Fantasia 2000/Transcript

(flashbacks of the the original film appeared as the movie opens)
Deems Taylor: It's my very pleasant duty to welcome you here on behalf of all the other artists and musicians whose combined talents went into the creation of this new form of entertainment, Fantasia. What you will see on the screen is a picture of the various abstract images that might pass through your mind if you sat in a concert hall listening to this music. Now, there are three kinds of music on this Fantasia program. First, there's the kind that tells a definite story. Then there's the kind, that while it has no specific plot, does paint a series of more or less definite pictures. Then there's a third kind, music that exists simply for its own sake. Now, the number that opens our Fantasia program is music of this third kind.
♪(Symphony No. 5)♪
Steve Martin: You know, what's amazing is that many of these musicians are playing for the very first time, thanks to Steve Martin's "Two-Week Master Musician Home Study Course". More about that later. Hello, and welcome to Fantasia 2000. It's been more than 60 years since Walt Disney and his artists, teamed up with Maestro Leopold Stokowski to create a film they titled, The Concert Feature. I think we're all glad that they changed the name to Fantasia. You know, Fantasia was meant to be a perpetual work in progress. Every time you went to see it, you'd experience some new pieces along with some old familiar favorites. But that idea fell by the wayside, until now. So let me turn things over to the great Itzhak Perlman, who, I have just been informed, plays the violin. Well, so do I. Big deal. Could I have my violin, please? (A musician gives Steve's violin to him) Ahh, thank you. All right, boys, let's... (bow slips from his hands, then the camera moves) Oh! Oh, sorry. Could I have another stick thingy, please? Oh, and camera back on me. Camera back on me. Ca... Am I done?
Itzhak Perlman: When you hear a title like Pines of Rome, you might think of tree-lined streets and romantic ruins, but when the Disney animators heard this music, they thought of something completely different. Here is the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maestro James Levine, performing Ottorino Respighi's Pines of Rome.
♪(Pines of Rome)♪
(Pianist plays the piano)
♪♪(bluesy jazz)♪♪
Quincy Jones: Beautiful, Ralph. Hi. Next, we're gonna take you to the streets of New York City for a piece that's inspired by a couple of my favorite artists. First there's the illustrator, Al Hirschfeld, who's been drawing celebrities and Broadway stars for most of the 20th century. And then there's composer songwriter, George Gershwin who took jazz off the streets, dressed her up, and took her to the concert hall. My friend, Ralph Grierson plays piano on this next number, and it all starts with a single slinky note on a clarinet, and a simple line on a piece of paper. Ladies and gentlemen, Rhapsody in Blue.
♪(Rhapsody in Blue)♪
Bette Midler: Hi. You may not know this, but over the years, the Disney artists have cooked up dozens of ideas for new Fantasia segments. Some of them made it to the big screen this time, but others, lots of others... How can I put this politely? Didn't. For example, the Danish illustrator, Kay Nielsen drew these sketches for a segment inspired by Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries. Here they are, and there they go. Now, Salvador Dali, you know, the "limp watches" guy, he got into the act with an idea that featured baseball as a metaphor for life. How come that didn't work? Makes perfect sense to me. Let's see, then we had a bug ballet, and a baby ballet, and for a time, they even considered a sequence inspired by The Polka and the Fugue, from Weinberger's Schwanda the Bagpiper. But finally, a success. The Disney artists wanted to create a short film, based on Hans Christian Andersen's wonderful fairy tale, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, but they could never find the perfect musical match, until now. Here is Yefim Bronfman, playing the Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 2, and The Steadfast Tin Soldier.
♪(Piano Concerto No. 2, Allegro, Opus 102)♪
James Earl Jones: These drawing boards have been the birthplace of some of the most beloved animal characters of all time. So it's no surprise that the artists choose for out next segment The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns. Here, the sensitive strains of impressionistic music combine with the subtle artistry of the animator, to finally answer that age-old question, "What is man's relationship to nature?" (is handed a note) Oh, sorry. That age-old question, "What would happen if you gave a yo-yo to a flock of flamingos?" (turns to look off-camera) Who wrote this?
♪(Carnival of the Animals)♪
Penn & Teller: Ladies and gentlemen, we'd like to take a moment, if we may, to talk about a little something we like to refer to as magic. Picture this. You're at home, hosting a birthday party for your daughter, and you've just shelled out 50 bucks, so some pathetic loser can pull a mangy rabbit out of a flea market hat. At first, you might wonder to yourself, "How did he do that?" But then you would probably just dismiss it as some sort of a trick. And you know something? You'd be right! It's just a trick! It's an example of what we laughingly refer to as stage magic. We're here to tell you that all stage magic is a fraud, a hoax, a sham. It's all based on deception and, yep, lyin', all of it. Sleight of hand... Lies! Transformations... Fraud! Dismemberment... Rip-off! Fakes! All are illusions. What we're here to talk about is real magic. We're gonna bring on a guy now who's the real deal, the genuine article. In fact, he taught us everything we know. And he is featured prominently in the next sequence, from the original Fantasia, The Sorcerer's Apprentice. (laughs) You know, come to think of it, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, is a little guy, who never speaks and just kind of messes everything up. (whispers) Like him. (laughs) And now... Wh... And now, the... Oh, hi, hi, little fella. I gotta... And now, The Sorcerer's Apprentice. (chuckles)
♪(The Sorcerer's Apprentice)♪
Mickey Mouse: (pulling on Stokowski's coat) Mr. Stokowski. Mr. Stokowski! (whistles to get Stokowski's attention; chuckles) Just wanted to offer my congratulations, sir.
Leopold Stokowski: (shaking hands with Mickey; chuckles) Congratulations to you, Mickey.
Mickey Mouse: Aw, gee, thanks. (chuckles) Well, I gotta run now. So long! Mr. Levine! (chuckles) Okay, Mr. Levine. Everyone's in place for the next number.
James Levine: Hey thanks, Mickey.
Mickey Mouse: (pulling on Levine's coat) Psst!
James Levine: When...
Mickey Mouse: But we can't find Donald, so you stay here and stall for time. I'll be right back. (he exits and is heard yelling offstage; yelling) Donald! Oh, Donald!
James Levine: When we hear Sir Edward Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance, we think of a graduation ceremony.
Mickey Mouse: Donald, where are ya?
James Levine: Actually, Sir Edward Elgar composed it for many kinds of solemn events.
Mickey Mouse: Donald!
James Levine: This march inspired the Disney artists to recreate the age-old story...
Mickey Mouse: Donald Duck, are you hiding in...?
Daisy Duck: (shrieking in terror when Mickey frightens her) Aaaah!
Mickey Mouse: Oh, sorry, Daisy.
Daisy: That's alright.
James Levine: ...of Noah's Ark, with one slight twist.
Mickey Mouse: (knocking on door) Oh, Donald Duck!
Donald Duck: Who is it?
(Mickey and Donald's shadows are projected against a panel; Donald is in the shower)
Mickey Mouse: Donald, it's me, Mickey. You're on in 30 seconds. Hurry!
Donald Duck: What? You've gotta be kidding me! I'm not even dressed yet...
Mickey Mouse: (peeking out from behind a wall) Psst! Okay, Jim, he's on his way here. Go to the intro.
James Levine: Ladies and gentlemen, Pomp and Circumstance, starring Donald Duck.
♪(Pomp and Circumstance - Marches 1, 2, 3 and 4)♪
Angela Lansbury: Walt Disney described the art of animation as a voyage of discovery into the realms of color, sound and motion. The music from Igor Stravinsky's ballet, The Firebird, inspires such a voyage. And so we conclude this version of Fantasia with a mythical story of life, death and renewal.
♪(The Firebird Suite - 1919 Version)♪
(End Credits role)
Steve Martin: (off-screen) Camera back on me. Uh, camera back on me, please. Anyone? Hello? Hello? Could somebody please give me a ride home?
== UK VHS version ==
(After the 1990 Blue warning screen and the European Captioning Institute screen, the still version of the Disney Videos logo appears before the piracy warning starts)
John Sachs: Welcome to a world of fantasy, music and magical entertainment, the Disney video collection! But don't be tempted to buy a cheap illegal pirate copy, or you might just hear about it from your children.
Boy: Mum, it's no good! The picture's all funny! I can't hear it!
John Sachs: For the best in quality entertainment, people look to Disney. You can recognise an authentic Disney video, either by the camera, or the new Mickey Mouse hologram on the spine of the video cover, or by the logo hologram on the cassette. It's your guarantee of buying a true Disney original with the quality of our standards that you and your family deserve.
♪(Disney is Magic)♪ song ends.
John Sachs: If you have any worries concerning pirate videos, call one of these numbers now.
(The Piracy warning fades to black, the normal Disney Videos logo plays and fades to black before the screen fades in, revealing Roy E. Disney walking onto the stage from the left of the shot)
Roy E. Disney: Hello, I'm Roy Disney. It was over sixty years ago that I first heard my uncle, Walt Disney speak about his vision for a concert film. It was to be unlike anything the world had ever seen. Breaking new ground in animation, sound, and technology. At the suggestion of conductor, Leopold Stokowski, it was called "Fantasia", and it would be one of the crowning achievements of Walt's career. But it wasn't the first time he would alarm audiences with breathtaking innovations.
(Screen cuts to "Steamboat Willie" with Mickey whistling the "Steamboat Willie" tune as he turns the helm)
Walt was the first to produce synchronized sound in an animated film with "Steamboat Willie".
(Screen fades to the flowers dancing around the tree from "Flowers and Trees")
"Flowers and Trees" was the first color cartoon.
(Screen cuts to live action behind the scenes footage for the multi-plane camera system used in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and "Bambi")
In the mid-thirties, Walt's team developed the multi-plane camera that gave alarming new depth to animation. It was put to wonderful use on the first all-new animated feature:
(Screen fades to the birds pulling Snow White's cape as they lead her to the Seven Dwarfs' cottage)
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs".
(Screen fades to the "Waltz of the Flowers" segment from "Fantasia" with the two fairies ice-skating)
And in 1940 with "Fantasia", Walt elevated the art of animation once again
(Screen fades to the "Dance of the Hours" segment from "Fantasia" with the hippopotamus ballerina running from the alligators)
since he developed the first use of multi-track stereophonic sound to approximate a concert-going experience.
(Screen fades back to Roy E. Disney)
At Walt Disney Feature Animation, we've continued this tradition of innovation. And if the computer first became available as an animation tool, we saw it as a grand opportunity.
(Screen fades to "The Grand Mouse Detective" as we see portions of the famous final battle inside the Big Ben Clock Tower)
In "The Grand Mouse Detective", the gears of Big Ben were computer generated and combined with hand-drawn cels of the characters.
(Basil jumps onto a lever and grabs onto a chain. But before Olivia Flaversham could be crushed by the gears she's trapped in, Basil grabs her hand and pulls her out of the gears as the chain pulls them higher. Then the screen fades to "Beauty and the Beast" as Belle and Beast dance around the ballroom)
Mrs. Potts: (sings) Tale as old as time.....
Roy E. Disney: In "Beauty and the Beast", sweeping camera moves through three-dimensional scenes heightened the reality and the entertainment experience.
(In the middle of Mrs. Potts' singing, the camera cuts to a scene from "Toy Story 2" where Andy's toys run inside the Pizza Planet Truck)
Buzz Lightyear: (Closes the car door and pulls a pizza box) Rex, you navigate! (He stands on the box to reach the steering wheel) Hamm and Potato, operate the levers and knobs!
(We cut to Mr. Potato Head standing on Hamm's back as he pulls the lever to "DRIVE", making the Pizza Planet Truck speed onto the road where the toys chase after Al)
Roy E. Disney: "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" took computer animation to infinity and beyond by creating fully digital universes and characters.
(Buzz climbs onto the steering wheel and turns the car left, but we cut to footage of the current live-action movie, "Dinosaur")
Roy E. Disney: "Dinosaur" advances the technology even further, becoming our first all-new feature to combine naturalistic digital animation with real-life backgrounds.
(A pterodactyl carries Aladar's egg with its beak while flying over the ocean)
These days, we continue to push the envelope, helping to pioneer the development of digital projection systems for theaters that will let us present animation with heightened clarity. And with DVD, we're now able to deliver our films right out of our computer and into your home with digital perfection.
(Screen fades back to Roy E. Disney)
The story of animation is in many fashions the story of the dynamic interrelationship between heart and technology. The result is a dramatic and constantly growing creative legacy. "Fantasia" remains a reluctant piece of that legacy. Walt's original concept was for it to be a continually evolving showpiece by the wonders of animation. Sixty years later, "Fantasia 2000" is the realization of his visionary dream. Now, on behalf of the entire family of Disney animators past and present, we are proud to present "Fantasia 2000"!
(Light darkens on Roy E. Disney and the screen fades to black before the movie starts playing in PAL pitched tone)
(flashbacks of the the original film appeared as the movie opens)
Deems Taylor: It's my very pleasant duty to welcome you here on behalf of all the other artists and musicians whose combined talents went into the creation of this new form of entertainment, Fantasia. What you will see on the screen is a picture of the various abstract images that might pass through your mind if you sat in a concert hall listening to this music. Now, there are three kinds of music on this Fantasia program. First, there's the kind that tells a definite story. Then there's the kind, that while it has no specific plot, does paint a series of more or less definite pictures. Then there's a third kind, music that exists simply for its own sake. Now, the number that opens our Fantasia program is music of this third kind.
♪(Symphony No. 5)♪
Steve Martin: You know, what's amazing is that many of these musicians are playing for the very first time, thanks to Steve Martin's "Two-Week Master Musician Home Study Course". More about that later. Hello, and welcome to Fantasia 2000. It's been more than 60 years since Walt Disney and his artists, teamed up with Maestro Leopold Stokowski to create a film they titled, The Concert Feature. I think we're all glad that they changed the name to Fantasia. You know, Fantasia was meant to be a perpetual work in progress. Every time you went to see it, you'd experience some new pieces along with some old familiar favorites. But that idea fell by the wayside, until now. So let me turn things over to the great Itzhak Perlman, who, I have just been informed, plays the violin. Well, so do I. Big deal. Could I have my violin, please? (A musician gives Steve's violin to him) Ahh, thank you. All right, boys, let's... (bow slips from his hands, then the camera moves) Oh! Oh, sorry. Could I have another stick thingy, please? Oh, and camera back on me. Camera back on me. Ca... Am I done?
Itzhak Perlman: When you hear a title like Pines of Rome, you might think of tree-lined streets and romantic ruins, but when the Disney animators heard this music, they thought of something completely different. Here is the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maestro James Levine, performing Ottorino Respighi's Pines of Rome.
♪(Pines of Rome)♪
(Pianist plays the piano)
♪♪(bluesy jazz)♪♪
Quincy Jones: Beautiful, Ralph. Hi. Next, we're gonna take you to the streets of New York City for a piece that's inspired by a couple of my favorite artists. First there's the illustrator, Al Hirschfeld, who's been drawing celebrities and Broadway stars for most of the 20th century. And then there's composer songwriter, George Gershwin who took jazz off the streets, dressed her up, and took her to the concert hall. My friend, Ralph Grierson plays piano on this next number, and it all starts with a single slinky note on a clarinet, and a simple line on a piece of paper. Ladies and gentlemen, Rhapsody in Blue.
♪(Rhapsody in Blue)♪
Bette Midler: Hi. You may not know this, but over the years, the Disney artists have cooked up dozens of ideas for new Fantasia segments. Some of them made it to the big screen this time, but others, lots of others... How can I put this politely? Didn't. For example, the Danish illustrator, Kay Nielsen drew these sketches for a segment inspired by Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries. Here they are, and there they go. Now, Salvador Dali, you know, the "limp watches" guy, he got into the act with an idea that featured baseball as a metaphor for life. How come that didn't work? Makes perfect sense to me. Let's see, then we had a bug ballet, and a baby ballet, and for a time, they even considered a sequence inspired by The Polka and the Fugue, from Weinberger's Schwanda the Bagpiper. But finally, a success. The Disney artists wanted to create a short film, based on Hans Christian Andersen's wonderful fairy tale, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, but they could never find the perfect musical match, until now. Here is Yefim Bronfman, playing the Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 2, and The Steadfast Tin Soldier.
♪(Piano Concerto No. 2, Allegro, Opus 102)♪
James Earl Jones: These drawing boards have been the birthplace of some of the most beloved animal characters of all time. So it's no surprise that the artists choose for out next segment The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns. Here, the sensitive strains of impressionistic music combine with the subtle artistry of the animator, to finally answer that age-old question, "What is man's relationship to nature?" (is handed a note) Oh, sorry. That age-old question, "What would happen if you gave a yo-yo to a flock of flamingos?" (turns to look off-camera) Who wrote this?
♪(Carnival of the Animals)♪
Penn & Teller: Ladies and gentlemen, we'd like to take a moment, if we may, to talk about a little something we like to refer to as magic. Picture this. You're at home, hosting a birthday party for your daughter, and you've just shelled out 50 bucks, so some pathetic loser can pull a mangy rabbit out of a flea market hat. At first, you might wonder to yourself, "How did he do that?" But then you would probably just dismiss it as some sort of a trick. And you know something? You'd be right! It's just a trick! It's an example of what we laughingly refer to as stage magic. We're here to tell you that all stage magic is a fraud, a hoax, a sham. It's all based on deception and, yep, lyin', all of it. Sleight of hand... Lies! Transformations... Fraud! Dismemberment... Rip-off! Fakes! All are illusions. What we're here to talk about is real magic. We're gonna bring on a guy now who's the real deal, the genuine article. In fact, he taught us everything we know. And he is featured prominently in the next sequence, from the original Fantasia, The Sorcerer's Apprentice. (laughs) You know, come to think of it, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, is a little guy, who never speaks and just kind of messes everything up. (whispers) Like him. (laughs) And now... Wh... And now, the... Oh, hi, hi, little fella. I gotta... And now, The Sorcerer's Apprentice. (chuckles)
♪(The Sorcerer's Apprentice)♪
Mickey Mouse: (pulling on Stokowski's coat) Mr. Stokowski. Mr. Stokowski! (whistles to get Stokowski's attention; chuckles) Just wanted to offer my congratulations, sir.
Leopold Stokowski: (shaking hands with Mickey; chuckles) Congratulations to you, Mickey.
Mickey Mouse: Aw, gee, thanks. (chuckles) Well, I gotta run now. So long! Mr. Levine! (chuckles) Okay, Mr. Levine. Everyone's in place for the next number.
James Levine: Hey thanks, Mickey.
Mickey Mouse: (pulling on Levine's coat) Psst!
James Levine: When...
Mickey Mouse: But we can't find Donald, so you stay here and stall for time. I'll be right back. (he exits and is heard yelling offstage; yelling) Donald! Oh, Donald!
James Levine: When we hear Sir Edward Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance, we think of a graduation ceremony.
Mickey Mouse: Donald, where are ya?
James Levine: Actually, Sir Edward Elgar composed it for many kinds of solemn events.
Mickey Mouse: Donald!
James Levine: This march inspired the Disney artists to recreate the age-old story...
Mickey Mouse: Donald Duck, are you hiding in...?
Daisy Duck: (shrieking in terror when Mickey frightens her) Aaaah!
Mickey Mouse: Oh, sorry, Daisy.
Daisy: That's alright.
James Levine: ...of Noah's Ark, with one slight twist.
Mickey Mouse: (knocking on door) Oh, Donald Duck!
Donald Duck: Who is it?
(Mickey and Donald's shadows are projected against a panel; Donald is in the shower)
Mickey Mouse: Donald, it's me, Mickey. You're on in 30 seconds. Hurry!
Donald Duck: What? You've gotta be kidding me! I'm not even dressed yet...
Mickey Mouse: (peeking out from behind a wall) Psst! Okay, Jim, he's on his way here. Go to the intro.
James Levine: Ladies and gentlemen, Pomp and Circumstance, starring Donald Duck.
♪(Pomp and Circumstance - Marches 1, 2, 3 and 4)♪
Angela Lansbury: Walt Disney described the art of animation as a voyage of discovery into the realms of color, sound and motion. The music from Igor Stravinsky's ballet, The Firebird, inspires such a voyage. And so we conclude this version of Fantasia with a mythical story of life, death and renewal.
♪(The Firebird Suite - 1919 Version)♪
(End Credits role)
Steve Martin: (off-screen) Camera back on me. Uh, camera back on me, please. Anyone? Hello? Hello? Could someone give me a ride home?
Category:Transcripts
Category:Walt Disney Pictures Transcripts