Guest Relations
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Shostakovich 's "Piano Concerto No. 2" accompanies the retelling of "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," which plays like a grown-up Toy Story 2. You could easily double the one-legged soldier for Buzz Lightyear and the evil Jack-in-the-Box for the evil Emperor Zurg.

(c) Disney

As humorously explained by the baritone voice of James Earl Jones, the "Carnival of the Animals" shows what would happen if a flamingo got a hold of a yo-yo. What proceeds from there is what I felt was the weakest segment of the new Fantasia. Perhaps it was because it was also the shortest. Your eye blink during this segment is longer than the segment itself. "Carnival" could be left out of the release of the movie to all theatres later in the year, and repeat viewers wouldn't notice.

(c) Disney

What follows is the one segment from the first installment of Fantasia that returned to the second. As stated in many other reviews, the return of Mickey Mouse as the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" loses a lot in its translation from the big screen to the bigger screen. It looks like you're watching the original through an electron microscope. Kind of how a rerun of a television show from the 70s in monophonic sound just sounds bad on your modern stereo TV. It was nice to have for nostalgia value, but little else.

After the movie's hump day, the final two segments are as grand to this film as any crescendo.

(c) Disney

With Donald Duck finally getting a little top billing, "Pomp and Circumstance" will no longer only bring to mind graduations. With the best storytelling of any of the segments, Noah gets a little help in loading his Arc from Donald and Daisy.

Donald would perhaps appreciate that I feel his segment surpasses Mickey's from the first installment.

The film's final segment was, in my opinion, its best. Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite" has never had as much fire. Colors flow through your senses more in this segment than in any other during the film, as do the sound and the feeling of triumph.

If Fantasia/2000 consisted only of the Firebird, I would still leave the theatre happy.

The fact that it had a wonderful experience behind it just added to the happiness.

The big question about the big movie is whether one has to see it on the big IMAX screen, as opposed to the local theatre.

The answer is simply this … If you have access to a local IMAX, you won't be disappointed. Neither will you be disappointed if you see it in good old fashioned Cinemascope with THX sound.

I didn't leave Fantasia/2000 with the same sense of "being there" that I do with other IMAX films. When watching an IMAX film of a person climbing Mount Everest, you don't feel like you're watching a person climb the mountain … you feel like you're climbing the mountain with them.

In the same sense, I didn't try to wash off the ink and paint - thinking I was in Toontown - as I was watching Fantasia on an IMAX screen. While you get a greater experience of depth for an animated movie in the IMAX format - especially with the "Rhapsody" and "Firebird" segments - I'm not sure all that much will be lost on the smaller screen.

If anything, Mickey will look better.

Still, I'm hoping that Fantasia/2000 will spark the realization of Walt's original dream to introduce new segments every few years. For one, I was intrigued with one of the original ideas for Fantasia/2000, which was to go outside classical music. What I wouldn't do to see Disney animators interpret "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" and "Purple Haze."

On the other hand, "Fantasia 2005" might end up coming with a Surgeon General's warning.

About Time: The "Frequent Buyer" program has been a long time incoming, and sure to be a benefit to every reader of this website.

Just don't cheat. I'm sure that buying a counterfeit Mickey Mouse T-shirt in Tijuana or China won't count, so don't complain.

Something Disney Fans Would Like to See: Fire Mountain. Just clear that area between "Pirates" and the "Jungle Cruise" and bring it on!

Something Disney Fans Would Not Like to See: Inspector Gadget Mountain. It was tough enough to sit through the movie.

Sing Along: "A Place in the Sun" will be the official theme song of the new California Adventure.

I have a suggestion for a few unofficial songs.

Like "It's a Smaller Park, After All" or "Zepher-De-Doo-Dah." I also have a fondness for the modern classics "A Whole New Tilt-a-Whirl," "Be Our Grizzly" and "Circle of Limos."

Add California Adventure: All kidding aside, I'm not buying into all of those complaining that the new park will be too different from Disneyland.

It's supposed to be.

I would be more disappointed to go to a near duplicate of the other park. It wouldn't be worth the separate admission. It's nice to have the diversity in the Florida parks. Diversity will be a nice addition in Anaheim.

What if It Was Disney Movie: The Hurricane would be Hurricane Floyd and chronicles a day where Disney World is closed up. Contains pivotal scene where Denzel Washington says, "Look! The Main Street flag is waving toward the castle. Walt warned us about this!"

Until next time … Don't give a flamingo a yo-yo.

Related Links

• Fantasia/2000 Guide
• Leave Your Fantasia/2000 Comments
• Purchase Fantasia/2000 Soundtrack from Amazon.com

Guest Relations is normally posted every other Friday.

The opinions expressed by Chris Reed, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future of Disneyland and the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.

-- Posted January 24, 2000