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Ernest Rister · 01-16-2004, 03:47 PM

"A Masterpiece Edition is supposedly coming out in 2005 or 2006, so skip the Anthology version."

No, don't skip the Anthology version. The Anthology Version has a commentary track by Roy Disney (who is now Michael Eisner's arch-nemesis), as well as a commentary by Walt Disney from beyond the grave (made up of various recordings he made over the years). It also has one of the best "making of" features I've ever seen. Why wait? Get it *now*.

There is a dispute about the "cuts" to Fantasia. Fantasia was re-released in 1947, the year after the NAACP protested loudly against Disney's Song of the South. Leonard Maltin writes that the "Centaurette" sequence had been cut "since the 1950's". In the article, "The Mouse that Roared", Disney historians Anthony Dale and Drew Sullivan also write that the Centaurettes were cut "sometime in the 1950's". Whoever put together the DVD Liner Notes seems to think the shots were cut in 1969. If you notice, the DVD liner notes state that the running time of the 1947 version and the 1969 version are exactly the same. They state that it is "unexplained" why the running times are exactly alike.

Well, if Maltin is correct, and Walt Disney had cut those shots himself at some point in the Fantasia timeline, then it makes sense why the running time of the 1947 version and the 1969 version are the same. Song of the South hit in 1946, and the film was accused of presenting negative images of African-Americans. In 1947, it is possible the re-release of Fantasia was trimmed of offending imagery by Walt Disney himself. That would explain why the 1947 version and the 1969 version have the exact same running time, and while it makes Maltin off by a few years, it makes sense.

Why do I doubt the liner notes and tend to believe Maltin? Because Disney PR frequently trips on their own shoelaces in this regard -- their press release for last year's DVD release of Sleeping Beauty stated that Beauty was the first animated Disney film to be shot in a wide-screen process...forgetting all about Lady and the Tramp, which was released in 1955, and was shot in CinemaScope.

But back to the subject at hand -- if Walt Disney trimmed those shots himself - in 1947, the 1950's or whenever - then the DVD is a solid compromise. It removes the imagery Walt wanted out of the movie, while not cutting the original Stokowski recordings. The DVD presents a version of Fantasia that is the most complete "recreation" of the original 1940 experience that we are likely to get (can anyone see the Disney Company ever restoring those shots? I certainly don't ever see it happening).

So why wait for a new DVD that may not have the Roy Disney commentary, or the "making of" feature which relies heavily on interviews with Roy Disney? It is unlikely that Fantasia is going to ever be re-combobulated to feature the few fleeting images of the black centaurettes (again, shots that may have been removed by Walt himself), so there is no reason to wait.

01-16-2004, 03:47 PM	#7 of 64
Ernest Rister Join Date: Oct 2001 Local Time: 12:06 AM Local Date: 09-06-2008 Posts: 4,039	"A Masterpiece Edition is supposedly coming out in 2005 or 2006, so skip the Anthology version." No, don't skip the Anthology version. The Anthology Version has a commentary track by Roy Disney (who is now Michael Eisner's arch-nemesis), as well as a commentary by Walt Disney from beyond the grave (made up of various recordings he made over the years). It also has one of the best "making of" features I've ever seen. Why wait? Get it now. There is a dispute about the "cuts" to Fantasia. Fantasia was re-released in 1947, the year after the NAACP protested loudly against Disney's Song of the South. Leonard Maltin writes that the "Centaurette" sequence had been cut "since the 1950's". In the article, "The Mouse that Roared", Disney historians Anthony Dale and Drew Sullivan also write that the Centaurettes were cut "sometime in the 1950's". Whoever put together the DVD Liner Notes seems to think the shots were cut in 1969. If you notice, the DVD liner notes state that the running time of the 1947 version and the 1969 version are exactly the same. They state that it is "unexplained" why the running times are exactly alike. Well, if Maltin is correct, and Walt Disney had cut those shots himself at some point in the Fantasia timeline, then it makes sense why the running time of the 1947 version and the 1969 version are the same. Song of the South hit in 1946, and the film was accused of presenting negative images of African-Americans. In 1947, it is possible the re-release of Fantasia was trimmed of offending imagery by Walt Disney himself. That would explain why the 1947 version and the 1969 version have the exact same running time, and while it makes Maltin off by a few years, it makes sense. Why do I doubt the liner notes and tend to believe Maltin? Because Disney PR frequently trips on their own shoelaces in this regard -- their press release for last year's DVD release of Sleeping Beauty stated that Beauty was the first animated Disney film to be shot in a wide-screen process...forgetting all about Lady and the Tramp, which was released in 1955, and was shot in CinemaScope. But back to the subject at hand -- if Walt Disney trimmed those shots himself - in 1947, the 1950's or whenever - then the DVD is a solid compromise. It removes the imagery Walt wanted out of the movie, while not cutting the original Stokowski recordings. The DVD presents a version of Fantasia that is the most complete "recreation" of the original 1940 experience that we are likely to get (can anyone see the Disney Company ever restoring those shots? I certainly don't ever see it happening). So why wait for a new DVD that may not have the Roy Disney commentary, or the "making of" feature which relies heavily on interviews with Roy Disney? It is unlikely that Fantasia is going to ever be re-combobulated to feature the few fleeting images of the black centaurettes (again, shots that may have been removed by Walt himself), so there is no reason to wait.