Introduction
Classic animated films like Walt Disney’s Fantasia are inconceivable without classical music. The main feature of the scenes depicted in this film is that they were created specifically for already existing music. It requires a different approach than creating the visuals and adding the music. In the case of Fantasia, the animators and artists had to interpret the music and come up with visual imagery that complemented and enhanced the emotional and narrative elements of the music. Walt Disney’s desire to find new artistic forms contributed to the ground-shaking project that reshaped the animation industry and changed the perception of classical music.
Animating to Music: Creative Approach and Artistic Challenges
The task for the animators was to create visuals that matched the music in tone and tempo. It is worth noting that the animator was Walt Disney, the company’s founder, while the conductor was Leopold Stokowski. The name “Fantasia” fully justifies the style of the film – the fruits of the author’s improvisation are visible in the movements of the details on the screen.
It can be seen that Walt Disney wanted to add extra power to the music and not present a self-sufficient cartoon project. Therefore, Walt Disney tackled the main challenge of ensuring the visuals did not overwhelm the music. He believed that visuals should enhance the music, not distract from it. It is especially seen in the visuals of Sebastian Bach’s music, where a limited number of visuals follow the flow of the composition of the music.
Disney’s Vision: Music as the Heart of Fantasia’s Narrative
Considering Fantasia’s legacy in animation history, it pushed the boundaries of what is possible to show through cartoons. From this perspective, Walt Disney was a true pioneer in the experimental approach to designing animated films. It should be noted that Fantasia did not receive a positive reception when it was released in 1940. People were accustomed to straightforward storytelling without additional discursive complexities.
In the case of Fantasia, Disney wanted to experiment with animation and an artistic medium against the background of public opinion. The magic of the visuals is that the combination of Disney’s animation and Stokowski’s orchestra playing classical music created something more powerful than the sum of its parts. The result was a more immersive and engaging experience for the audience than traditional cartoon storytelling or music at the opera house.
Sound and Sight: Did the Visuals Elevate the Musical Experience?
Careful viewing of excerpts from the film showed how Walt Disney successfully synchronized music and animation, adding new meanings to Tchaikovsky’s opera. It would be wrong to claim those visuals somehow distract from listening to orchestral concerts. It could be the case if there were some additional narratives unrelated to the music, forcing the viewers to focus on the plot. On the contrary, an animated picture, as in an excerpt from the Waltz of Flowers from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, somehow magically hypnotizes the audience, making children and adults keep their eyes on what is happening. The visual gives a new reading to opera music, as viewers can notice unexpected tonalities and melodies in a composition that has long been known to them.
Conclusion
To conclude, Walt Disney’s Fantasia is a masterpiece that inspired many generations of animators and filmmakers. An obvious example is Stanley Kubrick, who was influenced by the use of classical music in Fantasia when he worked on 2001: A Space Odyssey. Walt Disney expanded the boundaries of what is possible by showing how seemingly incompatible types of art may be united in one art piece.