Fantasia 2000 (1999)

Nearly a decade in the making, Fantasia 2000 should have been more like Fantasia 1990, a 50th anniversary celebration of the original. The "sequel" to Disney's landmark fusion of music and animation might leave some viewers wondering where all the time went. Involving without being truly memorable, Fantasia 2000 offers lush, swirling visuals in an array of different styles, varying in sophistication yet retaining the poetic aura of their source. But it sometimes feels like an antiquated idea shoehorned into a modern context, especially with the decision to reuse the corny segment introductions, featuring stars who range from the established (Steve Martin) to the fringe ("Hey, is that the guy from Penn and Teller?"). Its segments are mostly inspired schmaltz, particularly "Pines of Rome," with its whales flying majestically from their ocean beds, and "Firebird Suite," a struggle for the soul of nature starring a daughter-of-the-earth fairy. The best and liveliest sequence is "Rhapsody in Blue," with its Al Hirschfeld-style drawings of a busy Jazz Age New York; the most unfortunate, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" from the original, looks even more grainy when stretched to the height of an IMAX screen. Because the frame needed to conform to that grandiose format, some of the film's impact is further blunted when constricted on video. These complaints may seem too unforgiving when talking about an ambitious labor of love that inspires more than enough awe. But that's only because the original was an incomparable classic, the kind of galvanizing viewing that even ten years of hard work can't duplicate. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide