fantasia last night and it was incredible. I was amazed at the clarity and palette of the presentation on Blu-Ray. But I'm interested to know from the purists, what is your opinion? Does the restoration go too far? I think it's great personally, but I'd be interested to know what others think, especially you, Ernest Rister, since you sang such high praises of the film.

From what Ernest Rister has typed about previously the old release was from a YCM restoration and of course outdated and completely different technology was used. (hope I phrased that correctly)

The Previous page listing I posted some IPhone images I took of the Laserdisc VS BLU, yet these aren't spot on and lack clarity for sure. https://forum.blu-ray.com/blu-ray-mo...r-30-a-65.html


For myself... I find myself loving the BLU quality yet at the same time I think the previous DVD / LD release feels nostalgic for me, the look is so different at times, and it is both good and bad.

I guess if we never had those Laserdisc releases and the previous DVD and the film was finally restored to how we get the HD release now, then it would be a different story for sure.

The only thing I found distracting if I can call it that is the way the introductions by Deems Taylor seems to be spiler heavy storywise. There were times I thought it went on for so long it was a cliffs notes version haha.

[ABaglivi]

Can the intrusive pop-ups that begin each sequence be turned off?