From ‘Les Misérables’ to ‘West Side Story,’ here are IMDb viewers’ top picks for the best musicals ever brought to the big screen. Which is your favorite?
Musicals: They’re a realm where reality gracefully gives way to rapture, where spoken words don’t just bind characters but also the eloquent language of song and dance.
To the skeptics, musicals might seem an over-the-top or even trivial genre. Yet, when faced with the most masterful musicals ever made, it’s hard not to be swept away by their cinematic magic. The finest musicals entertain and deeply resonate, reaching even those who’d never typically hum along to a tune.
Related: 10 Best Movie Soundtracks of All Time, Ranked
With its vibrancy and verve, the musical genre might not be everyone’s cup of tea. It stands distinct and, at times, even polarizing – much like the bold strokes of a Western or...
Musicals: They’re a realm where reality gracefully gives way to rapture, where spoken words don’t just bind characters but also the eloquent language of song and dance.
To the skeptics, musicals might seem an over-the-top or even trivial genre. Yet, when faced with the most masterful musicals ever made, it’s hard not to be swept away by their cinematic magic. The finest musicals entertain and deeply resonate, reaching even those who’d never typically hum along to a tune.
Related: 10 Best Movie Soundtracks of All Time, Ranked
With its vibrancy and verve, the musical genre might not be everyone’s cup of tea. It stands distinct and, at times, even polarizing – much like the bold strokes of a Western or...
- 9/26/2023
- by Buddy TV
- buddytv.com
(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)
The Movie: "Fantasia"
Where You Can Stream It: Disney+
The pitch: "What you're going to see are the designs and pictures and stories that music inspired in the minds and imaginations of a group of artists." This is how Deems Taylor, the live-action Mc for "Fantasia," sets up Disney's third classic animated feature.
The most random thing caused me to rewatch "Fantasia" this week for maybe the first time since before the turn-of-the-millennium sequel, "Fantasia 2000," was in theaters. It...
The post The Daily Stream: Fantasia Is Pure Music and Pure Cinema appeared first on /Film.
The Movie: "Fantasia"
Where You Can Stream It: Disney+
The pitch: "What you're going to see are the designs and pictures and stories that music inspired in the minds and imaginations of a group of artists." This is how Deems Taylor, the live-action Mc for "Fantasia," sets up Disney's third classic animated feature.
The most random thing caused me to rewatch "Fantasia" this week for maybe the first time since before the turn-of-the-millennium sequel, "Fantasia 2000," was in theaters. It...
The post The Daily Stream: Fantasia Is Pure Music and Pure Cinema appeared first on /Film.
- 5/8/2022
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
Many of us were introduced to some of the great works of classical music by the Disney film "Fantasia," or if you're a little younger, "Fantasia 2000." The 1940 film (called "The Concert Feature" while it was being made) was a series of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music. The entire performance is conducted by Leopold Stokowski, with music critic and composer Deems Taylor as the Master of Ceremonies stringing the performances together. Even if you've never seen either film, it's very likely that you've watched one segment. That's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," in which Mickey Mouse acts as the apprentice to sorcerer Yen...
The post The Big Difference Between Disney's Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 appeared first on /Film.
The post The Big Difference Between Disney's Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 appeared first on /Film.
- 4/4/2022
- by Jenna Busch
- Slash Film
Variety film music writer Jon Burlingame has been named among the winners of the 2021 ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Awards, awarded by a jury of experts for outstanding coverage of music in the forms of print, broadcast, liner notes or new media.
Burlingame won the ASCAP Foundation Paul Williams “Loved the Liner Notes” Award for his 4,000-word essay that was included on a recent expanded reissue of the “Midnight Cowboy” film soundtrack on Quartet Records. Burlingame — also the host of the “Disney for Scores” podcast and a prolific liner notes writer, as well as journalist and professor — is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s leading authorities on movie music.
Among other recipients, New York Times writer Daphne A. Brooks won the award for an article in the pop field for “100 Years Ago, ‘Crazy Blues’ Sparked a Revolution for Black Women Fans.”
Another award for a New York...
Burlingame won the ASCAP Foundation Paul Williams “Loved the Liner Notes” Award for his 4,000-word essay that was included on a recent expanded reissue of the “Midnight Cowboy” film soundtrack on Quartet Records. Burlingame — also the host of the “Disney for Scores” podcast and a prolific liner notes writer, as well as journalist and professor — is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s leading authorities on movie music.
Among other recipients, New York Times writer Daphne A. Brooks won the award for an article in the pop field for “100 Years Ago, ‘Crazy Blues’ Sparked a Revolution for Black Women Fans.”
Another award for a New York...
- 10/14/2021
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
“Bald Mountain, according to tradition is the gathering place of Satan and his followers. Here on Walpurgis Night, which is the equivalent of our own Halloween, the creatures of evil gather to worship their master.” That’s how composer Deems Taylor introduces “A Night on Bald Mountain,” one of the eight segments in Disney’s classic, third…
The post Satanic Fantasia Segment Night on Bald Mountain to be Feature appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
The post Satanic Fantasia Segment Night on Bald Mountain to be Feature appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
- 6/3/2015
- by Samuel Zimmerman
- shocktillyoudrop.com
As we continue on, I need to once again clarify that if this list was “Joshua Gaul’s 50 Favorite Movie Musicals,” it’d be a quite a different list. But, if my tastes determined what is definitive, I’d be asking you all to consider Aladdin as a brilliant piece of filmmaking and wax nostalgic about my love for Batteries Not Included and Flight of the Navigator (not for the musicals list, of course). Much to my dismay, my tastes are not universal. I’d like to think my research methods are.
courtesy of themoviescene.co.uk
30. Annie (1982)
Directed by John Huston
Signature Song: “Tomorrow” (http://youtu.be/Yop62wQH498)
Originally a 1924 comic strip, the beloved stage musical about a red-haired orphan girl was brought to the big screen in 1982 and directed by John Huston (yes, that John Huston – director of The Maltese Falcon and The African Queen, not to...
courtesy of themoviescene.co.uk
30. Annie (1982)
Directed by John Huston
Signature Song: “Tomorrow” (http://youtu.be/Yop62wQH498)
Originally a 1924 comic strip, the beloved stage musical about a red-haired orphan girl was brought to the big screen in 1982 and directed by John Huston (yes, that John Huston – director of The Maltese Falcon and The African Queen, not to...
- 5/12/2014
- by Joshua Gaul
- SoundOnSight
“I think we’re all glad that they changed the name to Fantasia,” states Steve Martin dryly during his introduction of Fantasia 2000 regarding the film’s predecessor, which was originally called The Concert Feature. (Fantasia may be a slightly cooler-sounding title, but it’s not much more inviting to the average audience member than The Concert Feature.) That single line of dialogue represents the key to the creative struggle at the heart of Fantasia 2000, a perfectly entertaining film with no identity of its own. Though Martin is funny in his few moments on screen (all of the celebrity introductions in this new film are mildly charming in their own way, though they vary in tone from Martin’s wacky fourth-wall-breaking humor to regal sincerity, as with Angela Lansbury’s climactic appearance), the fact that a recognizable comedian needs to be one of our ushers into a world of...
- 2/13/2014
- by Josh Spiegel
- SoundOnSight
The concept of the work of art that is unappreciated by the masses immediately, but gains a passionate and overwhelming following decades later is almost as old as time itself. A book, or piece of music, or painting, or sculpture, or film is unveiled to an indifferent public, save a few devout fans, and is only revived once newer generations approach it with fresh eyes. So many films we now consider to be the greatest of all time were not as warmly received (if they were received warmly at all) upon their initial release. Some classics, such as Citizen Kane and Vertigo, benefit now primarily from home media releases, repeated airings on Turner Classic Movies, and the impassioned voices of critics and historians to emphasize to general audiences how important and daring and dramatically satisfying these films truly are. Then there are the films that received a second wind of...
- 2/6/2014
- by Josh Spiegel
- SoundOnSight
Why Watch? For starters, Bob Clampett was kind of a big deal and today is the 100th anniversary of his birthday. He directed cartoons for Warner Bros. from 1937 to 1947, a decade of boundlessly entertaining work. He was also a somewhat controversial character, mostly due to his insistence that he had created Bugs Bunny all on his own. That turns out to be entirely unfounded, of course, but at least Porky Pig was definitely his. The two of them face off in the first half of A Corny Concerto, the first time in WB history that two major characters shared a cartoon. The whole thing is a parody of Walt Disney’s work, Fantasia in particular. Elmer Fudd takes on the role of musicologist and conductor, rising from behind the orchestra to introduce “Tales from the Vienna Woods” in the style of Fantasia‘s Deems Taylor. He later returns for the second segment, “The Blue Danube...
- 5/8/2013
- by Daniel Walber
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Fantasia 2000
Directed by Don Hahn, Pixote Hunt, Hendel Butoy, Eric Goldberg, James Algar, Francis Glebas, and Paul and Gaetan Brazzi
Starring Steve Martin, Bette Midler, Penn and Teller, Angela Lansbury
Achieving balance is one of the great high-wire acts of family films. Some filmmakers attempt to make universal pieces of entertainment, to appeal to adults as well as to children. Many don’t, but the best of the films from Walt Disney Pictures succeed at that balance, or at least try very hard and come close to succeeding. The most obvious example of a group of people trying to make something as accessible for kids as it is for adults, something that everyone can enjoy on some level, are the two (as of now) Fantasia films. Both movies work within the medium of animation to transcend commonly considered tropes of storytelling. But the people behind both films went about...
Directed by Don Hahn, Pixote Hunt, Hendel Butoy, Eric Goldberg, James Algar, Francis Glebas, and Paul and Gaetan Brazzi
Starring Steve Martin, Bette Midler, Penn and Teller, Angela Lansbury
Achieving balance is one of the great high-wire acts of family films. Some filmmakers attempt to make universal pieces of entertainment, to appeal to adults as well as to children. Many don’t, but the best of the films from Walt Disney Pictures succeed at that balance, or at least try very hard and come close to succeeding. The most obvious example of a group of people trying to make something as accessible for kids as it is for adults, something that everyone can enjoy on some level, are the two (as of now) Fantasia films. Both movies work within the medium of animation to transcend commonly considered tropes of storytelling. But the people behind both films went about...
- 5/19/2012
- by Josh Spiegel
- SoundOnSight
Fantasia
Directed by Samuel Armstrong; James Algar; Bill Roberts and Paul Satterfield; Ben Sharpsteen and David Hand; Hamilton Luske, Jim Handley, and Ford Beebe; T. Hee and Norm Ferguson; & Wilfred Jackson
Starring Deems Taylor
A few weeks ago, I read a great article by Drew McWeeny of HitFix wherein, while describing how his two children responded to one of the first and most important Disney live-action films, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, he posed this question: are Disney movies automatically “for kids”? This is, unfortunately, a very common criticism levied by people who either should know better or don’t educate themselves on the history of film, let alone Disney films. You know what criticism I mean: “Oh, that’s just for kids.” “It’s a kids’ movie. Who cares?” Sometimes, when I nitpick some aspect of a Disney film, whether it’s live-action or animated, I hear that complaint. Why...
Directed by Samuel Armstrong; James Algar; Bill Roberts and Paul Satterfield; Ben Sharpsteen and David Hand; Hamilton Luske, Jim Handley, and Ford Beebe; T. Hee and Norm Ferguson; & Wilfred Jackson
Starring Deems Taylor
A few weeks ago, I read a great article by Drew McWeeny of HitFix wherein, while describing how his two children responded to one of the first and most important Disney live-action films, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, he posed this question: are Disney movies automatically “for kids”? This is, unfortunately, a very common criticism levied by people who either should know better or don’t educate themselves on the history of film, let alone Disney films. You know what criticism I mean: “Oh, that’s just for kids.” “It’s a kids’ movie. Who cares?” Sometimes, when I nitpick some aspect of a Disney film, whether it’s live-action or animated, I hear that complaint. Why...
- 4/14/2012
- by Josh Spiegel
- SoundOnSight
There’s a group of films, I’ll call them “Unimpeachable Classics”, that show up constantly on critics’ best-film lists, films that have achieved canonical status despite serious flaws or being hopelessly dated. These films get canonized because they A) accurately embody a moment of zeitgeist, B) overflow with pathos, or C) have been so well-loved by past critics that modern ones (a cowardly lot) refuse to dethrone or declaim them. The “Unimpeachable Classic”, not to be confused with an actual classic film, is always overrated, but the individual films vary in quality. Some are good but not great (Chinatown, The Graduate), some are mediocre (Rebel Without a Cause, Ben Hur) and some are just plain bad (Gone With the Wind.)
Fantasia is definitely an “Unimpeachable Classic”, although it is one of the better examples from the list. A series of animations by Walt Disney set to and inspired by eight different classical music pieces,...
Fantasia is definitely an “Unimpeachable Classic”, although it is one of the better examples from the list. A series of animations by Walt Disney set to and inspired by eight different classical music pieces,...
- 1/6/2011
- by Willie Osterweil
- JustPressPlay.net
Hitting movie theaters this weekend:
The Warrior’s Way – Dong-gun Jang, Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush
Movie of the Week
The Warrior’s Way
The Stars: Dong-gun Jang, Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush
The Plot: A warrior-assassin is forced to hide in a small town in the American Badlands after refusing a mission.
The Buzz: With no other major releases this week, The Warrior’s Way wins the “Movie of the Week” accolade by default. That’s not to say I’m not interested in seeing Kate Bosworth again — she’s been absent from the motion picture scene since 2008′s 21 and before that 2006′s Superman Returns, and I’ve always enjoyed her work. I’m unfamiliar with the film’s lead, Dong-gun Jang, but he seems charismatic enough in the film’s trailer. The film also boasts the presence of Geoffrey Rush, which suggests a higher caliber film than one would otherwise assume.
The Warrior’s Way – Dong-gun Jang, Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush
Movie of the Week
The Warrior’s Way
The Stars: Dong-gun Jang, Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush
The Plot: A warrior-assassin is forced to hide in a small town in the American Badlands after refusing a mission.
The Buzz: With no other major releases this week, The Warrior’s Way wins the “Movie of the Week” accolade by default. That’s not to say I’m not interested in seeing Kate Bosworth again — she’s been absent from the motion picture scene since 2008′s 21 and before that 2006′s Superman Returns, and I’ve always enjoyed her work. I’m unfamiliar with the film’s lead, Dong-gun Jang, but he seems charismatic enough in the film’s trailer. The film also boasts the presence of Geoffrey Rush, which suggests a higher caliber film than one would otherwise assume.
- 12/1/2010
- by Aaron Ruffcorn
- The Scorecard Review
Nov 29, 2010
According to Deems Taylor, writing in 1940 (although the story was later denied by Disney sources), Fantasia first began as a comeback vehicle for Mickey Mouse after the Disney Studio had turned from modest cartoon production to large-scale animation features. Certainly Disney had used the Silly Symphony format to introduce additional cartoon figures – Pluto in 1930, the Three Pigs in 1933, and then Donald Duck in 1934, who went on to challenge Mickey's top billing. Also in 1934 Disney began work on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, a considerable gamble that came ...Read more at MovieRetriever.com...
According to Deems Taylor, writing in 1940 (although the story was later denied by Disney sources), Fantasia first began as a comeback vehicle for Mickey Mouse after the Disney Studio had turned from modest cartoon production to large-scale animation features. Certainly Disney had used the Silly Symphony format to introduce additional cartoon figures – Pluto in 1930, the Three Pigs in 1933, and then Donald Duck in 1934, who went on to challenge Mickey's top billing. Also in 1934 Disney began work on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, a considerable gamble that came ...Read more at MovieRetriever.com...
- 11/30/2010
- CinemaNerdz
Hard to believe, but it’s been 70 years since Walt Disney first released his Technicolor triumph, Fantasia. Still one of his, and the studio’s, most ambitious projects, Fantasia remains a remarkable achievement of animation, sound and art. And now, for this first time on Blu-ray, this Disney classic is with us once more.
With dialogue used sparingly throughout, Fantasia is a collection of eight animated segments, all set to pieces of classical music. Conducted by Brit conductor Leopold Stokowski and performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, each segment is introduced by composer and critic Deems Taylor, who explains the narrative, or lack thereof, the music involved, and the images we’re about to explore.
What follows in each segment is nothing short of genius on Disney’s part. Each one is a work of dedication, beauty, and what Disney himself would call ‘pure animation’. Making use of classic pieces Toccata and Fugue in D Minor,...
With dialogue used sparingly throughout, Fantasia is a collection of eight animated segments, all set to pieces of classical music. Conducted by Brit conductor Leopold Stokowski and performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, each segment is introduced by composer and critic Deems Taylor, who explains the narrative, or lack thereof, the music involved, and the images we’re about to explore.
What follows in each segment is nothing short of genius on Disney’s part. Each one is a work of dedication, beauty, and what Disney himself would call ‘pure animation’. Making use of classic pieces Toccata and Fugue in D Minor,...
- 11/25/2010
- Shadowlocked
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has official announced the full specs for its upcoming Blu-ray and DVD release of Fantasia. The former, which dates from 1940, has become one of Disney's most admired classics. If the quality of remastering for a hi-def release is anything like that of Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, animation fans are in for a visual and auditory treat.
The Blu-ray edition of The Fantasia and Fantasia 2000: 2-Movie Collection Special Edition will be a 4-disc release that includes both the original film and its turn-of-the-millennium follow-up. Like the original, Fantasia 2000 is a lively mix of classical music and animated imagery. The 'cast' includes a host of famous names, including Steve Martin, Bette Midler, James Earl Jones, Penn and Teller, Angela Lansbury, Itzhak Perlman and Quincy Jones.
Among the special features on the Blu-ray will be the Academy Award® nominated short Destino.
The Blu-ray edition of The Fantasia and Fantasia 2000: 2-Movie Collection Special Edition will be a 4-disc release that includes both the original film and its turn-of-the-millennium follow-up. Like the original, Fantasia 2000 is a lively mix of classical music and animated imagery. The 'cast' includes a host of famous names, including Steve Martin, Bette Midler, James Earl Jones, Penn and Teller, Angela Lansbury, Itzhak Perlman and Quincy Jones.
Among the special features on the Blu-ray will be the Academy Award® nominated short Destino.
- 9/4/2010
- CinemaSpy
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