In 1940, Walt Disney released Fantasia, his third animated feature film and an ambitious project that sought to combine classical music with groundbreaking animation. Comprised of eight segments set to orchestral compositions conducted by Leopold Stokowski, Fantasia was revolutionary in its use of colour, sound, and storytelling. It would be almost 60 years until a sequel arrived, in the form of Fantasia 2000, but plans had gotten underway for more of the same before the original even arrived in movie theatres.
Walt Disney originally envisioned Fantasia as a continually evolving project, with new segments being introduced to replace older ones, ensuring audiences would never see the same version twice. However, this ambitious vision was curtailed by the film’s initial reception. Although critically praised for its artistry, Fantasia struggled at the box office due to the high costs of its innovative Fantasound system and limited distribution during World War II. By 1942, the idea of a continually updated Fantasia had been shelved, and Disney turned his attention to other ventures.
Despite the setback, the concept of a sequel lingered in the background of the studio’s creative efforts. In 1980, animators Wolfgang Reitherman and Mel Shaw began preliminary work on a project called Musicana. This proposed feature sought to expand on the Fantasia format by incorporating jazz, classical music, and folklore from around the world. Planned segments included "The Emperor’s Nightingale," based on Hans Christian Andersen’s story and starring Mickey Mouse (something which was originally proposed as a full length animated movie in the early 1960s), and "By the Bayou," featuring frogs and caricatures of jazz legends Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. Other ideas included "Finlandia," a mythological tale of an Ice God and Sun Goddess, and an African segment about a curious monkey and a Rain God. However, Musicana was ultimately cancelled in favour of Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983), a more financially practical endeavour.
The dream of a Fantasia sequel gained new life in 1984, when Michael Eisner became CEO of The Walt Disney Company. At a lunch meeting with Walt Disney Studios chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg, Roy E. Disney, Walt’s nephew and vice chairman of the company, suggested revisiting the concept. Inspired by the success of home video releases and a resurgence of interest in Disney classics, Eisner saw potential in the idea, but Katzenberg was less keen suggesting they would need to update the format for a modern market. He approached André Previn to work on a new Fantasia film, but Previn declined after he learned, Katzenberg's idea was to feature songs by artists like the Beatles rather than purely classical music.
At this atges, the studio briefly revived elements of Musicana, but financial constraints and competing projects, including The Fox and the Hound (1981) and The Black Cauldron (1985), prevented further progress. Other attempts to rekindle the project during the 1980s included an approach to Leonard Bernstein, who expressed enthusiasm for contributing to a Fantasia sequel. Sadly, Bernstein’s untimely death in 1990 ended those discussions. It wasn’t until the 1990 theatrical reissue of Fantasia, which grossed $25 million in the United States, that the idea of a sequel gained real traction. The home video release the following year was even more successful, with over 9.25 million pre-orders, convincing the studio that a sequel was commercially viable.
In 1991, the long-awaited green light was given for what would become Fantasia 2000. Roy E. Disney served as executive producer, with the film’s budget largely funded by the proceeds from the home video sales of the original Fantasia. Donald W. Ernst was appointed producer, and Hendel Butoy, who had worked on The Rescuers Down Under (1990), took on the role of supervisory director. Production spanned nearly a decade, with animators creating seven new segments to accompany the returning classic, "The Sorcerer’s Apprentice."
When Fantasia 2000 finally premiered on December 17, 1999, at Carnegie Hall in New York City, it marked the beginning of a four-month exclusive run in IMAX theatres—the first animated feature released in the format. The film’s segments included "Pines of Rome," featuring flying whales, "Rhapsody in Blue," inspired by 1930s New York and the art of Al Hirschfeld, and "The Firebird Suite," a tale of destruction and renewal set against Stravinsky’s powerful score. While Fantasia 2000 received praise for its visual innovation and ambition, some critics noted that it lacked the cohesion and groundbreaking impact of its predecessor.
Nevertheless, Fantasia 2000 performed respectably at the box office, grossing $90 million worldwide, and rekindled appreciation for the original film’s artistry. Although plans for further sequels have not materialised, Fantasia and its legacy continue to inspire animators and filmmakers, serving as a testament to Walt Disney’s vision of blending music and animation in ways that push the boundaries of storytelling.
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